New lights and first seeds are started

I managed to get the shelves cleared off and the new lights installed on Monday. The first seeds are also started, consisting of broccoli, cabbage, ground cherries, and leeks. This is my first attempt at leeks and ground cherries, but I did try broccoli and ground cherries last year as a fall crop. The seeds did great inside, but were all devoured by something the night I put them in the garden. :(

I'm really looking forward to the ground cherries as a quick snack food, and might try some jams or pies if there is a bumper crop. I always like having stuff around the garden that can be picked and eaten right there! Yum!

As for the cabbage and broccoli, most of what I read points to planting up to 12 weeks before the first frost inside, and transplanting out 4 weeks before. But I have seen material saying as short as 8 weeks before for inside starts. Since I got a bit of a late start, I'm actually around 9-10 weeks out, so I'm sort of splitting the difference. Oh well, we'll see what happens!

2011 Growing Season Is Approaching!

I had so much fun with the garden last year, and learned so much from reading some other blogs, that I decided to keep a record of 2011 here!

When I look out at the 12" of solid ice that is covering the garden (the remains of 84.8" of snow this winter!!!) it's hard to believe that the start of the growing season is almost here. I've had to make a few outlays already:

11 Feb 11
Comstock Ferre
$26.00 - Seeds

20 Feb 11
Lowes
$3.47 - Jiffy potting mix
$2.87 - Planting labels
$8.97 - Seed Trays

Vinny's
$7.41 - Espoma potting mix

Home Depot
$19.48 - 2x 4' shoplights
$14.97 - 10pack bulbs
$1.99 - Planting labels
$1.19 - Seeds
$0.98 - Eye hooks

Hopefully, tomorrow I will get the lights set up, and some of the early seeds going.