We have had a relatively cool and rainy spring here in western MA. Good flax-growing weather, at least for this phase of the growth cycle.
I planted on April 19th, which was a Friday. There was a lot of rain the following week, so I didn’t have to water. I tried to be patient, and waited until April 27th to check on the germination, eight days later. I got excellent germination! Here’s the exciting flush of green across the whole bed:
I guess I was worried about sowing too close to the edge of the plot, so it’s totally bald at the edges:
Here’s a close up of the plants busting through the soil. They’re pretty crowded:
Maybe I should have planted less densely. We’ll see.
On the whole, the weather stayed cool and wet for the first couple weeks, though we had some warm and sunny days. Here’s the plot on May 5th (Sunday):
Those bald edges are even more prominent, which illuminates the fact that my planting density is actually a tad higher than I thought. Out of a five foot bed, I sowed more like four feet. OK.
Here are the chipper-looking seedlings doing their thing two weeks after planting:
Most recently, I checked on the plot on Sunday May 19th. We had a bit more sun and warmer temperatures last week. The vivid green of flax is such a cheering sight. Exuberant! Uplifting! Joyous! Buoyant!
Here’s a closer view of the plants that morning:
I remain cautiously optimistic.