This weekend transforms the farm from planting to growing. April 25th marks the average last frost date for the Chicagoland area. Certainly any good Midwesterner knows that averages mean almost nothing. It can snow Memorial Day weekend and be in the 70s for Thanksgiving. Regardless, I am taking the leap and declaring this weekend growing season.
Garlic
Garlic Growing, April 24, 2009
The garlic continues to look good. Again, garlic is so easy to grow, I’d be embarrassed if it wasn’t looking this good. It’s about 6 inches tall. In another 3 to 5 weeks, we can trim the garlic scapes to through in a salad or stir-fry (but they are potent!).
Shallots
Shallots growing April 24, 2009
The shallots are looking great as well. They are in the same family as garlic but you can tell they are shallots by the multiple stalks all shooting up from the same bulb. This is my first year growing shallots, so I’m not sure what to expect from them.
Peas
Single Pea Sprout, April 24, 2009
The peas are looking great. Above is a single pea sprout — there are about 10 pea sprouts growing. They have a long way to go until we see peas. They have to climb about 3 or 4 feet up the trellis before we’ll see a pea sprout. Regardless, I’m happy to see them growing.
Spinach
Spinach Sprout growing April 24, 2009
The spinach is going slow and I’m not sure why. This is week three for the spinach and it’s about an inch tall. I had hoped the spinach would be two or three inches. It was a dry start three weeks ago, so I’m hoping the rain over the weekend and over the next few days will help these guys along.
Salad Greens: The salad green sprouts are so small that the pictures I have don’t do them justice. You’ll have to wait a week or two for better salad green pictures.
Radishes: Need more time to sprout. They are fast growers so I’m hoping to have a picture or two next weekend.
Also this weekend, I transplanted green peppers and tomatoes into the ground. This is very early to transplant, but I’m taking a gamble this year and we’ll see how it pays off. My next post will outline the peppers and tomatoes.
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