Finally, we got some milder weather. Morning temperatures are still quite low, but daily temperatures are finally high enough to start some actual gardening. Although we had a couple of rainy days, the amount we got is still too low, so I actually started watering the side garden this week. But, all things considered, the past 7 days were quite good.

Seedlings

The seedling saga in my garden and house is still active. The lighted shelves are slowly emptying. I’ve taken almost half of the seedlings outside to sunbathe. I’ve started slowly transplanting the tomatoes to separate containers. While doing it, I’m also separating them into outdoor and indoor tomatoes. The ones that are big enough are now in fruit containers on the balcony during the day and in the kitchen during the night, and the smaller ones are on lighted shelves. The tomato transplanting is actually progressing very slowly since I need to bring the soil bags inside the house to heat them up before transplanting and I don’t have room for more than one bag. This is why I bring one up, transplant a couple of containers the next day, and bring another bag. I’m hoping I will finish the transplanting by tomorrow.

I’ve also taken all of the chili peppers, early zucchinis, and eggplants outside. They will slow their growth on the balcony, but it doesn’t really matter since they are already quite big. After Easter, I will start transplanting the peppers and eggplants to the pots, and zucchinis will most likely go in the side garden, where I can cover them with something if we get a sudden frost danger.

More sowing

With the middle of March also came the biggest sowing period in my schedule. Over the last week, I’ve been sowing like mad. Most of the sown vegetables are staying outdoors 24/7. Since the garden is still too cold, I’ve decided to sow the vegetables to the seedling trays and transplant them once they form healthy roots. Last week I have sown lots of peas, broad beans, chickpeas, flowers, spinach, beets, and lettuces. I’m keeping them on the gravel terrace, where I can easily water them, and carry them to the basement if we get a storm. This week we’ll cover the area with anti-hail netting, so they will be also safe from possible storms.

I’ve also sown my first side garden vegetables. The side garden was covered in wood branches, and after cleaning it I decided to start with the early sowing. I’ve sown parsley and chard to the most shaded bed. Also, the broad beans and peas, which I’ve sown in January, are finally germinating, so I decided to use some straw, which I had from purchasing plants and cover the bean bed. This should help broad beans grow faster and keep the warmth of the soil during the night.

In the semi-covered greenhouse, where I have some of last year’s curled parsley, I’ve sown some chard and planted garlic and shallots. This area never gets any rain, well at least not after we covered it, so I need to water it every day, but it’s also the warmest area right now. I should have some early gardic soon. If Srećko doesn’t flatten all of the plants with his big behind.

Garden preparations

In the main garden, we’ve started preparing for the next season as well. The orchard has been completely pruned and cleaned, the beds have been made, I’ve planned this year’s layout, and hubby has lifted the anti-hail netting today. We still need some supporting poles to keep it from dangling too much, but it will work just fine like this for now.

This year we decided that it would be the smartest move to put the netting up before planning anything. Although the netting will now dim the sunlight, and probably prolong the heating of the garden for an extra couple of days I don’t think it will do too much damage. Especially since the storm season is right around the corner and we can expect hail in the early weeks of April. I think it’s better to grow the vegetables a bit slower than to lose everything due to the hail and flash floods, which wash the seeds and small vegetables down the garden.

Plans for next week

Next week I’m finally planning to start some actual main garden sowing and planting. We shouldn’t have any more hard frost, so I should be able to start sowing less sensitive vegetables and transplant brassicas. Hopefully, the winter is over, and the vegetables will germinate soon. I’ll also start transplanting kale to juice bottles, and I need to clean and fix the small sedum patch in the front yard. Garden tasks are multiplying every day, and it’s time to start taking them off the list.