Friday, May 21, 2010

The First Seedlings Get Planted!



First out, this year, cabbage! Farmer Man had the field all prepared, next to the onions, so Natalia and I spent some time crawling around stuffing little cabbage seedlings in the ground. The seedlings were a little 'lanky' this year, and it was very windy, so we did break a few! But, most got in the ground, looking good. We immediately watered them - Farmer Man had to haul water 'cause the irrigation systems' pump seems to have cracked over the winter. Then, we immediately covered them with row cover or horticultural fleece. This is the very light weight, spun stuff. It will give them a bit of frost protection, but more importantly right now, will protect them from wind and too much sun. Even though we consider them 'hardened' off or ready to be planted, we often find that it is a bit more rugged out in the field, as opposed to in the greenhouse. The big, long-term bonus of row cover - it will keep the cabbage butterfly off them so we should have beautiful cabbage without having to spray!

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