Wanted to post some happy pictures for a change! These were taken last week, and I swear the plants have grown a foot since then. It has finally warmed up, and while we have had about 4 inches of rain in the past 4 days, the tomatoes in the high tunnel are not at all phased. We actually had to run the drip tape today!




Luckily, these tomatoes were planted in our old soil since they were started early for earlier planting. Some of our outside tomatoes are looking much better than anticipated, considering what they looked like when I planted them! When I planted them out, I shook off all the soil I could, and used the hose to wash off as much soil as possible. Granted, a few did die, so I replaced those, and there are still a few that are struggling to survive, but I'm hoping they will pull through. What always amazes me is how resilient plants are; they really want to grow despite all that we (and Mother Nature) subject them to. What wonderful creations!

On the potting mix front, the manufacturer has reformulated, and has a skid of new soil waiting for us. The new mix has no fertilizer what-so-ever in it, so hopefully it will all be good. We will be planting some seeds in it soon....

More Sad Plant Pictures

Seems to be more of these every day.... Let's start with Brandywine this time.



Ok - Now some healthy, beautiful ground cherry plants in a 72 tray



and 3 weeks after they are potted up into their final 18 per tray pot



I get sad every time I look at these!

Good News, Bad News

Let's start with the good news - we now have Honey bees! My father has been wanting to keep bees for a while, but needed a place other than his average sized back yard to set them up. Enter the 5 acre site of W&M! They should really help with our pollination, hopefully increasing the yields on some of our crops. They should also really enjoy all the flowers in the cutting garden. It is a win-win situation for both my dad and W&M. Here he is pounding posts into the ground to anchor the hive on. He doesn't mess around with these types of things - note the level :)


OK - Now the bad news. We had picked up a batch of soil that turned out to be bad - VERY BAD. We acquired this soil right before we planted tomato seeds. Thank goodness, some seeds were started in the old soil, so they germinated and grew fine. However, upon potting them up, it was obvious the new soil was used. You see - there are no lot numbers or anything on the bags of soil, so there was no way of knowing which soil was good or bad. Anyway, it seems all we have used since early April is the bad soil. Some plants tolerate the soil - like basil, rosemary, mint, and other herbs. Most plants - like tomatoes, cucurbits, zinnias, cilantro, ground cherries, tomatillos, and a lot of my cutting flowers did not tolerate it at all.
Check out these really SAD plants:

These are 3 week old cucumber seedlings - they should be busting out of these pots by now.


Here are some trays of tomato seeds planted in the bad soil. Funny thing - they germinate, wilt and turn yellow, and sit like this for months. I still have trays that look like this from seeds that I started in March. I have over 40- 72 cell trays of plants that look like this.

OK - on to the last of the very disturbing pictures. Let's start with a healthy tray of 72's



Gorgeous, aren't they? Then, we potted them up (into soil we were told should be just fine) - and look at what happened:






These are tomatoes that looked BEAUTIFUL when potted up from the 72 cell tray to their final pots. Look at them now!!!!!!

Anyway - all of this to say that we have no tomatoes this year. We go thru lots of soil, and since we are certified organic, the process of finding a soil mix that can be used for organic production is not an easy one. We pleaded with a wholesaler supplier to order a different organic soil for us, and it is just now in. We also are very short on a lot of other plants.

BTW - we did send soil samples straight from the bags to the manufacturer, who tested it, and found very high ammonia levels, as well as chlorine and sodium. Our theory is the composted manure they add to the mix was not composted long enough, and burnt the plants.

Whatever the cause, it turned into a total disaster that has us shorting customers!!!! AAGGHH!

Are Vegetables is Healthy as they used to be?

I am one of many that gets weekly updates from Dr Mercola, and while I always find them interesting, sometimes I read them and think - I should put that on our website and / or blog - as was the case with an article I read this week. The folks at Dr. Mercola are always willing to work with us, so I have copied a bit of the article "Vegetables Aren't as Good for You as They Used to Be" below, with a link to the full article if you wish to read it. EK

Vegetables Aren't as Good for You as They Used to Be

According to new research, produce in the U.S. not only tastes worse than it did in your grandparents' days, but also contains fewer nutrients. In fact, the average vegetable found in today's supermarket is anywhere from 5 percent to 40 percent lower in minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc than those harvested just 50 years ago.

