Each week, this newsletter will contain three sections:
How things are going
I will share an update on my garden as a point of reference for how my weekly tasks are adding up and looking.
What to do this week
Here I will present the 3 - 5 things I am planning or doing this week.
Resources
A deeper dive into information and perspectives that are inspiring or informing my gardening.
If you are coming to this newsletter mid-season, please take a look at the posts from the past few weeks to get a sense of context for where we are at this week!
Week 13: 3/24/2024 - 3/30/2024
Reminder:
Join us for a seedling swap/share! April 4th, 10 am - 12 pm, Curtis Park, the picnic tables at the corner of 31st and Curtis.
Bring yourself, your seedlings, or just your interest, meet your fellow gardeners, and walk away with some varieties you may have tried before, grown by your Curtis Park neighbors!
How things are going:
Despite the fluctuation in temperatures, the seeds I sowed two weeks ago have sprouted and are doing fine. Radish, peas, beets, lettuce, fennel, and carrots. There is the odd sunflower seedling popping up, which I’ll remove, along with any other non-planned sprouts. You can also see some tulips and the chives growing in this bed as well.
I’ve planted out the kale, lettuce, and bok choy seedlings I started indoors in February. Most of them are under plastic cover, but some I just covered with cups and pots during the snow. They’ve all had a little cold damage, but for the most part look like they’re going to bounce right back!
The lettuce I overwintered is really thriving, and I’m looking forward to picking it more aggressively for the rest of the spring.
Otherwise, I’m tending to my pepper seedlings, potting them up as they are ready. The tomato seeds I planted about 9 days ago are starting to sprout as well. As March concludes, it feels like the garden is really underway for the spring. Over the next month, rising daily and night temperatures, plus the lengthening sunlight will really start to speed up growth, and by mid May, I’ll be harvesting a lot of what I’ve planted now.
What to do this week:
Here’s what to do:
If you’ve grown some spring seedlings, now is a great time to harden them off and plant them outdoors.
If you want to grow spring crops before you need room in your beds for your summer veggies, you really should show them soon. You’ll need 6 - 8 weeks for many of them, and we are getting close to the time they will need in the ground overlapping with when you’ll want to plant your tomatoes, peppers, and other summer seedlings.
One consideration is to plan for interplanting. I’ve provided a resource below on how to think about this.
Next week:
Starting more summer seedlings (herbs, backup tomatoes, succession lettuces)
Checking for gaps in the beds and filling them
Harvesting overwintered greens
Resources:
Resource 1
This is such a good example of how to think about intercropping in your garden. While she is already well into the summer, you can think of her examples in reverse, planting your spring crops and leaving space for where you will put in your summer seedlings between them, while the spring crops finish up.