For instance, did you know that I am an avid amateur horticulturalist? Which means that right about now –– in the depth of a seemingly sunless, snowy February –– I’m busy poring over seed catalogs and dreaming of compost. I’ve even gotten a jump-start on the spring growing season by starting a variety of cool-temp-loving veggies indoors in my basement: broccoli, chard, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, leeks, Italian parsley, and scallions. This has been made much easier this year thanks to our new 4-foot, 4-bulb HO fluorescent grow-light fixture. The seedlings really love the extra light!
Also, this year I’m trying to grow artichokes for the first time. Most artichoke cultivars do not produce edible flower buds until the second year. In order to grow artichokes from seed in climates such as Kentucky’s that are too cold for the artichokes to over-winter without special protection (zones 7 and colder), you have to trick the plants through the process of vernalization into thinking that their first summer is really their second. You do this by starting the plants indoors in a warm environment (above a heated germination mat in my case), and then moving them outside early enough in the year to experience a period of colder temperatures (40-50˚F). By the time the warmer days of June arrive, the plants think they have experienced winter, and are ready to begin the flowering process. I’m curious to see if this will actually work. Check this blog later this summer for an update!
And now, a picture of my son holding the mythical 3 pound, 7.5 ounce sweet potato we grew last year:
