Is it planting time yet!?!?

Plant starts update

3/17 seedlings are all mature enough to pot, and I’m running out of space. Not knowing germination rates or which seedling may thrive when it’s transplant time means I have some redundancy. For the big guys like squash I want at least one plant one backup so I’ve got 3 of each. This are gonna get out of control. I’ll be giving away seedlings to a good home. The peppers were the final holdouts but finally popped up.

4/1 I started the next batch of seedlings:

• Dill
• Green onions (round 2)
• Poblano peppers
• Swiss chard
• Kale (Tuscan and Russian red)
• Arugula

Some I’ll try in the yard, but peppers and chard are going in the garden.

Garden plot update

I finally committed to a layout for the front plot, and starting planting my cold weather seeds. I also got some mulch to try to keep moisture in and keep them from freezing at night.

Front plot so far includes radishes, peas and onions (plus volunteer garlic and a few other mysteries).

Ollas

Since I can’t do a hobby halfway I’m also trying out this irrigation support method that has been popular in dry climates for hundreds of years, apparently – ollas “oh-yuhs”. The real version is a bulbous clay pot with a narrow neck that is buried underground and filled with water. The water slowly seeps into the soil based on the moisture of the soil, and doesn’t evaporate as quickly as surface watering. Many people on YouTube have created diy versions using terra cotta pots, sometimes combined with varying levels of sophisticated automatic water supplies.

I’m planning to use ollas as an emergency backup for watering, and just avoid total crispy dry out of the beds. I’m starting with a few and seeing how it goes. I’ve chosen to try two diy methods:

• Glue two pots together on top of each other- this method seems good because it takes up less horizontal space and seems to lend itself to future automatic watering upgrades. The more glue introduced however, the more opportunities for leaks.
• Use a big pot and use the saucer as a lid – this is pretty straightforward and only required blocking the bottom drainage hole, but takes up a lot more horizontal space and seems like it would be more susceptible to evaporation loss.

January starts update