Today's vegetables are larger, but do not contain more nutrients. Jumbo-sized produce actually contains more "dry matter" than anything else, which dilutes mineral concentrations.

An additional problem is the "genetic dilution effect," in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein, amino acids, and minerals. Breeders select for high yield, effectively selecting mostly for high carbohydrate content.

And finally, as a result of the growing rise of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, modern crops are being harvested faster than ever before, meaning that produce has less time to absorb nutrients either from synthesis or the soil.

Organic Foods - a Far More Nutritious Choice.

The simplest way back toward health is to focus on whole, organic foods, grown or raised as nature intended. Meaning, it’s grown using sustainable farming practices, and without the use of chemical additives, pesticides and fertilizers.

Food grown in healthier soil, with natural fertilizers and no chemicals, simply has to be more nutritious. It is common knowledge -- though knowledge that is greatly suppressed in the United States.

A 2003 study in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, for example, found that organic foods are better for fighting cancer. And in 2005, scientists found that, compared to rats that ate conventional diets, organically fed rats experienced various health benefits. Rats that ate organic or minimally fertilized diets had:

• Improved immune system status
• Better sleeping habits
• Less weight and were slimmer than rats fed other diets
• Higher vitamin E content in their blood (for organically fed rats)

But perhaps one of the best studies out there on the benefits of organic versus conventionally-grown foods is the 2007 QualityLowInputFood Project -- a $25-million study into organic food -- the largest of its kind to date.

The researchers grew fruit and vegetables, and raised cattle, on adjacent organic and non-organic sites, and discovered that:

• Organic fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 percent more antioxidants
• Organic produce had higher levels of beneficial minerals like iron and zinc
• Milk from organic herds contained up to 90 percent more antioxidants

The results were so impressive they stated that eating organic foods can even help to increase the nutrient intake of people who don’t eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

You can read more here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/14/Vegetables-Arent-as-Good-for-You-as-They-Used-to-Be.aspx

It's Been A While

Since I've posted anything! We have been pruning at the Orchard for the past 2 months, and are more than half done. Now there are about 80 or so large trees left, and the rest are relatively small, and will go quite fast. It is really amazing how different the trees are. I have decided that the Connell Red and the Northern Spy are the nightmare trees. A decent sized tree should take about 15 minutes to trim, but my nightmare trees can take me over 45 minutes a piece! Guess the more I do, the better I'll get, and the faster I get. Sometimes I just need to stare at the tree for 5 minutes to get a feel for what needs to be taken out. Anyway, I am improving, and my arms are getting stronger.

On another note, I have been back in the greenhouse lately! I have started leeks, lisianthus, artichokes, thyme, strawberries, oregano, and lavender. Next week is the first BIG planting, with 57 flats of pepper and eggplant seeds to be planted. At 72 cells per flat, we should have over 4100 babies on our hands soon! EK

Planning for Next Year

I thought I was done ordering seeds until I started reviewing my garden notes from this past season, and reading up more on bouquets and cut flowers! I was short on fillers for a lot of the season, and was stealing cuts from any plant I could find on David's property. So - I decided to try to avoid this next season by adding some fillers to my 2009 grow list. They include Feverfew, African Blue Basil, Bupleurum, Bells of Ireland, and Statice, in addition to my trusty usuals like celosia, ammi, goldenrod, dill and ageratum. I also was a little short on white - both fillers and features - so I added some white dill and zinnias. I already have some ideas for bouquets and color schemes too! Can't wait to see how these new picks perform next year. EK

2009 plant list

After hours and hours of searching catalogs and researching new plants, we have decided on our 2009 plant list. All of our offerings are now on the website, and I have just a few more descriptions to complete. I'm sure we will add a few more plants as spring approaches, so check back often.
On another note, winter is approaching, the proof is the 4 inches of snow that fell overnight. Apple pruning is just about a month away, so I better prepare for aching muscles, and dig out my wool socks and flannel lined jeans. EK

Time to plant garlic!

