As we look out the window at an inch of fresh snow atop the 2-3 feet of snow we already have, it’s really reassuring to know that we’re going to be starting some seedlings next week. We can barely see out of kitchen window:
and there are snow banks over 6 feet tall around here. Our plow guy actually got stuck and had to bring a gigantic payloader over to dig us all out.

Over the weekend, though, we’ll be cleaning out our walk-in cooler so that we can set it up as a “grow” or “germination room”. You could even call it a “germ lab”. Because it’s so well insulated, we’ll be able to heat that room really efficiently. We’ll put the seedlings on heat mats to help them germinate quickly and we’ll have lots of flourescent lights so that the plants won’t get all stretched out (aka “leggy”) as they search for light. Our goal with this is to keep us from heating our hoophouse for as long as possible. The hoophouse isn’t insulated (like, at all) but we have to heat it to keep the plants growing well. Even if we only use the cooler for a couple of weeks, we’ll save a lot on fuel costs. That’s the plan, at least.

The first things we’ll start with will be things like onions, celery and peppers. This is all very exciting for us. As much as we love winter and eating seasonally, we’re starting to craze some greenery. We’ll post some pictures once we get things set up.