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! :-)