Cool Season Crops

Spring is such a busy time here at our urban farm. There is such a flurry of activity between tilling, planting, chicks, blooms, and trips around beautiful Portland.

Yesterday we planted 3 "Hood" Strawberry plants. They are a medium growing spreading perennial. They will get about 8-10" tall with bright red berries. They like acidic soils, to they will do quite nicely near our blueberry bushes under the fir tree.

Having a freshly turned garden, I got to plant most of our cool season- direct sow crops this weekend and today. In addition to all that I planted (and wrote about in the last posts), I put more in tonight as soon as I got home form work. Here's what went in tonight:

Heirloom and/or Open Pollinated Varieties:

Alaska Nasturtium (6" bush)

Jewel Blend Nasturtium (12" bush)

Tall Single Blend Nasturium (6' vine)

Giant Winter Spinach

Winter Stem Bok Choy

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Shiraz Tall Top Beet

Flat of Egypt Beet

Amaranth Een Chot Hiyu (edible red leaf)

Wando Shelling Pea (bush type, 68 days)

Mesclun Lettuce Mix

-Rocket Arugula

-4 Season Lettuce

-Romaine Cas Lettuce

-Red Salad Bowl Lettuce

-Tango Lettuce

-Blackseeded Simpson Lettuce

-Lolla Rossa Lettuce

-Oakleaf Lettuce

-Romane Cimmaron Lettuce

-Ruby Lettuce

-Bloomsdale Spinach

-Tatsoi

-Golden Swiss Chard

-Magenta Swiss Chard

-Broadleaf Batavia Endive

-Mizuna Mustard

-Red Giant Mustard

Red Crisphead Lettuce

Hybrid Varieties:

Carnival Blend Carrot

We've decided to sow the chicken run with a mix of fava bean, dutch clover, crimson clover, and "broomcorn" sorghum, and buckwheat. We'll be seeding it down soon and covering it with a remay-type ground cover to prevent squirrels and the chickens from eating all the seed before it can germinate.

Flora and I are very excited about the entire garden this year and have just recently reached the realization that aside from fruits, dairy, grains, and baking supplies we won't be buying any groceries this summer! Further, we're excited about being able to can as much as possible. We are working closer and closer to our goal of growing as much, if not all, of our own produce!

Expect pictures of it all as soon as things start sprouting!!

-Fauna