Sweet Spring Surprise

I was out this afternoon checking the cold frame temperature.  The ground underneath appears to be thoroughly warmed, and I’ve planted it with spinach, carrots, green onions, bibb lettuce, and radishes.  Last night we had a colder night (mid-20’s) and so I put a votive in – I checked temps this morning and the air temp inside was just below 40; I believe the soil is warmer, probably (I hope) just right for these cool crops.  My planting date was April 1st, so we’ll see what happens!I got a nice surprise when I was out poking around – last fall I had some very late carrot rows.  Some of the remaining carrots were way too small to be picked, so rather than turning them under, I left them in the garden, and tossed a couple shovelfuls of leaves rather carelessly on top.  Today I noticed…green carrot tops!  I just happened to have a garden pitchfork in hand, and dug up these beauties:They are wonderfully crisp and sweet!  I’m going to scrub these up and let the kids have the rest when they get home from school.  I suppose you could say these are the first eats of 2008 from the garden, even though they were kind of accidental. I walked up to the local nursery, which is a convenient three blocks from my home, and picked up seeds to start indoors.  Usually I start in peat pots, and once they sprout, I keep them under fluorescent grow lights in a little enclosed “greenhouse” I keep upstairs in the spring. I got a nice handful of seed packets to get me started.

 

 I’ve really been longing for a Hoop House in the yard for some year-round growing, but I haven’t sprung that idea on the better half yet.  They range from the fancy looking professional houses, to commercial style, to the home hobbyist, to the DIY.  I have no idea what our city regulations might say about that – but we do own a Homestead property, so I think I could be feasible. I really don’t want one disguised as a barn, though.