I wrote last week we were planning to start from seed all our tomato and pepper starts. In the course of 2 days Anna and I started 3600 peppers and 3700 tomatoes. We want about 3400 total starts of each and the extra is insurance if some seeds don’t germinate or the plants don’t make it to the the end of May when we will transplant them. The tomatoes sprouted out of their small cell containers in the course of…

I think spring is finally here in Southeast Michigan. Yeah, the crocuses have been up for a while and the tulips and daffodils are showing lots of green. But a veggie gardener has other ways of measuring the progression of the season. The garlic has been emerging under its layer of mulch but this week it popped through. The green manure crop of winter rye, crimson clover and hairy vetch has turned the pepper and tomato patch into a green…

I’ve been posting several entries now and realized I haven’t really told you who I am, so a formal intro is only proper. I’m Mark Baerwolf. I’ve been a line cook at the Roadhouse since the day it opened its doors 4 1/2 years ago. Gardening is something I’ve always done and I’ve gradually drifted toward heirloom veggies and an organic approach toward raising them. Chef Alex’s garden efforts are something that’s always interested me and I told him after…

The past week was about spring cleaning, I guess. Chef Alex’s greenhouse has housed a couple chickens and some ducks through the winter. I quickly realized that creatures with wings can roost and poop in some pretty high places. Cleaning out their bedding gave us a couple hundred pounds of great compost material. Alex gave the compost pile a turn with his tractor, I’ll try my hand at posting a picture because the amount of compost I’m talking about is…

Winter just won’t quit, but that’s okay. If you call yourself a gardener or farmer a necessary skill to have is timing. Knowing when to start seeds, when to transplant, when to work the soil, when to direct seed- these are all judgment calls that can change from year to year. I guess this week’s snows can be valued for keeping one’s enthusiasm in check. So we wait.

There’s all sorts of activity inside, though. We’ve been busy for over a…