Is This Make-Up Weather?

After tormenting us for the better part of six months, has La Nina begun to subside?  A couple 70 degree days in a week is one helluva way to make up for stepping out on us in April.  I even planted a few tomatoes as a celebration of the wonderful change in temps.  Of course, that may be a bit premature, but I've got my plastic handy if the rains decide to set in again.

I want to thank everyone that came out to the sale on Sunday.  That was a great time and I was happy to meet a some new people.  I hope your plants become everything you hope for and more.  While I love starting plants, nothing will give me more joy or a bigger smile than someone who said that their tomato or pepper exceeded expectations.  Like a proud father, I'll be.

I do have one note of regret, however.  In my obsession to start as many plants as I have, I've over-run my capacities to protect them.  As such, I've built one greenhouse after another as way to keep them outside, yet somewhat sheltered from the elements.  In doing so, I've taken up space in my garden that I normally would be now planting things in.  It's a bit ironic, really.  I began growing starts as a way to make my garden more interesting and fun.  Now, they are a bit of an inhibitor of the original desire to do them in the first place.  C'est la vie, non?

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So, I decided to tempt fate.  Some time ago, I put up a post detailing my amazing luck with the Early Jalapeno's germinating at 100%.  I couldn't just stop there, now, could I?  Hell no!  Like a derelict gambler, I had to put it all on red.

In my last wave of peppers I started, I planted twelve more EJ seeds.  Amazingly, they all came up.   Well, except for one.  I waited a few extra days longer to see if I would get it to pop from the soil, even a sickly/weak one would qualify for 100% germination.  Alas, it was not to be.  I ended the year 43 out 44 - good for 98%.  Great, but not perfection.  Sigh.


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It does look like the rain is coming back for the weekend which is a shame.  After taking in the warmth today and watching all of Portlandia come out of the cave to jog, walk, bike, bbq, and generally rollick in the streets, it's tough to go back to the unpleasantness from before (I'll just refer to it as the month that shall not be named.)  Yet, this little warm patch sure gives hope.  Refreshing hope.

Take care everyone - here's to the sunny days and warming soils.  Please email me if you want something tomato-y or pepper-y or lettuce-y or basil-y to stick in those warming soils - winonafarms@gmail.com.

Cheers,
Zach