I planted garlic today - which means it is officially fall.  Note - I am still in denial about summer ending, so planting garlic was a big wake-up call!   Usually, I try to plant on Columbus Day, but I couldn't bring myself to pull the tomatoes out until last Thursday.  I  decided it would be cool to post a picture of my garlic planting tools.

After we ripped out the tomatoes, we added lots of composted horse manure to the beds, as well as a little bonemeal.  David then tilled it all in, so the soil is nice and loose.  I pretty much have my method down.  I use the board (marked every 6") to measure the space between rows.  I lay the tape measure out to get an idea of how far apart I am planting the cloves - which can vary from 4-6", depending on the type of garlic, size of the cloves, and the amount of room I have!  I use the bamboo poles to mark where the rows end.  Something new this year -  we tried soaking the garlic in baking soda and water, then dipping them in rubbing alcohol.  This is supposed to help keep disease and pest problems in check.  I sure hope it works!  EK

Frost!

Well - it is official. A pretty heavy frost finally hit us. We had a light frost on October 3rd, and it took out about half of the garden. Last night took out the rest, and even touched a bit of the high tunnel crops. It's sad to see, but this is Illinois, and the season doesn't last forever!
The good news is that I have been preparing for this. I dug up lemon grass and broke the large clumps into smaller plants. Hopefully next spring we won't need to start any from seed, and will be able to offer nice, large plants. I took lots of cuttings in the past 3 weeks, mostly of stevia, Mexican Oregano, rosemary and scented geraniums. Scented geraniums are my new "it" plants. We have 10 types - Apple, Apricot, Chocolate Mint, Coconut, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Strawberry, Variegated Nutmeg and Variegated Rose. They smell so good that I love to work with them! Some of them have rooted already, and I spent a few hours potting them up this afternoon. I can't wait to see how these sell next spring! EK

Apples, Apples, and more Apples

It is apple time - and there are LOTS of them! More Than Delicious Orchard has over 80 varieties of apples, from the new, popular hybrids to the old, antique varieties. Today, we were picking 6 of them, which means that I ate 6 apples! (Hey - I have to try them all so I know what I'm selling!) If an apple a day really keeps the doctor away, I will not be sick this season!
The top picture is of the much sought after Honey Crisp - and we've got a nice crop of them this year. The other varieties we picked today were Lustre Elstar, Sweet 16, Gala, Jonathon, and a whole lot of McIntosh. Just look at the apple cooler! It is so full that Mike was building more shelves in it while David and I were out picking. Believe it or not, most of these will be gone by Sunday night between the orchard shop and the Woodstock Farmers Market, and that is a great thing. Come Monday, there will be even more trees ready to pick. I foresee a long month ahead of us..... EK

Time to pick fruit!

I haven't touched on the orchard for a while, as there has been little happening there - until now. David and I stopped by the orchard today to check on a couple trees - and Holy Cow - some of the fruit is ready! Ah - the days of eating way to many apples, pears, and garden vegetables are back again. I better lose at least 5 lbs this season with all this healthy food! Anyway - We picked one pear tree clean, then one apple tree as well. They were not loaded with fruit, but enough to sell a few boxes at the farmer's market tomorrow. The pears in this picture should be ready for harvest on Friday - just in time for the Saturday farmer's market. Aren't they just beautiful? I can't wait to taste one. I forget the name of this variety - Crimson something - but the tree sure is loaded! I would have taken better pictures if we were there earlier, and the sun wasn't so bright. Maybe next time. After all, the fruit season has just begun! EK

