trying to figure out when to put out my seedlings....they are taking over my house!
our frost date is 4/15...a local weather guy gave his blessing to put tomatoes out at that time (something about in the past 30 years only having a handful of frosts after tax day) but I waited...mainly because the seedlings hadnt been hardened off (more on that later) and we were traveling and I wanted to be able to baby them just before and just after setting them out.....and then there were a few frost warnings (I dont think anything ever actually froze, but it certainly did get much cooler and I think I covered things up a few nights, and there would be a few nice days to let them harden off....and then several days of crazy torrential, cold rains where I'm afraid to let them out....and nights that dropped below 50, and I've heard thats not good for warm weather crops either. so off and on this week I've been setting my seedlings out for one hour more per day than the previous day in partial shade, in the hopes that this weekend I'll be able to set them out for good. by some miracle (so far) neither boy has messed with them too much indoors or out. my tomatoes have gotten extremely leggy...but that doesnt concern me too much since they can be planted super deep and grow a great root system.....peppers can be planted a little deeper too...although I keep hearing different things about that...my squash/zuke/cuke seedlings have gotten really big too...I dont know if I will start them so early next year...seems like the longer they get and the more they are jostled around, the more I am losing to collateral damage...mostly their stems are getting snapped or as in the case of my straight 8 cukes, are just not as hardy to hardening off (no pun intended) . I'm not sure I have any straight 8 cukes to transplant, and I'm pretty sure I started out with at least 6. Bush cukes seem the hardiest and most compact....go figure. I guess I'll just plant some straight 8s from seed since they grow so fast. did I mention that my husband has fashioned a sort of trellis for me from some discarded deck railing? I'm interested to see how that works. vertical gardening, here I come!
my basil started from seed is progressing, but still soooooo tiny! I'm wondering if I should have started them back in january or something...and they look loads better than my oregano, stevia and mint....sooo miniscule. I may try one more time next year to start my herbs much earlier, and if that doesnt work, transplants from lowes may just be how I have to go....this is ridiculous! I semi gave up hope and purchased a few basil and oregano plants at a local market stand. sigh. so disappointing.
I am looking forward to harvesting some cabbage, bok choy, spinach and more lettuce this next week when I set out my summer plants and planning some meals around them, and the lovely radishes I harvested. I guess actually following the seed packet advice and thinning the way they recommend really DOES yield respectable results! whoda thunk!!?? I dont particularly enjoy the taste of radishes...but they really are a nice (almost) instant gratification veggie, and so pretty and it's fun to experiment with all the different kinds. right now the best ones are something called mexican white giants, and I've had some impressive champion and sparklers too. my mom and grandmother ate them right out of the garden (one spat on hers to clean it, the other peeled it with her fingernail...claimed it wasnt at hot that way....both said they were lightyears better than store bought) Jack, my 4 year old enjoyed helping me harvest them...but I accidentally gave him reason not to eat them when I told him about how I was scarred for life when I was about his age and ate a radish out of the garden, thinking it would be sweet like a tomato or cherry...and being extremely surprised and disappointed. Now he wont try them either.
I've reseeded some beans (I planted several over 2 weeks ago with almost no germination...2 plants sprouted pretty respectably...the rest didnt germinate at all or were just starting when I got out there to investigate. I reseeded and said nice, encouraging words to them...hopefully that helps! I also reseeded my carrots....not a fantastic germination rate there either...but when I was thinning those that did sprout, I accidentally pulled up a tiny baby carrot...so that gives me some hope! I also reseeded my mesclun....soooo unimpressive this year....we'll see how it goes. I know that last year when we went to FL (about 2 weeks from the date of this week...does that make sense?) I had some nice mesclun...not so much right now.
my potatoes are extremely impressive...the vines have already grown past my trashcans and growbag, which are all 3 filled with potting soil....looking forward to reaping those rewards! maybe using all that diluted whey is working. It would have been interesting to not water 1 of them with whey and see if that is indeed making a difference...maybe next year.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
my thoughts on my spring garden so far
not much in my container garden is doing well....
the bok choi from seed is doing ok...but the ones in the raised beds are much MUCH better....
