The New Garden Is Well Started!

You wouldn't think that one shelving unit of plant starts would fill an entire 26 by 96 foot high tunnel, but with the inclusion of a few other "straight from seed" plants like beans, it sure does!  

This is my plant growing shelving that we built last year.  I absolutely love its simplicity!  

We built it from very inexpensive shelving and plant and aquarium lights purchased at Walmart.  We drilled some holes and added some small "s" hooks and chains to make the lighting adjustable, then attached an outlet (I put a timer on it) and it is lightweight and easy to use!  At the end of the seed starting season I can pick up the whole thing and move it into the basement and at the beginning I just carry it back up.

This is such an improvement on the improvised lighting set up I'd had in the past with wood and concrete blocks, etc!  

What am I planting this year?  My dad got me started with a lot of organic seeds from Johnnyseeds.  Here's this year's garden listing: 

Artichoke

Cardoon

Beans: Fresh Pick, Yellow Wax, Royal Purple, Dragon

Broccoli: Early Green, Belstar, DiCiccio

Cabbage: Red Express, Farao

Swiss Chard: Flamingo, Ruby Red, Red and White Mix

Here's the BIG list!

Tomatoes: Black Cherry Tomato, Super Sweet 100, Sweet Olive, Smarty, Brandywine, Striped German, Green Zebra, Granadero, Black Prince, Big Boy, Beefsteak, Roma, Yellow Pear, And San Marzano

Peppers: Yankee Bell, Early Jalapeño, Pepperoncini, California Wonder

Cucumbers: Corinto, Salt and Pepper, Pickle Bush

Summer Squash: Fordhook, Straightneck Yellow, Black Beauty, Lemon Squash

Fennel

Basil

Onions: Ruby Ring, Copra, Cortland

Parsley: Curly and Flat

Chervil

Pumpkins: Kakai, Small Sugar, Jackolantern,

Squash: Butternut

Eggplant: Black Beauty, Early Long Purple

Corn: Who Get's Kissed?

Peas: Sugar Snap, Lincoln

As well as Potatoes, Garlic, Jeruselem Artichoke, Horseradish, Dill, Radishes, Lettuces, Spinach, Chinese Cabbage, Nasturtium, Basil, Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, and lots and lots of flowers!

Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. 

It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart.

- Karel Capek