Chard

These are blettes (Swiss chard), sometimes also called bettes and many other names depending on where you are. Once the seedlings get bigger, they'll go out into the garden. We've had great success in the past with this white-stemmed chard, not so great with other colors. I think the white-stemmed stuff is more common where we live than other varieties.

Blette (chard) sprouts. The seedlings have pink stems, but they'll turn white as the plants grow.

Now that the saints de glace are behind us (today is the last day), we should be able to plant our seedlings outside. But first we need some dry weather for the final dirt tilling. We're in a showery period right now, and temperatures are on the chilly side, so the seedlings will continue to hang out in the green house. I may start hardening the tomatoes, though, by putting them outdoors during the day.

Blettes on the left, tomatoes on the right. The unruly looking plant you see reaching out from the left is a parsley volunteer that grew last year on the greenhouse floor. We're letting it go to seed in hopes of getting another plant or two this year.

Good news: the old chest freezer is now empty. I pulled the plug on it yesterday and this morning it's almost completely defrosted (there's still some ice in the bottom). Next, we'll drain it and clean it up for its second life as a storage locker in the garage.