same with the kohlrabi and kale...both are doing a smidgen better in the raised beds....I wonder if it's because we have been so unseasonably warm this spring that my spring garden thinks its summer..
the lettuce is barely ok....but the seedlings planted at the same time in the raised beds are nearly twice the size..
spring mix and arugula in the containers have barely progressed at all
I think the leeks appear to be making some slow progress in containers
my potatoes are planted in 2 trash cans and a grow bag and I am extremely pleased with how well they are growing!
raised beds are doing better
radishes seem to be doing pretty well...I picked a few this weekend to send home with my dear mil
as I said before, the lettuce is going great....I've already harvested and sent home some with my investors! :) I was also very disciplined in thinning out the seedlings...it didnt hurt too bad!
cabbage seedlings seem to be doing well
I doubt my broccoli will be ready for harvest when I need to pull it up to make room for tomatoes or peppers
spinach is starting to germinate...and I've heard mixed reviews about how well it does in warm weather, so I dont have extremely high hopes...
some of my carrots have germinated...we'll see...same with onions both white and green...never grown those before, so I dont know if they are doing well or not
I am following what my week by week handbook says that I could go ahead and plant bush beans....so I planted 2 rows of bush beans called dragon tongue that takes 100 days to harvest and 3 or 4 rows of beans from previous years....with a note to check in 7-14 days just in case they dont take. we'll see.
as a foray into companion planting in the hopes of helping ward off bad bugs, I have also planted marigolds and petunias around the beans to help with the mexican bean beetles and nasturtiums around where I will plant squash to help with squash bugs. and flowers are pretty and it will make jack happy....and supposedly nasturtiums are yummy in salads, I wonder if my family will eat flowery salads.
the bok choi from seed is doing ok...but the ones in the raised beds are much MUCH better....
same with the kohlrabi and kale...both are doing a smidgen better in the raised beds....I wonder if it's because we have been so unseasonably warm this spring that my spring garden thinks its summer..
the lettuce is barely ok....but the seedlings planted at the same time in the raised beds are nearly twice the size..
spring mix and arugula in the containers have barely progressed at all
I think the leeks appear to be making some slow progress in containers
my potatoes are planted in 2 trash cans and a grow bag and I am extremely pleased with how well they are growing!
raised beds are doing better
radishes seem to be doing pretty well...I picked a few this weekend to send home with my dear mil
as I said before, the lettuce is going great....I've already harvested and sent home some with my investors! :) I was also very disciplined in thinning out the seedlings...it didnt hurt too bad!
cabbage seedlings seem to be doing well
I doubt my broccoli will be ready for harvest when I need to pull it up to make room for tomatoes or peppers
spinach is starting to germinate...and I've heard mixed reviews about how well it does in warm weather, so I dont have extremely high hopes...
some of my carrots have germinated...we'll see...same with onions both white and green...never grown those before, so I dont know if they are doing well or not
I am following what my week by week handbook says that I could go ahead and plant bush beans....so I planted 2 rows of bush beans called dragon tongue that takes 100 days to harvest and 3 or 4 rows of beans from previous years....with a note to check in 7-14 days just in case they dont take. we'll see.
as a foray into companion planting in the hopes of helping ward off bad bugs, I have also planted marigolds and petunias around the beans to help with the mexican bean beetles and nasturtiums around where I will plant squash to help with squash bugs. and flowers are pretty and it will make jack happy....and supposedly nasturtiums are yummy in salads, I wonder if my family will eat flowery salads.
I found a use for whey in the garden!
after researching more about what whey does to garden soil...and that my garden soil is slightly alkaline (thanks to the test at the extension office) and that some of my veggies like slightly acidic soil (namely radishes and potatoes) so I pour a 1/2 gallon bottle of when into my 3 gallon watering can, fill it up the rest of the way with water and sprinkle it on my potatoes and radishes...and they are doing AWESOME!
acid loving veggies
here too
and here too
acid loving veggies
here too
and here too
the most profitable plants for my garden
this is very interesting...something I do take into account....along with whether it tastes better homegrown rather than store bought, how much we eat (ie how convenient it is to have it in the backyard) and how well it stores....and also whether I have ever planted it before and want to experiment , whether I can get specific varieties/colors etc in the store, and many other reasons.
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