Better Homes & Gardens’ Country Gardens Magazine

That is the name of the certain magazine. I had to make sure it was okay with both the homeowner and publisher before I posted it. Pretty exciting isn't it? You can check them out at http://www.BHG.com/countrygardens . I hear there is a chance they can get a cover shot, in which case the story should be out sometime in 2009. If it does not make the cover, most likely in 2010. It seems so far off, but in reality, it is right around the corner. Isn't that just the cutest little potting shed? I wish I had taken pictures of the inside - it is just amazing.
I may have more pictures to post in a few weeks, and I should soon have my formal interview for the article. I'll keep you posted on progress.
On another note, Duke O'Briens is now Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen. The transformation is complete - they are now offering natural and organic foods from local producers. From our certified organic produce to Nick's pastured meats. This is great news for people like me - that eat organic foods at home, and fear eating out due to the unknown ingredients in restaurant food! Fore more information on the new Duke's, visit http://www.thedukeabides.com/.

Guess that's it for now. Lots of excitement at W&M these days....... EK

I'm gonna be famous!

Well - not really - actually - not at all, but that what David keeps saying. We have clients that we have worked with for years now, by both providing plants for their large garden, and general guidance and tips. They have an absolutely gorgeous garden - one of the nicest I've ever seen. Anyway, a certain magazine wanted to do a story on their organic vegetable garden, and they wanted us to partake in the article! How very cool! So - I was at a photo shoot on Tuesday and had a few pictures taken. Most of them were of my hands (just harvesting produce and such) so we may not actually see me in the article; it may just be my hands!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the gardens. It sure makes me proud to say I am partly responsible for them - even though it is a very small part :) EK

Even MORE Bouquets

I think I am getting better at this whole floral design thing........

My first blue lisianthus bouquet

I feel like this is turning into a lisianthus blog! We all know how much I have been looking forward to using this plant in my bouquets, as I have been writing about it for weeks! I must admit when it first started blooming, I was a little disappointed. Not in the flowers themselves - they are gorgeous - but in the length of the stems. If I got 4-5 inches, I was lucky. The sprays of flowers just did not open at the same time, so I either had to cut off the single blooming flower, or cut off 6 or so buds. Well - all that finally changed, almost overnight. The sprays are all opening! Now I can finally use them the way I had hoped - with nice, long stems, and multiple blooms.
This bouquet consists of Blue lisianthus, rudbeckia, white ageratum, and dill flowers. I think it is one of my very favorite bouquets so far this season! It was one of the first to sell at the CBG Market too!
On other non-lisianthus / flower notes, our tomatoes are FINALLY coming in in quantity. I picked quite a few tomatoes over the weekend, and there will be many more ready when I get in today. Garlic is up, and most of it is sold. I already ordered twice as much for planting this fall. Peppers, cukes, eggplant and leeks are all looking great - ready to pop any day now. I love this time of year! EK

Bouquet pictures

The flowers are finally starting to bloom in reasonable amounts - which means I have to start brushing up on my flower arranging skills!
My very favorite bouquet thus far has got to be the first one. I love how the black Scabiosa (Ace of Spades), purple millet and white queen anne's lace combine. I have used it with blue and pink thus far (as they just started blooming last week) and I so far like the pale pink carnations best. I can't wait to try the pink lisianthus, and either yellow or purple zinnias! I also really love just red and yellow together - it is such a cheery combination. The third picture is my "crazy" bouquet. It has a little of everything - gloriosia daisy, Texas sage, red amaranth, grass, pincushion flowers, plumed celosia, red dahlias, and pink lisianthus. I'll find out tomorrow if anyone else at the farmer's market likes it! The last one is blue delphinium, white snaps, gloriosia daisies, and yellow zinnias and dahlias with sweet annie and dill as fillers. While the picture isn't bad, it looks much better in person. Guess I didn't get the angle right! I also had a big bunch of sunflowers, and for some reason I didn't take a picture of those. Next time I guess! EK

Lisianthus Pictures

Just 2 pictures of the blooming lisianthus. I'm supposed to wait to use them until a few buds on the spray are blooming. They really are beautiful! EK

Purely Pictures

Picture 1 - The Lisianthus - about to bloom!
Picture 2 - A variegata pepper plant - just gorgeous!
Picture 3 - A cluster of Jersey Giant Tomatoes - green of course!
Picture 4 - Baby artichoke!!!!

I will get pictures of both David and myself one day.

That's it for now! Just had to share some photos. And - we are FINALLY picking filet beans for market. YIPPEE!!! EK

High Tunnel Crops

The high tunnel crops have finally taken off! See the little green beans? These are Maxibel Fillet beans, and they are yummy - extra thin and long. I do like the fillet beans the best, and the maxibel are especially good. I took this picture last week, and we will be picking them for market this weekend. Very cool. Also - some of the alstroemeria plants have started blooming, and the Lisianthus have buds! I tried to get pictures of both of those, but they did not turn out. Thankfully, the bean picture turned out well.
I can't forget to mention that we have picked our first cherry tomatoes! A handful of black cherry, cherry roma, and sunsugar! They were so very good, that they did not make it to the market. Can you blame me? It's not every year that you get to pick and eat fresh cherry tomatoes in June! EK

Mid-June?

Is it really mid June already? I am still planting! The cold spring, and very wet and stormy past month or so have made for a rough start. I feel so behind! I did manage to get most of the garden planted, but had to plant between the weeds. I couldn't justify spending the time weeding when the plants needed to get in the ground, and now we are paying the price! The weeds are as tall as, if not taller than the plants! Thus - no picture of growing gardens, or thriving plants, as I have yet to take the time to take some new pictures. I figured this picture of an alpine strawberry would suffice for now. It was from my strawberry pot last year. Not bad....
Did I mention that our broccoli buttoned? I planted it right on time - which turned out to be just a little too early this year - considering the weather that followed (snow on April 28th!). So - the severe weather will cause broccoli to button - or form very small heads right away instead of large ones later. Go figure. I have been pulling out the broccoli plants and throwing them in to the chickens and ducks. At least someone (somethings?) will get to enjoy the 140+ plants we planted. Let's hope it gets better. At least it is only mid June - there's still time :) EK

Anaheim pepper seed recall

We were just notified from one of our favorite seed companies that the Anaheim Chile Pepper seed we ordered this year was not Anaheim - Boo Hoo! We originally ordered from Seeds of Change, but the seeds were back ordered indefinitely, so we had to last minute order elsewhere. Since the seeds were planted later then the rest of the peppers, the plants were rather small, and not that appealing to customers - which I guess turned out to be a blessing, as we didn't sell many. So - there are not too many people out there with the wrong pepper plants! For those of you that did purchase them, please contact us so we can rectify.

Here is the statement from the seed company:

"It has just come to our attention that the NuMex Joe E Parker Anaheim pepper seed that you purchased from us this season is not actually an Anaheim pepper. There had been a mix up from our distributor and are trying to alert all customers of the problem at hand. The actual variety you purchased is NuMex Bailey, it is a Piquin type pepper developed at NMSU (New Mexico State University). The NuMex part of the name signifies that is was bred at NMSU...so there are many different pepper types with this prefix that are unrelated. It was bred for a mechanical harvest, ripe peppers fall from the plant making them easy to shake off with an appropriate harvester. It is a semi-determinate type of medium height, having a short harvest window. The pepper itself is a small pepper about 1" long, 1/2" wide, turning red when ripe. It is very hot, hotter than a habenaro with a scoville measure of 97,000. It is used primarily in salsas, hot sauces and ground for chili powder. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope with this notice you will be able to use this pepper for an alternative market than intended. Please contact our office for more details or to discuss further. Your business is very important to us, all feedback is welcome."

So.... customers that didn't want a very hot chile ended up getting one that is hotter than a habanero. A tad bit ironic if you ask me! EK

Chicago Botanic Farmers Market

We loved working the Chicago Botanic Gardens' Farmers Market. I can't think of a more beautiful place to spend the day "working" on a perfect, sunny day. The only problem with this particular location is that while we love the market, we would really rather go tour the gardens! It is such a wonderful atmosphere! There is a lake right behind our booth, and we had some awesome visitors, including the one in the photo above. We sure don't see things like this at the WFM!
Anyway - the customers were great, and very interested, and fellow vendors were friendly, and offered some great local organic products. We were next to the nutbutter booth, so I got to try all sorts of nut butters - cashew, pistachio, walnut - and wow - were they great! I look forward to the next market - which is about a month away. EK

BABIES!!!!!

