Grounded: Spring Direct-Sow Seeds

April 23, 2014 by Caroline Potter

Whenever we make lists for weekend tasks, we usually get a lot done. We also usually do not get to at least one of the things on said list. This past weekend, it was sowing the direct seeds into the beds I’d prepped. However, feeling restless in the middle of a Monday workday, I snuck out and got the seeds all sown — despite gale-force winds. Last spring was uber windy, and I fear more of the same if April 14th were any indication.

For peas, I planted Purple Pod peas, a new offering by Cook’s Garden, and Alaska peas (in honor of Curt’s roots). For greens, we did arugula, baby pak choi, two kinds of spinach, including America, Buttercrunch lettuce and a gourmet mix lettuce, four kinds of carrots, including King Midas, Parisienne, Purple Dragon and Red, Chioggia beets, scallions, four types of kale, including Red Russian, White Russian, and Lacinato Kale, and some French fava beans. There are some French Breakfast and Watermelon radishes stashed among them for good measure.

The wind was truly remarkable, so I’m curious to see how many seeds got blown far from where they were sown. Time, as it always does, will tell.

Up and At ‘Em

April 18, 2014 by Caroline Potter

It took but a week for most of the seeds to germinate and sprout. The lights are now all on, and the heat mats are off.

The eggplant and peppers remain like sleepy toddlers, fussing about, but there is movement. We’ve had a few fails, including one Peach Habanero, all three Aji Nortenos (which did the same thing last year, but I tried them again in memory of our dearest beloved first dog), and the Rossa di Milano onions. Having said that, I will continue to water them and love them. Plants, like people, can surprise you, so you’re better off not throwing in the towel until … well, until, I don’t know. I’m an optimist, so I’m probably not the best person to tell you when to give up on a plant or a person.

While the seedlings are growing — and they are! We are raising the lights constantly! — there is much happening elsewhere. The weather has been alternately cool and warm, windy and rainy, sunny and lovely, but we’re making the most of every moment we can. The grapevines arrived, but because Curt has been away, we’ll wait to set them in the ground until we have a full weekend day to set the site and for, let’s be honest here, Curt to dig the damned holes. Fortunately, the grapevines are packed to keep for up to two weeks, and we have a cool basement in which to store them. I don’t have the highest hopes for ever making wine from them, but we did purchase Cabernet Franc grapes as that seems to be what grows best in New York.

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Caroline Potter is a dining trend-spotter who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she’s since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. She has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines.

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