Organic Vegetable Seedlings and Seeds Available

Hello All -We will have some organic vegetable seedlings available this spring. I will keep you posted on what's germinating and how many we have. I will also have lots of varieties of vegetables for direct seeding if you would like us to direct seed anything from Alpine Strawberries to lettuce mixes. Most of our seeds are organic, to ensure a plant that has the best resources to work organic practices in the garden and will get the human the most nutrients from their food!

March 25: So far the Arugula has germinated. We also have Arugula seeds for direct seeding at your home.
March 29: Brassicas (Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts), watercress, basil, thyme, and Basil are up!
April 12: Tomatoes!!

We'll keep you posted!

See below for the seeds and seedlings we will have available this year. Where you see "DS" that means it should be directly seeded into your garden. Where you see "TP" we will most likely have transplants of that variety.

Common Name	Variety	Days Germ	TP/DS
Alpine Starwberries	Mignonette	21-28 days	TP
Arugula	Runaway	5-7 days	DS
Basil	Sweet	6-12 days	TP
Bean, Scarlet Runner	Magic Beanstalk	5-10 days	DS
Brussels Sprout	Long Island Improved	5-10 days	TP
Carrot	Scarlet Nantes	14-21 days	DS
Cauliflower	Chef's Choice Blend	8-10 days	TP
Chamomile	German	14-21 days	TP
Chard, Rainbow	Neon Glow	7-10 days	DS
Cucumber	Early Russian - Heirloom	4-12 days	DS
Cucumber	Chelsea Prize	5-10 days	DS
Husk Cherry	Golden Berry	21 days	TP
Leek	Falltime	7-14 days	TP
Lettuce, Summer Bouquet	Eurpoean Reds & Greens	5-14 days	DS
Mesclun Mix	High Mowing	5-10 days	DS
Morning Glory	Dawn Star - Heirloom	7-10 days	DS
Morning Glory	Scarlett O'Hara	7-21 days	DS
Morning Glory	Heavenly Blue	7-21 days	DS
Onion	Evergreen Hardy Bunching	14 days	TP
Oregano		7-14 days	TP
Sage, Common	Salvia Officionalis	7-14 days	DS
Sunflower	Teddy Bear	5-10 days	DS
Thyme	Summer	14-21 days	TP/DS
Tomatoe, Cherry	Sungold	7-14 days	TP
Tomatoe, Cherry	Sungold	7-14 days	TP
Viola	Helen Mount	7-14 days	DS
Watercress		5-15 days	DS

Prunging Blueberries in Sugar Hill

I was pruning blueberries today. Its important to prune bushes while they are still dormant before they start budding out. I was pruning close to the end of the optimal time today. As you can see the bushes hadn't been trimmed in a few years.

Its important for the bushes that they have air flow through the leaves and fruit to prevent pathogens from colonizing in the patch. They also should have dead branches cut out as well as branches that are rubbing on one another. You should also cut out oldest branches first, getting new branches to grow. These bushes will allocate all of their energy to fewer branches and therefore grow higher quantities of fruit and more nutrient-dense, high quality fruit.
Happy bushes all around!!

Potting

We use The Green Reaper as our primary wholesaler for plants throughout the year. They grow organic perennials and shrubs. I was helping The Green Reapers pot mailed plants today. What fun! Some new varieties that Chris and Boots are offering this year: Blackberry Lily (Bellamcamda), Dragon's Eye Daylily (Hemerocallis), Burning Hearts Woodland Bleeding Heart (Dicentra). The Burning Hearts is stunning and has a longer bloom period than most woodland Dicentra. There are also some new Brunnera, Gailardia, and Clematis vine.




Let's start those garden plans!!

Spring Pruning

Some trees and bushes are best pruned when they are dormant - so from February to April. Here are a few pictures of some backyard apple trees that have not been pruned in several years. Apple trees should really be pruned every or every other year to maintain good fruit production and to keep the tree healthy. If there are too many branches then the tree wastes nutrients being sent to branches it doesn't need. By keeping it pruned up nice every year, the tree wastes no nutrients and just gets them to blossoms and apples that we (the human) want from it.

In this picture you notice the upright suckers that grow each year. These suckers are about 4-6 years old (you can tell by counting the rings).

Here is the same grove with the suckers cut off. This tree had to be cut back dramatically because there were some dead branches, some branches that touched one another, and some with fungus growing on them. The tree should have evenly spaced branches that expand horizontally for good air flow over fruit to prevent fungal and bacterial infections, and ease of harvest.


There you have it, apple pruning in a nutshell. Its also the time of year to prune blueberries. If you need us to come out and prune for you, email us and we'll be in contact with you.

Thanks for reading our blog!

Happy New Year!

Remember to visit us on Facebook! I have posted an album there of the progress landscaping at our new home this year. You can view it here. We hope you enjoy!