March Update

Denver had a wild March, weather-wise. The first half of the month was warm and dry, followed by cold and more then a foot of snow around Easter. Despite that, we got a lot done. Tomato seedlings are sprouting in heated frames, many of them from seeds saved the year before. The gardens on both farms are being prepped and fertilized; we are using the fertilizing schemes advised by Steve Solomon, author of The Intelligent Gardener. Peas and cabbage family plants are up. Our herbs have mostly made it through the winter, and our trees are showing signs of life. There is an ongoing project underway to upgrade the greenhouse; we reinforced and repaired the frame and windows, and are working to incorporate thermal mass, more insulation, a worm bin, and better planting beds. We are experimenting with container growing in the greenhouse, hoping to gain greater mobility which will increase our utilization of the space, since cool weather crops can be moved out once warm weather things need to go in. We are also experimenting with pre-sprouting seed before planting; this eliminates the often detrimental effects of soil temperature and fluctuating moisture. Both Farms survived the snowstorms with minimal damage.