Busy, Busy, Busy

It's that time of year again. Greenhouses are getting full and blossoms are opening. The tomatoes--or at least the first wave of them--have come off the germinator and will be ready for transplanting in a few days. We'll have patio tomatoes in one gallon pots, six pack tomatoes, and single plants in 4" peat pots. All the old faves, like Big Boy, Beefsteak, Big Beef, Celebrity and Early Girl, and Glamour, as well as those tasty little cherries we love to snack on. Sungold, Super Sweet Million, Sweet 100, and back by popular demand (drum roll, please!) Yellow Pear. Yay! Welcome back, Yellow Pear! Folks who love you have wondered where you were.

  

Also, some really cool heirlooms: Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra, Amish Paste and Black Krim. Lots of peppers too, both sweet and hot, like Ace and Bell Boy, Cayenne and Sweet Banana. And some with more exotic sounding names, like Chocolate Beauty and Garden Salsa.

We're also growing a new-to-us broccoli, Arcadia. We'll have Packman, of course, the standard early Broc, but Arcadia is one I requested. I hope it receives rave reviews from customers so Kirby will keep it on the list. Harvest is a bit later in the season, but the last year I grew it, I had a head of broccoli 17" across. I kid you not. If you like to freeze broccoli, this is a great one. Tight, compact heads, and they can get massive. Whoop!

Here's a pic of one of my faves, Osteospermum. Who wouldn't love this cheerful daisy? It's great in planters, windowboxes, hanging baskets and the landscape. Lots of blossoms, shiny foliage, and it just keeps blooming and blooming all season long.

The pic below is of the first Torenia Purple Moon blossom. It's always one of the first to show color in the greenhouse, and since this photo was taken, they've gone crazy! They've filled out their pots and are a mass of color, both in baskets and on the bench in 4" pots. I'm waiting for the hummingbirds to arrive. They love these.

Here's a pic of House # 3, the six pack flower house. Since this was taken, we've filled it to bursting and the hanging combination baskets are starting to come alive with color and greenery.

Yep. It's definitely that time of year. Johnny's Seeds for this year have arrived and the display rack is in the process of being set up. We've been busy transplanting and organizing houses in preparation for opening for retail April 21st. Wholesale customers can call or stop by anytime. Don't forget to come see us Maine Greenhouse Day--we'll be giving away 4" patio tomatoes to our retail customers.

 Happy Spring! :-)

Speculation

To wonder about stuff is part of the human condition. Natural. Totally normal. And incredibly fun. Here are just a few of the things we speculate about at work, from the mundane to the slightly wackadoodle:

When will we see the first robin?

How many weeks before the just transplanted morning glories are not only wrapped around their neighbors, but twining around the benches too?

What day should I pick for this Spring's "When Will Kirby Shave his Beard" pool? We all lost that one, by the way. With that weird March heat wave, Kirby's face-warmer was gone early, surprising us all.

Or, maybe he knew we were placing bets and decided to foil our plans. That could be... Yeah!

On the other hand, he could have just listened to the weather and known about the heat wave. Oh, well. There's always next year for the pool. 

As we watch plants grow, fill out their pots and put on buds, we wonder about color and size of blossom, how it will look in the landscape, how big it will grow, if customers will be as fascinated by its potential as we are.We love trying out new flowers and veggie varieties. Half the fun is the anticipation, the ten to twelve weeks of speculation then "The Reveal"--when the plant comes into its own and shows us what it's really all about.

A new flower we're excited to see open that's just budded is Alstromeria Inca, in a variety of colors. Check out the pic of it below, ;-) It's the cause of much fascination by the greenhouse crew. We predict it will be stunning.  

We've just finished transplanting the seedlings for the Co-operative Extension's Wacky and Wild garden. Muuuuch speculation and interest among the crew on what those plants will look like. I hope our friend Kate sends pics when the garden is in its full glory. The varieties have such interesting names: Pumpkin on a Stick, Frosted Explosion Grass, Castor Bean, and Hairy Balls. Heh. With such intriguing monikers, we might just have to take a field trip and go see the plants for ourselves.

Here's some cause for speculation for you. These are veggies from my garden last year.

This is one big Big Boy tomato! 

Is it a boy...or a tomato? It's...Tomato Head Boy!

 Affectionate carrots. Or, what happens when you neglect to thin them one more time. 

Speaking of carrots, I heard a story the other day about a man who ate so many carrots one winter, his skin turned orange. Could this be true?

Hmm. I wonder...