The Modern Victory Garden

Here in Bothell WA weve had some crazy wind storms Thursday and Friday of last week.  As I type this (Sunday 4-4-10 at 1:20 PM ) the wind is picking up again.

A few hours ago I had my vegetable starts in a small greenhouse w/ the clear plastic flaps open - just in order to harden these lil guys off a bit before I try to plant them (possibly) next weekend.  At that point their was some small breezes and lots of sunshine. A very nice late morning for them!

I have just now brought them inside the house - back to the light room - and will give them a light fish/ kelp emusion drink later.  I need their cell wallls to thicken up - if I want them to survive and NOT go into shock when they do get planted.

I recognize Ive jumped the gun w/ this whole seed starting schedule in '10, but, really, this winter was SO mild that I couldnt help myself.  This was the wimpiest winter I remember in the last 15 years of living in WA state.

My question to all of you - cold cloche, greenhouse, direct planters out there - is do you have any methods you use to get ready for the growing season?

Hasn't this windy chill weather been a downer?!  It looks like we may catch a break by next weekend Jim.   I do pretty much exactly what you are doing.   I move my plants from the shop/heatpad/growlights out to the greenhouse as a first step.   If it is a heat lover (like tomatoes), I may put them on a heat pad inside the greenhouse (at least at first) if the temps are still fairly cold.   I make sure the greenhouse is venting well on warm days so I do not overheat them, but I also make sure the greenhouse is buttoned up if the wind or weather is foul.  For warm lover crops, I move them back into the heated shop at night and back out to the greenhouse in the morning until they have become more acclimatized to the conditions in the greenhouse and the night time temps outside are staying above the low 40's.   

On nice days, I begin moving the plants outside for a few hours at a time and then back into the greenhouse.   The time they are outside increases with each day until they are outside all day and in the greenhouse at night.   If the weather is forecasted to be really foul (hail, wind, driving rains) I skip it for a day and just resume once the weather situation eases up.   This takes anywhere from 5 to 14 days depending on the weather.   The nicer it is outside and the less interruptions  the faster it goes.  

Absent a greenhouse - a cold frame or a covered grow tunnel can serve exactly the same purpose.

kitsapfreedomgardener at April 5, 2010 at 9:03 AM

Hasn't this windy chill weather been a downer?!  It looks like we may catch a break by next weekend Jim.   I do pretty much exactly what you are doing.   I move my plants from the shop/heatpad/growlights out to the greenhouse as a first step.   If it is a heat lover (like tomatoes), I may put them on a heat pad inside the greenhouse (at least at first) if the temps are still fairly cold.   I make sure the greenhouse is venting well on warm days so I do not overheat them, but I also make sure the greenhouse is buttoned up if the wind or weather is foul.  For warm lover crops, I move them back into the heated shop at night and back out to the greenhouse in the morning until they have become more acclimatized to the conditions in the greenhouse and the night time temps outside are staying above the low 40's.   

 

On nice days, I begin moving the plants outside for a few hours at a time and then back into the greenhouse.   The time they are outside increases with each day until they are outside all day and in the greenhouse at night.   If the weather is forecasted to be really foul (hail, wind, driving rains) I skip it for a day and just resume once the weather situation eases up.   This takes anywhere from 5 to 14 days depending on the weather.   The nicer it is outside and the less interruptions  the faster it goes.  

 

Absent a greenhouse - a cold frame or a covered grow tunnel can serve exactly the same purpose.

Well...as I type this, it's Sunday...great weather for gardening - and I've now moved the lettuce ( Valmaine) into their garden bed. 

The zucchini, bush beans, corn, spinach and carrots are also now in their beds.

It's not Mel's sq. foot method- but they are MUCH closer together than what I did last year.

The tomatos aren't quite there yet.  For whatever reason - these guys still need another week.