Adventures of a (Wannabe) Farmer: Grow Seedlings Grow

Update since last post:

Lettuce and arugula almost ready for first harvest
First Peas are up
Lots of random sprouts
Worms going to work on compost

I was a little late in ordering my 2012 seeds and two weekends ago was beautiful weather for planting, so I couldn't wait. I used the remnants of last year's Sugar Ann Snap Peas and legume inoculant (used by the plants for nitrogen fixation) and planted the first of 4 rows. I'm using both of my A-frame trellises and putting side-by-side in one of my 4x4ft beds. Last year I used one trellis for peas (Sugar Snap Peas on one side and Garden Peas on the other), but this year I'm using both trellises for sugar snap peas only (they were a big hit last year in the Stockwell household). I planted that first row on 4/15 and they are already up 9 days later (4/24). The remaining 3 rows I planted 4/20 once the seeds finally arrived but those are not up yet. Just checked the garden today for the first time in days (deluge of rain the past couple days) and lots of random, fun things are sprouting in various places (none of which I planted). There's a nasturtium in one of last year's beds, plus what look to be a potato plant and a beet in one of the other beds on top of which I composted last year's plants when I pulled up the garden in the fall (must be where the potato and beet came from since I didn't plant either in that spot last year).

I also decided to start a compost pile on the 14x4ft bed closest to the house last Fall. I collected loads and loads of fallen leaves and chopped them up along with grass clippings with my mower by running them over multiple times. I then piled the chopped leaf/grass combo on top of the bed, into which I buried our food scraps for the next couple months (until everything froze up solid and I moved my composting effort inside into a giant garbage bin in the garage -- more on that later). To say I am a little obsessed with compost in an understatement. What can I say, composting is fun and really satisfying even if the wife thinks I'm a little nutty :-) Anyway, my plan was to let this compost pile finish decomposing in the spring to be ready to plant squash (zucchini, summer squash, and winter squash) by June 1 since squash seems to love compost. As of a couple weeks ago, I was pretty sceptical my plan was going to work, as the decomposition was slow and I was worried it wouldn't be ready in time. But I turned the pile today, there were loads of worms doing their thing, and I am now cautiously optimistic that my original plan is going to work. We will see.

Arugula back on 4/15

5 days later (4/20)

4 days after that (4/24) -- Arugula only a few days away from harvesting (hopefully!)

Mesclun Mix Lettuce (4/24) - maybe a week away?

1 row planted 4/15 (last year's seeds)

Remaining 3 rows of Sugar Snap Peas planted 4/20 (2012 seeds), with help from E & A (not pictured)

Random Nasturtium that sprouted in last year's bed (where I had squash and nasturtiums together). I'm thinking of letting it grow and plant around it.