planting plan

As the weeks went by and the greenhouse was no closer to being started, I decided to go to Berkeley Hort to get some advice. After a very thorough consultation with a very patient employee, I've decided on my new planting strategy: some seeds will go directly into the raised bed and some seeds will be grown in my basement. Carrots, beets and radishes are all root vegetables so they need to be planted directly into the ground. They don't transplant well. Warm weather vegetables are ready to start as seeds in a greenhouse. When they grow to about 6" in about 4 weeks, I can transplant them into the raised bed. Since germination requires warmth and sun, I need to use artificial light for about 10-14 hours a day. Hence, the basement.

So here are the seeds I'm planting into my new basement greenhouse (Amish Snap Peas, A&C Pickling Cucumbers and Prizetaker Leeks):


All of the seeds I'm planting are heirloom varieties from the Seed Savers Exchange. This means that they have all been bred for their taste over many years by small farms, free from genetic modification. I am using these mini-greenhouses for ease:


Here are the greenhouses next to the washer/dryer machine in the basement: