​Liam's grade 4 class was finished with their vermiculture project before Easter and we have re-homed the worms to the greenhouse.  Gma has been feeding the worms and she is bringing them coffee grounds today as a treat.  I think the worms are very happy in the greenhouse - they have lots of food to eat and they are enjoying a shady spot under a table in their bin.  

Happy Little Worms

Where does the time go?  

It sure doesn't seem like we should be at Day 24 of production already!  (It also doesn't help that I have the Alberta Cup next week and I am in charge of the volunteers and scheduling.)  We have started transplanting all of the seedlings and tables are filling up fast!  At the rate we are going, we will be at full blown jungle in a just few more weeks.  :)  So far we have had outstanding germination in most of our crops and the babies are coming along nicely.

A few things to look forward to:

Petunias - 3700 seeds were planted, and now the task of transplanting them has begun.  For those of you who were out to see us last spring, we did a selection of colour mixes (Daybreak, Wild Rose, Waterfall etc.), we have a great selection of these mixes again this year, as well as some stars and picotees!  

Dahlias - We will have about 400 potted Dahlias for Spring 2013!  We will have a mix of colours and I am hoping to have them blooming by the May Long weekend.  It's no secret that I LOVE Dahlias and I am very excited to have such a great crop shaping up.  I put them all over my yard and they do really well against my white siding where most plants bake.  

Hanging Baskets and Planters - I would have to double check last year's numbers, but I am almost positive we have already made more than the total number of baskets we had last year - and we aren't done yet.  The Wave Petunia baskets look awesome!  They have started spilling over the sides of the pots and we should have them to a massive size by the time they are ready to go home to your yards.  I love the "Pretty in Pink" Calibrachoas that have started to bloom in their pots - this mix will be gorgeous!

We are planning to run a weekly Veggie Box program this summer!  I hope to have full details and sign up posted shortly, but here is a quick over view of our plans:

Sunday or Monday:  An availability list will be posted on our website or sent out via our newsletter to interested members with what we will have available for the week and price.  Members can then email or phone in their orders before Wednesday.

We will pick and pack your order for delivery for Thursday or Friday.  (We still have some kinks to work out so there may be slight changes to this - but use this as the general basis of the program.)

Disclaimers - as you all know, we can not control the weather - so if we can not pick because of it being too wet, hail etc orders may be delayed or shorted depending on your instructions.  We will do the best we can to get it done in the time frame we have set up - but we can't always work miracles!

We have started our greenhouse tomatoes and peppers already - they will still be a while before they are producing - we will let you know when they are getting close.  "IF" spring ever decides to arrive - we will be planting the garden and will update you as to how things are coming along.  :)  

Mom ordered a box of seeds that weighed over 50 lbs - and that wasn't all of it!  (The poor guy at the Post Office wasn't sure I was going to make it to my car - hahaha!)  We will have all of our usual summer favourites - potatoes, peas, green and yellow beans, snap peas, lettuce mixes, radishes etc and depending on the season - saskatoons, raspberries, and strawberries.  I am really looking forward to fresh produce!  I have good intentions to get the second garden that was put in by the greenhouse to be for cut-flowers.  Last year we did have a beautiful crop of Sweet Peas - but we weren't very good at sharing.  These will be added on to availability as they come along as an extra bonus.  (I'm thinking Sweet Peas, Sunflowers, Zinnias etc)  

If you are interested in this program - please drop us a line so we can start to figure out #s and fine-tuning the scheduling of the season as much as we can on our end.  (We can only hope that Momma Nature will co-operate.)  Click on my email address: melody@peapatch.ca to let us know.  


I think that's all I have for you today, I'm off to the airport to pick up some Dipladenia plants and then to rescue some houseplants before I head out to the greenhouse for the afternoon.  Please don't worry if you don't hear from me for the next 10 days - the hockey tournament (Alberta Cup) is next week, and players are arriving Wednesday April 23.  We have 8 teams of 20 players plus 8 staff, up to 7 scouts from each WHL team in the league, parents, siblings and grandparents of all these players, plus spectators and over 100 volunteers at the Strathmore Family Centre next week.  If you love hockey and are in the area - come out to see some FANTASTIC hockey!  On a related note, I'd like to congratulate the 6 Bantam girls from Strathmore who made it to their respective teams for the AB Challenge tournament in Medicine Hat.  Way to go!  

Mellie

It has been a busy week here at the greenhouse!  Seeds are being planted, babies are being transplanted and baskets are being made.  It is great to be back at it!  I'm just here to give you a quick update of our first week, and a little look into what has been keeping us so busy!

Picture on left was taken on Thursday and by no means is what is it looks like today (Tuesday.)  I will try and remember to get a picture before I leave the greenhouse this afternoon.  Everyday there is something new sprouting, or another row of tables being set up.  

Picture on the bottom left was taken Monday - start-up-day.  I would say the difference between the 4 days is huge!

Only in Alberta! (2nd picture from left)  My dirty feet just outside of the greenhouse in capris, flip flops and a snowbank.  A few days later - the kids are outside enjoying Easter break catching frogs. (3rd picture from left)  

My boys, helping empty some containers from my yard last year into the compost.  (Last picture)

I am very excited about our planter selection that we will have for this spring!  We will have a variety of sizes and shapes for you to look forward to!  I will post pictures as we get them filled!  For those of you missed the newsletter - you missed a brief re-cap of some of our hanging basket plants for spring!  We are very excited for the selection we will be offering our customers this season!  I can't wait to see our Wave Pansy baskets in bloom, they are just starting to bud.  You can sign up at the bottom of the webpage below for updates on what we have available and current pricing!

For those of you wondering about the Veggie Boxes - we are planning on doing something, we are trying to decide the easiest way to get your weekly selections and our availability out to our clients - more information to come...

Well I'm off to the greenhouse to plant, my thermometer is reading 5C already with a forecasted high of 16C!! Woohoo!  I will try to add pictures as I take them...until next time - Mel & the gang at Pea Patch