We have had a long, long stretch of exceedingly cold weather here in Kalamazoo, more so than usual! Fortunately, the greenhouse did NOT have a repeat of the frozen solid hijinks of my last post. The 55 gallon drum of warm water has been doing the job along with the lowest setting on the forced air fan heater, and I’ve been able to keep things alive. Today was bright and sunny and allowed me to knock most of the icicles down. It also made for cozy temps inside!
Because it was toasty in the greenhouse today, the automatic venting windows kicked in! They didn’t open on the north side of the roof, but the south side opened for the first time in a long time. These windows open when the temps in the greenhouse exceed 70 degrees.
Since not much is really growing on in there, aside from some kale and spinach sprouts, I’m preparing for seed starting time. I’m thinking at the end of February I’ll start the spring crops that can be transplanted come April. I have one warming mat, but I will likely grab a couple more. Putting my seed starting trays on warming mats will help with germination and bridge any cold snaps in the greenhouse.
Here’s my current seed inventory. Spring/fall cool season seeds are on the left, and summer seeds are on the right. I thought you might like to learn more about each, so I linked them to where I bought the seeds. DS means direct sow, which is when I can just put them in the ground and let them do their thing. TRANSPLANT means I have to start them in the greenhouse, the earlier the better!
- Royal Snow purple peas DS
- King Tut purple peas DS
- Golden Sweet yellow peas DS
- Peas, Mammoth Melting Sugar DS
- Long Island Brussel sprouts TRANSPLANT
- Avalanche white beets DS
- Chioggia bullseye beets DS
- Golden Detroit beets DS
- Royal purple radish DS
- Wasabi radish DS
- Oxheart carrots DS
- New Kuroda carrots DS
- Waltham broccoli DS
- Bunching onions DS
- Cabbage babies DS
- Giant Nobel spinach DS
- Little Gem lettuce DS
- Tennis Ball lettuce DS
- Dwarf Siberian kale DS
- Black Beauty eggplant TRANSPLANT
- Santa Fe Grande pepper mix TRANSPLANT
- Sweet Purple Beauty bell pepper TRANSPLANT
- Honey Butternut squash TRANSPLANT
- Sugar Baby watermelon TRANSPLANT
- Mardi Gras beans, bush DS
- Green Griller zuchinni DS
- Cubanelle peppers mild TRANSPLANT
- Ace 55 tomato TRANSPLANT <–My favorite tomato!
- Gardener’s Delight tomato TRANSPLANT
- Jasper cherry tomato TRANSPLANT
- Spoon mini cherry tomato TRANSPLANT
- Midnight snack cherry tomato TRANSPLANT <– got mine from a friend but you can get them from the link
- San Marzano paste tomato TRANSPLANT
- Indigo Apple tomato TRANSPLANT
I have a pretty standard collection of herb seeds. I have pots of perennial herbs that I’ve had going for years now, like lavendar, oregano, thyme, garlic chives, regular chives, more mint than anyone will ever needs, lemon balm, anise hyssop, and comfrey, right of the top of my head. Here’s my current herb list:
- Italian large leaf basil
- Genovese basil
- Spicy basil
- Italian parsley
- Curly parsley
- Calypso cilantro
- Unspecified cilantro
- Garlic chives
- Sage
- Thyme
- Marshmallow
- Borage, throw it down on the front bed
I’m learning about medicinal uses for some of these herbs, not just the fun of cooking with them fresh or making teas of them. My cousin Jessi at Crafty Critters Homestead is studying up as well. That will be a post on its own at some point. 🙂
Is anyone else planning for spring? It will be here soon enough!
The Amy Experience 