On the drive in, there are a number of houses with forsythia bushes, all in full bloom. Many old-time gardeners use this blooming to time their seeding, as it's a sign that the soil is warm enough to plant early crops, such as peas. We haven't put any peas in, but we did plant the fava beans last week, and Michael has been preparing the fields with the disk harrow. Soon, we can begin transplanting.
And that's good, because the greenhouses are bursting at the seams. It makes me nervous to see them so full, because there is still a great deal of seeding to be done. We've already moved the onions, scallions, and shallots outside, since they're fairly frost-resistant, but we still need more room.
Last week, we started building the new greenhouse. By Friday, we had raised and braced all the hoops. Our plan is to enclose it as soon as we can. Even unheated, it will be a good place to move plants to harden them off before transplanting.
In the meantime, we'll just have to start transplanting. The crew is itching to do so. As much as I enjoy the greenhouse work, it will be good to get out into the fields and put things in the ground. The kale is ready, as well as the endive, radicchio, and the first round of lettuce. We'll have to be careful, though, because our official last frost date is still a month and a half away. If there's a chance in the meantime that temperatures will drop below freezing at night, we'll need to cover any of the more tender crops.
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