A new grow zone comes with adjusting my internal clock. April 15th was the last freeze day at our previous place. Here, in the Shenandoah Valley, in West Virginia, it is closer to mid May. There will be plenty of hot days, but also cold nights that sneak in and kill everything.
Last week there was multiple days of night time freezes, and it got down to at least 27* at our place. Last night it dipped to 37*. Chilly.
The other day I stopped into the local Home Depot and saw this.
Every plant dead. They knew a freeze was going to happen, yet they sent all these new plants right to their death. Crushing in so many ways to see that. All that single use plastic would be tossed into their dumpsters – if they even got around to tossing the plants. They had been dead for days. It was ROWS of plants left to die. Anything that was an edible or herb plant.
It’s the sheer waste that gets to me.
I was out running errands and saw a local nursery and pulled in. Potomac Farms Nursery, which is located on said road (also known as North Alt 45), just outside of Shepherdstown, WV. They don’t have a social media presence or even a website, so I had wondered if they were even in business.
So old school it’s charming as all get out…
Walk into warmth, as soon as you step in.
It’s a ton of greenhouses that then you can go outside, to even more greenhouse.
Well taken care of plants – and the prices are fair. Unlike big box stores.
In the end, I brought home a nice haul.
So pretty, but not yet.
I was sighing over how pretty this flower was!
I got home, with high winds hitting me, and got working. I tucked everything into the greenhouse to protect them.
I had picked up strawberries, which had been bare root starts, that were coming alive in soil. Easy to plant up. I got 2 varieties.
There’s something very satisfying about planting up lettuce and kale starts. These heavy grow bags are being used as wind anchors in the pop ip greenhouse, but they can also grow me lunch.
I picked up three tomato plants, and moved them up from 4″ pots to gallon pots. They can get tall for the next few weeks, before they get a final pot up into a 5 gallon bucket each.
I also picked up a couple pepper plants, but had to go shopping to find more small pots. I gave away 100’s of pots before we moved – and it so bugs me to have to acquire new ones, but it’s OK, it’s part of building a new garden.
And yesterday I got them potted up – all nice and snug – as we had another day of high winds outside.
But last of all, I noticed most of the seeds I planted last week are sprouting!
I may not have a real greenhouse right now (first time in 9 or so years) but I am good at making what I have work well.
~Sarah