Finally. I got some farmland for this season! Just in time.

[KurtNYC]

I had about 3 promising leads fall through and then got a callback from one person who I contacted 3 weeks back and never heard from. She was waiting for the person who connected me with her land to say yes or no. He said no.

2 acres of awesome Knickerbocker soil, long north south rows, 8 ft deer fence, drip irrigation, slight slope is lower on the south end and recent history is all organic (!). Has a cover crop on it now (rye grass). Soil tested very good for potash and phosphorous, weak in nitrogen but that is easy to deal with (compost). Ph around 6.8

While searching I just went ahead and started seeds. Tray after tray with a focus on heirlooms:

Waltham Butternut Squash
Heirloom black turtle beans
Spaghetti Squash
3 different Heirloom corns
Zucchini
Peas
7 different heirloom tomatoes
Kale
Bok choy
Spinach, carrots, leeks, spinach, mizuna, romaine, arugula, 9 herbs, sunflowers, poppies and 5 types of potatoes

My babies have a home!

[Arugula Latte]

1. Two acres -- that's a big garden!

What do you do with the produce besides eat your fair share?

[Baitball Blogger]

2. I love it when someone knows what they're doing in the garden.

Like watching an artist paint.

Be sure to send pictures.

[KurtNYC]

6. I have done very little gardening

Had a veg garden in grade school and did 4H when I had rabbits as pets. My schoolmates had horses and farms but that is like the difference between sitting in the backseat versus driving. I love biology and I know this summer will put me to the test.

I have some friends who are advising and hopefully will be out in the dirt with me. Hope to learn a lot this year and grow enough to give lots away but we'll see.

I have the "before" pictures. Hopefully the "after"s will be something that looks good.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Congrats, my dear KurtNYC!

It sounds wonderful.

Yes, please, take some pictures!

[KurtNYC]

9. Thank you for your encouragement!

Pictures will be taken.

[In_The_Wind]

4. It sounds perfect! Do you have only one each of the 7 tomato plants?

They always seemed to ripen at the same time, right after the first cool night.

I truly enjoy growing things.
This year it will be container plants but I did grow okra and white eggplants when I had room.
And corn, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe watermelon, beans, lettuce.
I must be forgetting something.

Oh! Happy gardening. num num

[KurtNYC]

7. Thanks. I have started multiples of each of the varieties

and may buy some to transplant (if I can find something other than "better boy" and the other big box varities). We want to make some teepees to be overgrown with vines -- morning glories, tomatoes, etc.

I have mostly indeterminates so I am hoping to keep the harvest going. Some are considered "early" so maybe late June (?)

[In_The_Wind]

10. I wish you happy gardening

[siligut]

5. Sounds just wonderful

You have a good assortment of plants too. I started some sunflowers and poppies indoors a few weeks ago, I am in the NW. I put the sunflowers out over the weekend after conditioning them. The poppies are still tiny, maybe I started them too soon. We shall see, I have more seeds.

As requested above, we would love pictures as things move along.

[KurtNYC]

8. Our original design was one third flowers

and I think we are still close to that. The marigolds and sunflowers are starting well and morning glories are just monsters so I am not starting them in trays because they start to vine right away and it tangles the tray.