Welcome back!
Since the weather changed from August-style hot to November-esque chill, I have been faced with new challenges in the Greenhouse and raised beds. Instead of drying out too fast, the beds are sprouting mushrooms. Where there was dust, now there is a slimy layer of mossy algae and mud.
In anticipation of the cool weather to come I have rolled down the sides of the greenhouse to trap the heat that is created on sunny days. On rainy days like today, however, the temperatures stay about the same inside and out.
Sunflowers are still sunny, even on a gloomy day
I planted two varieties of rudbeckia (the same family to which black-eyed susans, sunflowers, and daisys belong) in the rolling beds with my sunflowers two weeks ago and they are still just tiny tiny seedlings, barely poking their leaves out of the soil. Indoors i planted a wildflower mix with the peppers and parsley. The seeds took longer than usual to germinate and now are growing extremely slowly due to the cool weather. Seeds need heat and water to germinate and our temperatures just haven't been warm enough to give my new plants a good start. Hopefully we'll have one last warm spell before October sets in.
Bed of newly planted lettuce and bed ready to be planted with spinach
There are many plants that prefer cooler weather, however, so I am starting to plant my second crop of lettuce and spinach. These leafy greens get tough, wilt and go to seed in hot summer temperatures but thrive in the cool and moist conditions commonly found in New England during spring and fall. We should have greenhouse grown lettuce mix gracing our salad bar by the beginning of October, with fresh smooth leaf spinach close on its heels.
Five Star Greenhouse Lettuce Mix from Johnny's Seed Co, Winslow Maine
The growing season is not yet over when you are fortunate enough to have a greenhouse!
Grow on,
Tyler
No comments:
Post a Comment