Spring Seed Starting & Planting Schedule
As a farmer in Northern Michigan we are offered a very short growing season and every growing day, seed, plant, and end result of product is very important to all of us. After many years of farming and battling with Mother Nature to obtain a very defined schedule we feel that we can offer you our best information of dates and strategies for your own successful gardening experience below!
March 15
Start cold weather tolerant seeds for an early planting around the first of May, all these listed plants tolerate frost and need no protection when planted outside. Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale, Collards Cauliflower, Onions, Lettuce, Brussels Sprouts, and any other cold weather tolerant plants that can be planted out early.
March 31
Start all varieties of Peppers, eggplant, and basil, but do please note that if you are going to continue growing them in a window of your home and not a greenhouse you may consider extending this date one week. This is due to the fact that plants grown in a window may get extremely leggy prior to transplanting outdoors.
April 15
Start all varieties of Tomatoes, and any Cole Crops such as cabbage, broccoli, kale, and such. Once again, please note that if you are going to be growing these plants on in a window opposed to a greenhouse you might consider extending this start date out about one week as all the above plants are rapid growers and could become leggy.
April 20 -May 1
Any time during this period that the garden can be tilled it is a perfect time to plant potatoes, peas, radishes right from seed into the soil. It is also time to plant your early Cole Crops that you started on March 15 as they will tolerate frost and even a light snow without protection!
May 20
Any variety of corn can be planted directly into the soil. Any of your Cole Crop plants started on April 15 can be planted into the garden.
May 31
This is the trickiest of all for planting dates! Now is the time to consider planting your tomato and pepper plants out into the garden. But prior to doing so check the extended forecast for the night time lows. My rule of thumb is to be cautious of any lows less than 45 degrees in the extended forecast as for the fact that as the date nears those lows tend to drop even more into the 30's which could kill tender plants. Also consider noting when the full moon is around planting time and do plan on a frosty night for that date. Unfortunately there is no definite answer to the above planting date other than evaluating all the factors that could kill tender vegetation prior to planting out. If it is possible to cover tender vegetation or put a sprinkler on it during the coldest part of the overnight this could offer protection.
Greenhouse Plants
Starting around the first week of May greenhouse vegetable plants and hanging flower baskets will be available at the market. Vegetable plants include many varieties of Peppers, Tomatoes, and many other garden vegetable plants. Flowers are offered in hanging baskets which include wave petunias and cascading snapdragons that are always available in many colors! All our plants are started right here on the farm in our very own greenhouses!
Advise and facts about growing that delicious tomato that we only get a few months each year from our gardens or a local farm market!
Tomatoes are actually a perennial but due to the growing season we have they are grown as an annual. There are two different kinds of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate grows to a certain point and stops while producing tomatoes at the ends of the stems. Indeterminate grow indefinitely and produce tomatoes along the stems. All tomatoes prefer well drained soil with a soil PH of 6.5. If the soil is rather damp most of the growing season, plant the plant on a mound to allow the roots to not be soaked indefinitely. Plants planted and left to sprawl need roughly a 4 ft x 4 ft area for each plant. Caged of staked plants need a 3 ft x 3ft area for each plant. If planting in a pot the pot should be at least the size of a 5 gallon bucket and not more than one plant per. If your tomato plant at transplant is leggy it is a good idea to remove the lower leaves, dig a trench rather than a hole and plant the transplant laying down bending the top of the plant out of the soil upright as the entire stem of hairs will become roots. Once growing it is advised to cage, stake, mulch, string line, bottomless table, or whatever technique one chooses as to keep the tomato fruits off the ground. When seeing blossom end rot on the tomatoes themselves that is an indication of a lack of calcium which could be lacking in the soil or a lack of moisture during the growing season that would allow the plant to get the calcium from the soil. It is advised to maintain an even moisture level in the soil throughout the growing season, large ups and downs in the soil moisture level is not advised. Large ups and downs in watering during the the growing season can also lead to cracking and splitting of the fruit. When rain or overhead irrigation is used to water it is recommended to avoid any soil from splashing up on the leaves as this promotes disease, mulching helps stop this from happening. When harvest time starts tomatoes can be picked with the slightest amount of white starting to show on the fruit and they will continue to fully ripen on your counter or wherever your chosen warm spot is to continue the ripening process. There is nothing better than a home grown tomato and the desire for a "vine ripened" tomato is great but at the end of the day, any tomato "home grown" tastes delicious either fully ripened on the vine or on your counter!
Cut Your Own Herbs and Cut Flower Garden
Located at the farm market is the herb and cut flower garden where anyone can take a stroll through and harvest something delicious or colorfully beautiful! The list of fresh herbs available is almost limitless from sweet basil to a bay leaf tree where you can harvest leaves fresh. The cut flowers are scattered throughout and include zinnias, snapdragons, marigolds, and cosmos which make for a great summer time bouquet. Shears are available or you can bring your own.
Sweetcorn Season
Sweetcorn season in Northern Michigan is a very welcomed season by many because of the long wait all year for fresh sweetcorn! Starting around the end of July through the first part of September we are picking fresh sweetcorn daily for the market. We grow three different varieties of sweetcorn and its the third variety, Primus, that is asked for by name - it is some of the best tasting sweetcorn grown today! Please do know that none of our sweetcorn varieties are grown from GMO seed. Please call to check when our sweetcorn season starts and if we are picking!
Fall Harvest
The fall harvest is one of the most colorful and cherished seasons of all at the market. In June the pumpkin, squash, and gourd seeds are planted into the soil and throughout the summer these plants grow a massive canopy of leaves and vines drowning out any weed that would attempt to germinate! After about Labor Day all these leaves start to die out and the sight of the summer growth of the pumpkin patch starts to emerge with all the different colors, shapes, and sizes of the fall harvest. About mid September we harvest all the fields and the fall harvest show at the market begins! Odds are that we will have that perfect jack-0-lantern, fall porch display, or crispy fall apple to bite into at the market. If its just some great pictures your looking for, feel free to take all the pictures that you want, they are FREE!
