We’ve got plant fever! The greenhouse is full of baby plants and we’re just starting to plant seeds in the ground outdoors. Next week we’ll put our potatoes in the ground - we’re hopeful that we’ll have great yields this year after a complete crop loss last year. We’re growing them on the home farm instead of our auxiliary site so that we can get them some emergency irrigation if we have another insanely dry spring like last year.
We also have lots of plants growing for our upcoming plant sales! They’re getting the 5-star treatment in our heated greenhouse so that when they get to your house they’ll be ready to rock and roll.
Here are our top tips to grow a great garden this year!
Know your soil! Getting a soil test helps you to make informed decisions on how to amend your soil. We use the University of Delaware lab to test our farm’s soil - it’s affordable and has a pretty quick turn around.
Be patient! This one is hard…we know! But getting your plants in the ground a little later will not slow down their growth AND protects them from frost. We wait to plant summer crops like tomatoes until after Mother’s Day, although if you’re in the city you can probably plant a little bit earlier. If you can’t wait, try planting them in pots just in case you need to bring them inside overnight.
Water those thirsty plants! Did you know that when they’re fruiting (for example, forming tomatoes), plants need 1-3 gallons of water on their roots every week?! Don't skimp!
Keep leaves dry! Dry foliage prevents disease. Try to plant with enough space to encourage good airflow. Water your plants at the roots, and water in the morning so that leaves can dry out during the day.
Keep planting! Stager plantings by a few weeks to ensure a continuous harvest. For example, in the spring, we direct seed radishes every two weeks so that we’ll have plenty of radishes for weeks to come.
Start with great plants! Our Certified Naturally Grown vegetable and flower plants are a great way to ensure give your plants a great start! Pre-order your plants for pick up or come pick out them out at one of our plant sales! Hope to see you there!
And of course, it’s also a great time of year to sign up for a CSA share! We’ll share some of the cool projects we’ve been working on to beautify the farm, and improve our efficiency, soon!