Perhaps Mid-March Really Is Too Early To Plant

I tried planting some hardy things in the garden extra early this year to see how they would fare. The answer is....not well. The arugula seedlings did not survive. The Kale did not sprout. The snow peas did not sprout. The scallion seeds did not sprout. Some of the onion sets sprouted, but about 50% has not, and the stuff that did sprout looks to be only a few days ahead of the onion sets that I planted 3 weeks later. The radishes did sprout, but they are growing very slowly. I will say that it was unseasonably cold and there was an 8" snow fall here in late March. Still, I think I've decided that I don't need to try to plant anything outside before April 1st next year.

Weather permitting, the I'll be doing a bunch of planting this weekend. I will replant all the stuff from my March planting that didn't sprout. Potatoes will be going in. A second planting of Rapini, Pak Choi, Arugula, Lettuce, and Broccoli will also be going in. Everything I'm planting is relatively hardy, but there is actually a good chance that we are past the last freeze/frost of the year here at the Miller homestead.

The seedlings are doing well, for the most part. Thanks to the light system and the heating pad, they are definitely doing better than last year. The peppers are a bit sluggish, but that is too be expected. Here is what the seed tray looks like at the moment.

The only thing not growing well is the peanuts. I have officially given up on peanuts for the year. The internet says just go to your local supermarket and buy raw peanuts....they're easy to sprout! When I was at a local gardening store I looked for some there just in case, and the clerk told me they don't sell them because you can just go to Wegmans and buy raw peanuts. Well, I tried twice with peanuts from two different Wegmans stores and with different amounts of watering each time. Both times the peanuts just got moldy and rotted in the potting soil. Ugh. I will probably grow some extra lettuce and maybe extra edamame to take up the space.