Early spring hoopdate - March edition


It doesn't feel like early spring: our forecast is in the 70s for the next week.  While I had resigned myself to a non-wintery winter, this is getting a little unnerving.  I was re-reading last year's garden notes, in mid-March I was excited for days in the 50s, and we hit a very cold stretch in April.  So we'll see how it goes.
So of course, the seeds planted February 1st sprouted long after I gave up on them!  Greens were up around the 2nd of March, and as of this weekend I am seeing beet and carrot seedlings.  Meanwhile, the flat started indoors on 2/18 was growing much faster.  They've been set in the hoop most days since they had true leaves, and nights that were near or above freezing. 


With a forecast of clouds on Sunday, I was set to plant:  but almost changed my mind when it turned sunny and the hoop shot to 100 degrees.  I opened up the doors and went ahead, giving everything a good drink to minimize stress.  The hoop-raised plants are pretty used to extremes, and as of yesterday  they looked fine and happy in their new homes.  I also planted a couple of experimental rows of peas.   

wee baby mache, larger than life size.
 So the hoop is rapidly filling up -- in theory anyway.   There's not much room left for seeding, but most of the plants are very small yet. My mache and tatsoi planted in October are now about the size of a dime.  Whee.  Spinach, on the other hand, is going crazy, and the overwintered kale is now rapidly adding leaves too.  I pulled the remaining couple of fall carrots this weekend:  On hot days they seemed quite rubbery, but I harvested in the early morning and they are firm and sweet: good to know.

I looked back at my notes from last year (see a pattern here?) and growth-wise, the hoop house plants are doing a little better than last year's low tunnels, and that may just be due to the warm winter we had.  Seed-wise, it seems last year's schedule--I started spring seeding in early- to mid-march--is about right.  So, except for harvest access, (and of course, the added value of hanging out in some sunshine on a winter's day!) it seems to me that low tunnels are equally as effective at winter gardening endeavors.

I do love my big hoop (I think I've said that out loud about six times this weekend) but it's nice to know that simpler and smaller alternatives can work just as well.
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