Have been busy with my polytunnel experiments. Spring officially begins March 21 although started some crops in late February once the ground it 46 (8C) consistently. First crops were sugar snap peas, spinach, carrots and leaf lettuce. Because I am in a wooded area and the southern sun still a bit low in the sky, I added a couple 4' LED grow strip to give a solid 6 hours a day light for the spinach and the carrots. All sprouted well, lettuce maybe not as strong as I expected. Sugar snap peas seem to be taking off with soil around 54 (12C), spinach good, carrots all sprouted and jury is out on the lettuce. March 11th I planted some daikon radishes which sprouted very quickly and looking good. Since February, I completed one cu ft of compost, stored off to the side curing and started my second pile. Last frost typically April 29th so will complete this pile and then start building compost pile out of the polytunnel. I try to make 5 or 6 piles a year... 3 cu ft of material typically gives me about 1 cu ft of finished compost so goal is 5 - 6 cu ft compost per year into a 1 acre clay slightly sloped growing space. I addition I typically bring in about 12 cu yds or so of shredded hardwood mulch. This year I was fortunate enough to get a free large pine chip dump that I plan to use for walkways and the spread on the upper side of the property to slow runoff as it comes across the gentle slope. The perennial chicory and comfrey is greening up well. Today I will be planting leeks, mustard greens and some additional snap peas. Pics Lettuce, Peas, Spinach, Daikon Radish, Chicory, Comfrey, Lettuce and Carrots

Compost pile has been turned three times; heat levels on the third turn have been 131 - 136 over the last 4 days. The pile is already showing signs of fungi production. Tomorrow I will turn one last time mainly to stake off to the side for the curing process. Tomorrow I plan to build another fresh pile to keep the compost moving coming into the spring. I have a couple cured pile from last year that I will use during planting, and the the fresh compost I making now will become a top dressing once the plants are about 12" tall. Then once the plants are top dressed, I will bring in fresh hardwood mulch for the top banket allowing fungi networks to supply plants through the hot summer. The lettuce is coming in well and carrots are finally sprouting although not in my pretty rows; I have some puppies that wanted to help before I shewed them away. Sugar snap peas are starting to find the ropes I hung for them to climb and the spinach is growing well. Planted a couple small rows of daikon radishes to promote microbe food. Worked on my irrigation adding a pump into the rain barrel system so I would have pressure no matter how full the barrel is...

Today was next steps garden planning. I have a very small area to work with so what to be sure all areas stay full through the season. So far I have some carrots up although not the stand I hoped for. I will keep observing although ordered a couple more carrots seed packs and a pack of radishes. Carrots are very sensitive to moisture in the baby stage. They are a very tiny seed so it does not take much to get poor gemination. The seeds must stay damp but not water logged throughout germinate and in the baby days. Although, they have little power to push through clods or course soil. Even watering if to hard can compact the soil enough to stall there ability to emerge. If they dry out even just a bit, germination stalls. My second round of carrots, I will do a couple things to help. I will make a shallow furrow, plant the seeds, drop radish seeds in about every foot or so and then use vermiculite to sprinkle on top. I use vermiculite when germinate microgreens and works well. Also by adding the radish seed, they will germinate in just a few days to mark the row so I can be sure to target misting on the carrot row. The radishes will mature way before the carrots need the space so I will harvest them are the carrots spread out. Compost pile idling along at 136F (60C). I watered carrots and lettuce although let the spinach and snap peas go; rain expected tomorrow.

Not a lot to report today. In observation mode. First sign of carrots popped through the ground as well as a couple more lettuce babies. Spinach is looking good; sugar snap peas growing. Watered to keep them damp until they are toddlers and can walk on their own. Observing Water Flow. Rain is coming Saturday. The last heavy rain taught a useful lesson. The good humus had already been moved into 2x4 framed boxes for spinach and lettuce, so the best material was protected and concentrated where it needed to be as beds on top of the clay base. When this area was first shaped last year, a notch was made in the upper swale so when the water rose to a certain level for infiltration, it could spill out and move toward the garden space that now sits under the high tunnel. During the last hard rain, the overflow came through the hoop house and carried straw across the clay where the humus had been scraped away. There was no real harm done although observation revealed the waters preferred path so my job is to guide so it does the greatest good and then guiding it back to the swale. Understanding the natural flow of incoming water will allow the water to be an asset rather than a problem. Compost core is 138 degrees... slowing down on the third turn but still in the range needed. Lignin is breaking down in the hay making it mushier in spots so important to keep air flow.

Checked the compost pile... one day after 3rd turn; one spot was 138 although could not get over 131 consistently; will check today. Keeping in my my experimentation on growing early crop with the plan to growing produce of some sort 10 months out of the year, I have snap peas, spinach and lettuce germinated; no sight of carrots yet. The normal early planting time for us is mid March to mid April so I'm running about a month early in zone 7b than I would normally. Soil in the high tunnel is approximately 55 F (13C). Staying in line with the biodynamic calendar, I did a starter tray for my inhouse grow room in a 10 x 20 tray. I fill the tray with starter mix, use a bottom tray to pat the soil down, place my seeds, sprinkle a little fine soil on top, wet them, plant a bottom tray on top, weight that down to assure good seed contact with soil and dak germination for 3 days, then after 3 days I will put them under the lights. I planted about 15 seeds of several things with the idea I'm a few weeks early. I planted last years seed jalapeno, ghost peppers, Krishna holly basil, celebrity hybrid tomato suggested by our extension office, black crimean which is suppose to do well in July and August heat although I wanted to experiment in an early start, three heirloom varieties that this would be the 3rd year of acclimatized seed, german chamomile, last years purple cone flower echinacea, regular basil. beauty berry, sage and lemon balm. Pretty much all being and early season experiment.