First Sprouts

First Start of Seeds

Today is brisk, and as I make my way from my trailer to the house the smell of mesquite smoke fills the air, soothing cold bones. Despite the fact that temperatures can and will still drop we have begun the planting season already. We have set our own 'last frost' date around March 3rd. This is an approximation from other sources. In the event we receive a frost later the veggies will be tucked nice and safely in their beds with row cover laid over them, which helps protect from frost and pests. It's light weight, allowing moisture and light to come through but protecting the delicate starts.

On February 2nd we began planting our first round of seeds. A combination of flowers and heat-loving plants in the night-shade family - tomatoes, and an assortment of spicy-mild peppers as well as collard greens. A week later we added cucumbers, morning glories, basil and a couple of other tomato varieties that supposedly do well in the Texas heat. The seeds have been potted in what are traditional grass starter pots (work with what you've got!). Originally we have the planters sitting in tubs filled with water so they could soak up water from the ground, but we found the sprouts were too water logged and so we removed them. Currently they are sitting on the ground protected from North Winds. They have the clear plastic tubs turned on top of the seeds, which protects them from frost and also creates a mini-greenhouse effect.

Stayed tuned, lots of work to still detail as we have begun building the garden beds for the permanent garden space.