Onions in Winter

Snow fell again yesterday. Big, thick, wet flakes accumulated on the ground, about four inches or so. Not nearly as much as my good friends in the D.C. area, 27 inches of snow!! I'm completely satisfied with my four. There was plenty of wind, too. It drifted snow up against our cars and carved out snow in beautiful shapes around other areas. I finished knitting a pair of mittens for my little one so we could get our play on!

Unaware of freezing temperatures outside, the onion seeds I started February 2nd sprouted up from within their little cells. I don't have the shelving and light setup for my seedlings. I'm using the old setup on top of the fridge for now. Finally a start to the gardening season.

Hope

The weather has been so refreshing - and promising. There will be a spring! I do realize that we're still a few months away, and snow showers will continue. However, the past few days are a reminder that we need to start preparing. Just look at this forcast:



The ground where our future garden will be is still water logged. Twelve inches of melting snow will do that to soil. If the temps stay high and the sun stays out, it should dry up tomorrow. Our plan is to take a tiller to the ground and start working the soil a bit on Tuesday. I'd like to do a pH test as well.

We bought supplies the other day for starting our seeds. A 2' shop light with grow bulbs and Jiffy seeds starters 72ct (2). I know the Jiffy starters are not the best way of starting seeds, but I don't have the capital to invest in a materials just yet. I am saving any container I can to transplant into: formula canisters, sour cream containers, etc. Use and reuse. Jeremy plants to set up our seed station today, on top of the fridge.

I've been working on my garden plan as well. Revising and revising. I've removed peas and onions from my planning, since I don't believe we'll have the garden prepared in time for early planting. We'll try again next year.



Broccoli: Space 18-24" apart. Approx 10 plants.
Cauliflower: Space 18-24" apart. Approx 10 plants.
Brussels Sprouts: Space 24-36" apart. Approx 3-4 plants.
Carrots: Thin to approx 1 per 1-2". Three rows yield approx 150 carrots.
Potatoes: Space 10-12" apart, rows 24" apart. Approx 16 seed potatoes.
Tomatoes & Peppers: Space 24" apart. Approx 16 plants (12 tomato, 4 peppers)
Lettuce: Space 6-8" apart. Approx 25 plants per row. 1-2 rows.
Beans: Space 4-6" apart. Approx 20 plants.
Cucumbers: Space 12" apart. Approx 8 plants. (4 slicing, 4 pickling).