Gearing Up....

If you check the date of this post, it says June 3rd. We've been "gearin' up" since our return from lovely Fort Meyers Beach at the beginning of April. Being a teacher, I'm not willing to sacrifice my spring break in order to start things when they should be started- in March. Consequently, I am always behind!

I can assure you that I started in earnest the minute we got home and haven't stopped since. I had everything ready: topsoil, peat, compost, greensand, rock phosphate, blood meal, sand and perlite. I made a special seed starting mix and began making hundreds of soil blocks. Soil blocks are a great way to start seeds! You make moist, compact little soil brownies and plant seeds in the little divet on top. When the roots reach the end of the soil block, they stop growing and send out more roots. It's called air pruning and you end up with a plant that has a very healthy root system.

Those lovely little roots must have looked delicious to all the *#$@& voles in our hoophouse. I foolishly left the trays on the ground and let's just say those voles had a a great little picnic!

So, I made more soil blocks and replanted. Then came the frost. And then another. And then another....

So, yes, I made more soil blocks. Today, when I finally caught my breath ( I took a personal day), I looked around and finally thought.....yes! We are on our way! The tenacity of plants never ceases to amaze me. I'm always humbled and inspired by my garden. I love watching things grow....