So - here is the picture of the "baby" fig trees that I promised. If you look closely, you can see the old brown wood - which was the cutting - near the bottom. The green stem is all the new growth. It's not the best picture I've taken - but it is a picture!
The next picture is of the baby ducks! Here they are about 6 days old, and are hiding out in a cage in the hot house. David got these to keep in the garden as part of our organic pest control. They really, really like slugs, and that works for me! Unlike the chickens, we will be able to let them roam the garden without having to worry about them eating the produce - or so we hope. Aren't they cute? They will be moved from the pen to the garden within the next 10 days, and I can't wait!
The last babies to mention are the baby plants. They are growing fast and actually, may be almost juveniles by now! I was hoping to have everything planted by now - but I'm behind schedule - still waiting for the weather to cooperate. The little guys would much rather be in their permanent home then a temporary pot; just like the ducks..... and the figs.... EK

What a weird spring!

I was hoping to have all the spinach planted in the high tunnel harvested by mid-April, so the tomatoes could be planted. Here it is, almost mid-May, and I just finished picking all the spinach. The cool weather has messed up everything. Daffodils and Tulips bloomed about a month later than usual. The spinach took about 70 days to produce, and the radishes took almost 60 days to mature! I expected things to take a week or so longer, but not twice as long as usual. I hope this is not a sign of what is to come this season.
Yesterday I planted more in the high tunnel - including some lisianthus and alstroemeria! I am so excited about these flowers for my bouquets. I sure hope they produce well! I have read that they both do really well in high tunnels. so I will grow some of each both in it, and out in the garden, and see what happens. And the last note, you should see my baby fig trees! They are growing pretty fast compared to everything else. I will try to get another picture of them today, and post them later this week. EK

This is Spring?

So - May is 3 days away, and look at this - YES - IT IS SNOW! See the big white spot at the back of this garden bed? It's row cover. Who would have thought? Only since we have started growing food to sell can I recall such weird seasons. A record setting rainfall last August that flooded fields and ruined crops, then a very early light frost. This past winter (is it over yet?) set a new record for snowfall. Now - snow, and a freeze - not frost - warning tonight. Can I scream now?
On a different note, I spent a few hours at the Palatine Whole Foods market this past Saturday, helping my friend Nick with an Earth Day event. He raises pastured pork and chicken, and is part of their recycling program, in which he picks up their produce waste to feed to his pigs. Pretty cool, a? Here is a picture of kids crowding around the chickens and baby pigs. The animals were NOT happy to be in a cage, but it was only for a few hours. Even though they were a little freaked, the roosters still managed to crow, grabbing the attention of every customer that passed! EK

Dianthus and Duke O'Briens

I Love Rainbow Loveliness Dianthus. I discovered it years ago when working at a seed company, and have been growing it since. The fragrance is just amazing. We grew this plant last year, and left a few pots that didn't sell in our hoophouse over the winter. They were completely neglected all winter long - no water, no food, freezing temperatures, etc. yet this February when the days started growing longer, and we starting keeping the hoophouse warmer, they TOOK OFF! They are now blooming, and every time I open the hoophouse door, I am greeted with a burst of the most fabulous fragrance! Nothing quite like working in a place that smells like heaven. I just wish it would have waited to bloom a bit longer. If I took these beauties to the farmers market, we would sell out of every last plant!
On another note, we have been working with Duke O'Briens in Crystal Lake. The new chef Zak is looking to buy local, organic food for his menu. We met with him a few weeks ago, and are working on a plan to keep him stocked with produce all season long. How exciting is that? However - we will not be able to supply the usual cold weather crops early this season, as they are still not planted! Our below average temperatures and wet, soggy soil have kept us from working in the garden. BUT - this is Illinois, and it is sunny and 35 degrees warmer than yesterday. Today is the day to finally plant! EK

