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Getting Seeds Started, Ready for Spring, and a Sibling Rivalry

I started three varieties of broccoli,  leeks, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, lots of onions, and turnips on 2-19-2012.   Today, this is what I found:

A lot of the turnips are up.
A bit of broccoli is up. (If you look really close you can see a bit of green.)

We are getting Spring Fever around here.

I will probably start tomatoes and pepper seeds next weekend.

For a great chart on when to plant what in your area, check out When to Start Your Seeds  and Boulder Locavore has some great tips for Getting Started.

Speaking of which, we got up and on the road Saturday morning by 7:00 a.m. to go get another hoop house for the garden.

Huge new hoop house.

This was actually an old building awning that we basically dumpster dove for.  (The awning was in two pieces and we have put them together to form this house.)    We are  going to have to combine two existing raised beds for this behemoth to fit on.     Our plan is to cover the top section with shade cloth for tomatoes this summer.

So, that leads me to the “Sibling Rivalry” section of this post.   Being proud of our new acquisition, I texted my sister a picture of this new hoop house.

She sent me a picture of theirs:

Please notice that it is covered with snow. She lives in Iowa. (I am thinking they need to move back to Oklahoma!)

Being the older sister, I could not let her think that she one-upped me.   “My new one is bigger,”  I responded.

“Having feelings of inadequacy?   Is yours heated with compost bins?”   This was her smart response back.

I would show her.   I sent her the following pictures from our existing hoop house:

Kohlrabi
Selection of lettuces—you pick.

And, finally:

Our existing hoop house.

This final picture I sent with the text:   “We don’t need to heat ours.”

Her response, “That is just rude.”

No further comments were exchanged.  🙂

I didn’t have the heart to send her pictures of our lemon tree and herbs from the green house.

Meyer lemon tree in full bloom!
Dill and parsley

I am just not that cruel.

Only twenty-three days until spring!