4
March
2010
For all you early birds we have an opportunity arising for early tomatoes.
An Organic produce from Wyoming has offered us some early tomato plants in 2 and 1/2 inch coco coir pots. These plants are from a popular Blitz variety that performs well in Wyoming’s light conditions so should be a good producer in Idaho Falls. We here at East Idaho Organic will be planting these as soon as we get them by next Friday the 12th of March. They will be planted into either 1 gallon pots or directly into the ground for early season tomatoes. If you would like a gallon tomato plant let us know. At a foot tall already these should be producing maters in no time at all.
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2
March
2010
Hello everyone. Just thought I would take a minute to put together an update to the farm happenings.
Spring seems to be upon us in the greenhouses these days. Seedlings a plenty are sprouted and showing true leaves even. Hotbeds have been dug, layered, capped and are cooking away as you read this. The laying hens are laying eggs again, the pig pens have been cleaned, the broilers are almost all out of the smaller greenhouse. We received our first shipment of bedding plants last week. Spring is defiantly beginning to take hold.
Seedlings we currently have sprouted in the greenhouse include: lettuce, spinach, arugula, onions, carrots, peas, cilantro, mustard greens, radish, mizuna, and beets. True leaves are showing on some and for this time of year, really who could ask for more? More seeds are being planted every day and the last few days efforts have included the construction of hotbeds to accelerate seed growth.
Last week was a little past time to clean out the pig pen, this unimpressive chore left us with a pile of natures best fertilizer. Some of you may be familiar with the concept of a hotbed, most of us are unfamiliar with these so here is a quick intro and then what we did. Hotbeds are essentially compost piles 2-3 feet thick which are capped with soil. These are ready to plant beds, which heat from below through the decomposition process. Compost piles routinely reach temperatures of over 180° F , this bottom heat is ideal in unheated greenhouses or cold frames which sustain freezing temperatures regularly until later in the season. The hotbeds we have recently constructed are dug to roughly 2.5 feet pig manure , spent barley, and soil are well mixed into the bottom of this pit which is then capped with 6 or more inches of soil to hold in the heat and provide media for seedlings to get started. We have planted only freeze tolerant plants in these beds at this point but the next step will include planting tomatoes and peppers directly in these beds within the next 2 weeks. Without bottom heat it would be an exercise in futility to plant these hot season plants in the greenhouse until at least late April or mid May. The construction of these hot beds will not only allow an early start for the hot season varieties but once the decomposition has progressed to the point of cooling the root zone is filled with an optimal supply of nutrients for the growing plants.
The animals seem to be happy with the warm temps, longer days, and melting snow too. Our laying flock has started laying eggs again and we are hard pressed to keep up with all the eggs we are getting. The pigs are happier and more energetic these days….this might have something to do with a freshly cleaned pen as well. And the broilers, although only some 20 left are often found lounging in the sunshine enjoying the fact that fate has found them in a greenhouse during early spring. In my opinion a greenhouse in early spring is perhaps one of the best places in Idaho.
We just received our first batch of bedding plants from our suppliers. This year we are determined to have larger plants for sale earlier in the year and the plugs we just received certainly reflect that. Not only are these plugs over a month earlier than our last year’s purchase, they are also HUGE, these regal geraniums are some 6 inches tall already and branching!
With all the happenings around the house and farm you can’t help but feel spring in the air. Fresh produce is just around the corner along with blooming plants and baby chicks. Here’s lookin forward.
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