Spring (?) in Northern Vermont

Last year in the beginning of April we were two weeks earlier than normal. This year the weather has put us at least two weeks later than usual. The photo below is our "pansy house." Normally we would have the sides unrolled, tables set up and be filling it up with our hardier annuals. Those bulges in the plastic along the ridge line are huge chunks of solid ice. Until they melt we can't get the darned thing set up.

Our largest greenhouse is packed to the gills, and we have to move plants somewhere, so we are putting them into the "geranium house" where we managed to get the sides down, but it still has snow on the floor, as you can see by the photo below.




Meanwhile the big greenhouse is packed and the plants are happy for the time being, but we are pinching and are going to have to spread things out soon.


The plants in the greenhouse do not know we are having a colder than normal spring outside and they are growing in leaps and bounds. I'm excited about most of the new varieties and will post photos in the next blog.

Photographs of the “Big Greenhouse” April 7

I would like to post something with information for cold climate gardeners at least once a week, but I haven’t started my taxes yet (or even my greenhouse “catalog” ! ! !) so this week’s submission is simply photos taken inside the largest of the four greenhouses.



The above photo is the south side of the greenhouse. On days when it is very cold outside, but the sun is shining, I have to roll up the side to let in cooler air. For this reason right now I do not have plants flush to the side of the greenhouse. The shock of the change of temperature would do them in.



Above I am looking down the center of the greenhouse from the area where I do my transplanting.



The "shady side" of the greenhouse is the home for hanging fuchsias and six-packs of impatiens, hypoestes, etc.



Two of many seedling flats await transplanting.




'Wave' petunias


I always plant a few tomatoes early. The hanging black buckets I got at the dollar store. Danny drilled a hole in their bottoms and I have planted upside-down tomatoes for folks to try.




Here I am half-way through transplanting peppers in four-packs. I plant four different varieties in one pack, so that customers can try different plants without buying six of each.



There is some color in the greenhouse now (the white is lobularia, not alyssum) , but it will be three weeks before any customers can see it. This time of year I am always frazzled and excited at the same time.