The Yarden Report
Yarden Report 2022-04-20:
The seedlings are growing quickly and starting to crowd ME out of my home office space. Click to see an actual picture:
Future Problems
Yarden Report 2022-04-19:
This past weekend's "snow storm" should be the last we see of frost warnings for the growing season in our area according to the Farmer's Almanac! Woohoo!!
My concern is that climate change has outpaced the historical weather wisdom of the Farmers Almanac, leading to new unpredictable weather patterns. While the short term forecast is promising, this Yardener will "gamble lite" for the next additional 3 weeks as seedlings and plants begin to migrate outside for the growing season.
Yarden Report 2022-04-10:
Got the new grow station set up with Jake's help yesterday. Gotta keep those seedlings warm and photosynthesizing through April🌞😎
Prepping Seedlings
Yarden Report 2022-03-10:
Busy evenings planting seeds and checking lists twice, this week officially kicks off our 2022 growing season
Tomatoes and other new plant varieties went into soil or Rockwool this week, and you can see germination as it happens (you can see the tap root!). Peppers and long season growers were planted ~4-6 weeks ago (Luffa, Snail Vine, Globo onions, many different herbs), so we've got some nice growth already. Details in photo descriptions.
Happy Growing!
Thanks for the Memories
Yarden Report 2022-03-08:
Working with rockwool sheets for the first time this year. Pipetting for years has set me up for success with seed planting, grid lines, labeling rows vs. columns, keeping strict focus on the work (nobody talk to me!!).
But is it worth the grad school flashbacks?
Beware Faux Spring
Yarden Report 2022-02-17: The peppers have been started in the growth chamber, but hold off on planting the rest of your crop!
We're holding off starting many of our tomatoes until April. We love the pre-season head start with growth, but in years past they have gotten too big before the ground has warmed to a minimum of 50°F. Hang in there, PNW planting season is here, but it's jjjjjuuuuussssstttttt starting!
In the meantime, the winter yarden is full of cabbage, kohlrabi, and kale to keep living green interest in the yarden and to add to our meals. Yum!
Kale Anyone?
Yarden Report 2022-01-26:
The Winter Yarden is going full steam ahead, even with day time temps in the high 30's and night time temps in the low 30's.
Harvested a leaf from my Thousandhead Kale for the first time. Initial tough kale feel to the leaf, with a mild kale flavor that melts away into a delightful light sweet flavor. I've fallen in love! Goodbye bitter lettuce leaves!!
Yarden Report 2022-01-24: Soon.
Muddy Yard = Muddy Paws
Yarden Report 2022-01-08:
Exactly how muddy is the yard? Muddy enough to fence it off from the dogs until summer arrives.
Lawn: 💀 Weather: 🌧️☔🌦️⛈️🌧️🌧️🌧️
Humans: 😁😃 Dogs: 😭😭 Cat: 😼
How did it get this way?
A combination of factors:
1. Due to the pandemic, the regular tree trimming price went from a couple hundred bucks 3 years ago to a quoted $8k. Nope, hard pass. Now there's way more shade in the yard.
2. Climate change is bringing longer, drier, hotter summers to the PNW, and unfortunately the grass wasn't suitable for this new environmental factor anymore.
3. Lots of dog action in the yard this past summer, but not an insane amount that would immediately lead to a dead lawn. The dogs have a dedicated potty spot, thus their urine was NOT a factor in the dying of the grass.
4. It's now winter and the PNW is being pummeled by rain. We have some very minor flooding in the yard as the ground is thoroughly soaked and more rain is in the forecast. This is what climate change looks like in the PNW, with way more rain than what is normal during the winter, and very dry summers.
Our solution: Fence off the yard from the dogs to keep them (and the house) relatively mud free, and reseed the space. The Eco-Turf mix with micro clover arrived yesterday and is ready for spreading once the ground begins to warm in the spring. It's a far more durable mix than the grass that used to grow in the backyard. https://ptlawnseed.com/products/pt-769-r-r-eco-turf-mix
The conversion of the front yard to eco friendly/bee friendly clovers and English daisies has been a raving success with the Fleur de Lawn Mix. Only need to mow 1-2 times a year, no watering needed, and always green with tiny flowers ☘️🥰☘️
The Growing
Season Starts NOW!
Season Starts NOW!
Yarden Report 2022-01-02:
2022 has started with snow on the ground and that signals the start to a new 2022 Yardening Season 😎 Time to spread the Poppy seeds directly on the snow (that's what those tiny dirt specks are)! Hang in there onions, Spring is on it's way!