Shed Hat and Mittens
Getting Started
In the warmth of the hoop house we mixed potting soil and planted our onion seed today. The first of the season! It was a blustery cold day. The wind shook the hoop house , but we quickly shed our coats, hats and mittens. And now the potting soil is ready for a new season of seeds. I always mix my own potting soil. In previous years I have sifted and mixed in my own compost, which was very gratifying. The past two years I have used bagged compost, I am ashamed to say. Honestly, it did not cross my mind this fall as I was heaping and spreading my compost over our vegetable beds to put some aside. But the beds are prepared for spring and I must let go of some things. Life is so busy in the swirl of children, work and chores.
This year my potting mix consists of: 3 cubic feet of coconut coir, one 50 lb. bag of play sand, and 2 cubic feet of Penobscot Blend Compost. This compost is advertised on the bag as “blueberry, mussel and salmon compost”. I was completely taken in. It sounds like something I would love for dinner. But next year I am aiming to use my own. And for onion seed- I seeded Redwing onion, Yellow of Parma onion, Prisma Red shallot, and Bleu de Solaize leek.
Tags: hoop house, leeks, onion, potting mix, seed, shallots
