Seeds sprouting, sun setting

It is a lovely evening in Cambridge…

Evening along the Charles River - Weeks footbridge at right

…and in the garden.

Note the handstand-er in the background

A salad table looking dignified

The seeds we direct sowed into the salad tables – arugula, lettuce, mizuna, chard, radishes – have begun to sprout.

Yes, I know arugula is spelled wrong on the tag

Mizuna is a feathery-leaved mustard green with a fairly mild taste. A great "cut and come again" green

Earlier this week, we built a hoophouse over one of the beds to use for hardening seedlings. Seedlings raised in the greenhouse are used to cushy indoor conditions – constant light and temperature, no wind, etc. They need to be exposed little by little to the extremes of the outdoors before being transplanted. So, we keep them in the hoophouse and leave it open a little longer every day, building up to the fateful day when they’ll get planted in the beds.

The hoophouse, open

The seedlings seem to be doing just fine in there.

'Red Grand Rapids' lettuce

'Red Rosie' lettuce, 'Red Russian' kale, radicchio, etc. I sense a theme developing here.

When the hoophouse is closed, it’s not quite as elegant looking, but (to my taste) no less noble.

The edge of the plastic is held down with speed bump panels. We are resourceful