Getting ready for spring planting

I've look over all my old books.  I started years ago starting seeds going in the house.....anxious to get things growing I often over the years started things way to early.  I'd end up with these long stems with two leaves on top and I would nurture them, moving them around from window to window in the hope they would get enough light to grow.  In the end often I would plant them in the greenhouse and lose them to the one day we got frost.

Over the years I worked on my starting techniques.  I've spent a small fortune at Lee Valley but in the end have used many of their gardening supplies.  I made smaller greenhouses inside the greenhouse, anything to get things going.  I look back and think "You were crazy"  I have learned over the years, where we live there is no sense starting anything before the end of April and there is no use planting tender vegetables out in the garden before June 1st.

Another thing I can tell you is that the best investment I have ever made is what I call Ag cloth.  
It is a thin cloth that you can place over your rows.  It has definitely saved my garden from some unexpected frosts.  I plant my garden and then put the cloth over my rows for the first 2 weeks and any other nights that may seem ify.  Then towards the end of the season I do the same.  I have saved allot of vegetables over the years by doing this. You can find it at my favorite store http://www.leevalley.com/ and it is worth every penny.

Potatoes in Straw

Well the potatoes in straw was a bust last year.  They just didn't get enough water.  It was not to bad starting out and then we got a real hot spell and I was away on weekends.  They just got to dried out, and the spot they were in missed gettting watered when the timed sprinkler watered.  That along with the smokey days due to all the forest fires we were surrounded with just did not help.  So this year...........I'm not sure.  I'm thinking of maybe downsizing abit.