Recap: My Garden So Far
The weather is so gorgeous, it’s tempting to put the tomatoes outside. But the forecast is calling for a cold spell this weekend, so I’ve been keeping myself busy with many other garden tasks. Let’s recap the entire garden, shall we?
I now have four raised beds, as shown in the photo. The newest, Northwest bed was just installed this week.
SOUTHEAST BED:
- Red Onions (60) planted outside from sets on March 5th. Because there were
so many, they are also planted in the SW Bed. - Nantes Carrots (16) and Parisian Carrots (16) planted outside from seed on
March 8th. They first sprouted on March 29th. - Marigolds started indoors from seed on April 15th were transplanted into the
garden this week. These seeds were given to me by a friend to plant in honor of
her late grandmother. May she watch over and protect my garden. - Also planted in this bed this week, but haven’t
sprouted yet:- Chioggia Beets (9)
- Tokyo Long White Bunching Onions (16)
- More Nantes Carrots (16)
- More Parisian Carrots (16)
SOUTHWEST BED:
- More of the Red Onions
- Italian Parsley (2 bunches) and Curly Parsley (2 bunches) planted indoors
from seed on March 3rd, and took FOREVER to germinate. Luckily, I was warned
about that. They are still very small two months later, as you can see from the
photo. - Radishes planted outside from seed this week are already sprouting
- Lacinato Kale, planted from transplants March 31st. At first, these got
yellow leaves (I think from the cold) but I trimmed them up, and the new growth
is coming in nicely. They are ready to begin harvesting the outer leaves, as
needed. - Little Marvel Peas planted outside from seed March 31st. Only half of them
sprouted. I should get out there and put a few more seeds in the ground to fill
in the holes.
NORTHEAST BED:
This bed has been the busiest so far this year. Assorted Lettuces have been
harvested since I began starting them indoors on March 5th. Since then, I’ve
lost track of harvesting and replanting, and have begun planting seeds directly
outside, as the weather is warming.
- Assorted Lettuces:
- Buttercrunch lettuce
- Rocket Arugula
- Mesclun Mix
- Gourmet Salad Blend, planted seeds outside on March 31st. They aren’t very
large yet. - Palco Hybrid Spinach
- Peas, Oregon Sugar Pod (16) and Sugar Snap (16) planted outside from seed on
March 8th. They germinated on March 29th. I had replanted these a day or two
before, thinking they wouldn’t come up. Eventually, both batches sprouted, so I
kept thinning them out, and enjoyed pea shoots in my salads. The peas have been
thinned down to 4 in each square, and are beginning to take hold of the pretty
black trellis. They share squares with their Spinach neighbors, hoping the
spinach would get taller and shade the ground around the peas. So far, though,
the Spinach is staying very flat to the ground. - Planted indoors on March 27th and transplanted
outdoors this week:- Calabrese Broccoli (2)
- Waltham Broccoli (2)
- Self Blanching Cauliflower (2)
- Golden Acre Cabbage (2)
- All of these attempted to start indoors in February, but the seedlings
didn’t grow well, and were restarted once I purchased my grow light on March
27th. While the plants are small, I’m also growing various lettuce in their
squares, but I might take those out, to make sure I’m not crowding the new
transplants.
NORTHWEST BED:
No need for a photo, since bare dirt isn’t that exciting to look at. But I’ve
planted the following seeds in the Northwest bed this week:
- Little Marvel Peas (10-12) in a square, ready to grow up a trellis
- Buttercrunch Lettuce (4)
- Gourmet Salad Blend Lettuce (8)
- Marigolds (4)
OUTDOORS:
- Chives, Oregano and Thyme were transplanted outdoors on March 31st. They are
in a separate pot from the raised beds. - Sweet 100 Tomato (1) and Yellow Pear Tomato (1) transplants were purchased
too early. They were transplanted outdoors last week, as they were getting too
large for my windowsill, and might need to be replaced anyway. They’ve struggled
with going outside too early, but both have fruit on them today (think they’ll
be part of my Mother’s Day salad) and the plants seem to be reviving, with new
green growth.
- Sweet Florence Fennel was purchased a few weeks ago, and was immediately
transplanted into his own pot outdoors. I read somewhere that other vegetables
don’t get along with Fennel, so he has his own pot, separate from everyone else. - Red Potatoes were planted yesterday, from what might be called “seed
potatoes.” I couldn’t find any actual seed potatoes for sale in my area, so I
asked the health food store if they had any old potatoes that were sprouting,
and they gave me 5 organic red potatoes–one already had a million little
potatoes all over him. I should’ve gotten a photo, they were cute! And free!
INDOORS:
- Cherokee Purple Tomato (1) transplant was purchased March 31, and has been
growing nicely on the windowsill, spending some warm days on the porch. He was
transplanted into a larger pot yesterday to avoid getting root bound before it’s
safe to transplant outdoors. - Pink Brandywine Tomato (1) planted from seed indoors on March 31st is
growing nicely. He also got a larger pot yesterday. - Eggplant (2) started indoors from seed on April 7th.
- Sweet Peppers, Orange Sun (2) started from seed on April 7th. Both have
sprouted to about 1-2″ tall with two or three true leaves so far. - Sweet Peppers, Carnival Mix (6) started from seed on April 7th. These seeds
are an assortment of 5 different colors of bell peppers, so I’m trying to plant
many, to make sure I get at least a few of the assortment. Only two have
sprouted and are about 1-2″ tall with two or three true leaves. But they do look
different from one another, so I believe I have two different colored pepper
plants started. I replanted the other four this week, to try again. - Cilantro (2) started indoors on April 15th.
- Petunias (4) started indoors on April 15th. These, along with Marigolds,
were planted in honor of my friend’s grandmother. The seed packets were given
out at her funeral, to be planted in her memory. - Basil (4) started indoors on April 23rd
- Dill (2) started indoors on April 23rd
- Supersweet 100 Tomato (1) started indoors on May 3rd.
- Yellow Pear Heirloom Tomato was started a few weeks ago. Exact date unknown,
but he has grown to 2″ tall with four true leaves. This one, along with the
Supersweet 100, may replace the two already outdoors, if they don’t thrive.
