Greetings! My name is Jessica Gates and I am one of the lucky Organic Farm Interns of the 2012 season. Speaking of the season, one of the best ways to sweep away the winter blues is by starting farm or garden plants from seed. The ability to get your hands dirty a few months early and see sprouting seedlings in January or February can prove to be great cabin fever therapy!
Another of the many benefits to starting your own seed is the variety of seed choices available from seed catalogs. You can choose from hundreds of interesting varieties and also be sure your seedlings are raised organically. Garden store varieties are far fewer in number and the condition of the transplants are out of your control. We have been busy perusing seed catalogs and choosing delicious and interesting varieties for the upcoming season!
On January 23, 2012 we started our cool-season crop seedlings in the UT greenhouse. A cool-season crop is defined as a vegetable that grows best with temperatures of 60 to 65 degrees F. Cool-season crops can tolerate light to moderate frosts, but are intolerant of high summer temperatures. These crops are cold hardy and therefore can be transplanted a few weeks before the last frost date. These will be the first crops to market in May. Some of the varieties you can expect to see first include kohlrabi, kale, broccoli, swiss chard, beets, several varieties of onions, several varieties of lettuce, parsley and cilantro. They will be hardened off and transplanted to the field within the next couple of weeks. Check out how the little guys are coming along in the photos below.
UT Market Garden Project 
I must say, these are the best-looking cool season transplants we’ve had yet!