And we are back to gardening! Sort of….more preparations for the garden, but technically I had my hands in soil today, so I count that as gardening.

Last year, I planted most of my seeds in February, which was WAY to early. If I had looked at my trusty spreadsheet, I would have realized that I had only planted onions in February of 2023. Instead, I just assumed I planted everything, which lead to plants going in far too early last year. By the time I got them to the garden, they were becoming root bound and were very leggy.

This year, I trusted my past self and all the meticulous notes that I have been keeping, and realized that early March is when I should be planting, so that it what I have done. I held off, despite the 15C temperatures we have been enjoying for the last week. It is really just false spring coming to get me too excited about the garden, so I am trying to talk myself down from prepping too much.

I know that the weather could hit us again, even possibly snowing, so I shouldn’t get to gung-ho in the garden. That being said, if this weather persists, then there will definitely be some digging and landscaping of the bottom area of our yard next weekend.

It was odd today planting for this years garden season. It didn’t take me long, and when I had it all finished, it only filled 2 greenhouses…and “filled” is a generous term. Last year, I was busting at the seams with all three indoor greenhouses going.

There are a few differences this year. I didn’t plant nearly as many plants. Partly because friends and family don’t need as many or any. We decided to just focus on what we are putting into our garden and will instead share the food we grow.

The other difference is how we are planting some of the items. To try and manage the leggy nature of our tomatoes and peppers, we decided to start them in smaller containers. Once they get to a certain size, I will be able to transplant them into larger containers.

In the past, I have done a play on this by only filling the large pots halfway and planting my seeds. As the tomato has grown, I have added soil to the pot. I decided this year to try the good ol’ fashioned transplanting method to see if it changes anything for the strength of the stalks this year.

Last year, despite the ridiculous size of the tomatoes, they did actually stand strong, not needing support. This was largely due to having a fan on them consistently as they grew. I will definitely employ this method again this year to ensure that they can handle a breeze.

Another reason our greenhouses aren’t as full is because I am not planting the same things this year. For example, I have decided not to do cabbage this year. I always think we will eat much more of it and we don’t. I only really need 1 head of red cabbage to make a batch of Rotkohl, and I can buy that cabbage from a local farmers market.

In replacement of some of the items this year, I will be bringing peas back to the garden and we are going to try some peanuts. More of the items that we are growing this year will be seeded directly into the garden rather than started in the house.

I did a walk around last weekend of the garden, and the rhubarb is poking its head out. I should have gone down and taken a look this weekend to see how they were progressing, but I was busy planting the starters and got distracted with that. I would also like to check in on the garlic. Last year they were poking out of the ground on March 10, so I should go and take a peek under the straw to see if they have started. It has been a warmer start to march this year than it was last year, and generally a warmer February, so my hope is that they are well on their way.

Garden season 2025, here we come!