The last 2 days have been spent ....... planting - of course. I started about 70 flats of tomatoes - in trays of 72's. In theory, we could have 5040 tomato plants on our hands in just a few weeks. Of course, not all the seeds will germinate - I'm planning on about 80% of the seeds to germinate - although some germination rates will be higher. I have found that it is always better to plant more seeds than necessary, as you never know what sales may suddenly pop up! We just had a perfect reminder too. We planned on growing 150 Nutri-bud broccoli plants for our sales. Well - sure enough, all 150 are sold with pre-orders. Good thing I started an extra 72 flat of broccoli - otherwise we would have none left for our local sales.

As for the hightunnel, it is planted, but the plants are slow to both germinate and grow. Last year at this time, we would be picking the early spinach in about a week. Of course - we did break the total snowfall record this year, and it is snowing as we speak! This is SPRING?

Planting, planting, and more planting

March is the month of planting. All of the peppers and eggplant are started, and there is a lot more to start. This year we are growing more varieties than ever, so keeping track of all the start dates is a little confusing. I have lists and lists of what to start when, and more lists of numbers and pot sizes. I really wish I had stronger organization skills. All in all, everything is coming along well - with the exception of the lemon grass and red alpine strawberries - which have low germination rates. I have started many more flats of both of these, so hopefully they will get going soon. I am especially excited about the progress of the alstroemeria and lisianthus, both of which are quite content.
I also planted spinach in our high tunnel this week - yippee! The soil temperature is fluctuating daily - from about 41-47 degrees. No germination yet, but I bet when I go in Monday, I will see some breaking through the soil. How exciting. EK

Lisianthus, and the Fruitful Yield!

First things first, I was happily planting away in the greenhouse today! I took cuttings of rosemary and pineapple sage, potted up some eucalyptus seedlings, and then the lemon balm cuttings I took. The 4th and final fig cutting was also potted up today into a larger pot, so now the newly formed roots have plenty of room to grow. Upon checking the seeded flats for progress, I noticed itsy bitsy lisianthus! They actually sprouted! I have heard over and over how hard these are to germinate, and had just finished reading all about how growers buy plugs for these instead of attempting seed sowing - and there they were - looking quite happy I might add. How very exciting!
The next very exciting thing to post is that David met with the Fruitful Yield today to discuss plant sales. Fruitful Yield is a health food store that has locations throughout the Chicagoland area. The Berwyn location is actually where my parents met, but we will save that chapter for a later posting. Anyway - they decided to carry our plants this spring! We will hold events at 4 stores minimum, maybe more. We will bring our MGC - mobile garden center - to the Berwyn store on Sunday, May 11th - which is Mother's day, the Lombard store Monday, May 12th, and two other stores to be determined. How cool is that? As details are finalized, I will post more information. Yes - it was a doubly exciting day. EK

My Fig Cuttings Rooted!

I actually potted them up into 1 gallon pots yesterday. 3 cuttings taken in January, 3 new trees in February. I did take another cutting in late January, so I will give that a few more weeks to check on it. Something I noticed is that if you take the cuttings at the exact time the leaves drop and the trees go dormant, the cuttings kind of tell you when they have taken and had enough time to root when the new buds break. You can see in the pictures that all 3 of the new trees have swollen buds, or baby leaves. I have to test this theory more, but thus far, it has proven true for me.
With the 14 or so inches of snow covering the ground, we have been unable to get back to the orchard to continue trimming - which is o.k. with me - I prefer to spend time in the greenhouse! The thyme and oregano are coming along well, as are the artichokes, eucalyptus, and heirloom pansies. Still waiting to see something in the flats of lisianthus, but I hear it can take a while, so I won't give up yet. Today I am starting the eggplant, hot pepper, and sweet pepper seeds that will be planted in the hightunnel in April. However, with even more snow in the forecast, I am wondering if the sun will ever come out!!!! EK