I am now considering our 2010 gardening season underway! We have been growing seedlings in the house for a month or so, but its having plants out in the garden, and seeds sprouting out there that makes me feel like we are starting to get something accomplished! Not that the seedlings aren't accomplishing anything, quite the opposite as they are growing by leaps and bounds. Just two weeks ago we transplanted them and I cant believe how much they have grown in such a short time. Here they are two weeks ago:
And today:
I am so thrilled to have had this "experiment" of starting our own seeds pay off in such a big way! Everything seems to be doing great and growing strong. Here are the red and orange mini bell peppers:
From left to right; celery, brussel sprouts, red cabbage and more mini bell peppers:
This tray is a mix of brussel sprouts, romanesco broccoli and red cabbage....I had to lift the light higher on this side to accommodate these ones!
Now that I know a lot more about starting seeds, I know what to do and not to do next year. I am going to start directly into these 4 inch pots next year, and hopefully avoid the watering problems we had with the cell tray. This will require another light because the pots take up so much room....but that just means I can start twice as many plants!
Our peas have sprouted up outside, they are super sugar snap peas and they simply can not grow fast enough for our family. We are all anxiously awaiting fresh peas!
Its still a few weeks before our average last frost which is normally April 30th, but can be as late as mid May. But we just couldn't help taking a gamble and planting some tomatoes this weekend! I picked 3 organic "Oregon Spring" plants, and the kids helped settle them into the ground. To protect them from frost, we put some wall o' waters around them. These will soak up the heat of the sun during the day, and when it gets cold at night they will release that heat and surround the tomatoes with warmth. At least in theory! I am hopeful that they will work, if they do I will invest in a bunch more for next year.
Between the tomatoes are some shelling peas, marked by the bamboo sticks. They have finally sprouted, along with teeny tiny lettuce sprouts in a smaller bed in the garden. I also transplanted some lettuces that we had started inside, but they are looking sort of iffy. Hopefully they will pull through, I am tired of buying lettuce at the store!
Our fabric covers for the brassicas didn't last long - we had a week of big storms, hail and wind and the covers just didn't hold up to them. The plants made it through just fine though, red cabbage is in the first bed, broccoli in the far bed:
Last weekend we also got all our fruit trees planted - the two apples and pluot that we had bought last month, and a Santa Rosa plum that we picked up last week. We needed a plum tree to pollinate our pluot (or another plout but we wanted more of a variety) and Santa Rosa was one of the Japanese plums that would work for the job. Here it is in its new home:
We are all so excited at the thought of having fresh fruit in our backyard in a couple of years. We would like to get two more apple trees, but will probably wait until fall to get them because we have so many other projects going on right now.
It feels good to have things happening in the garden, I am really looking forward to lowering our food bills, eating wholesome fresh organic fruits and veggies, and putting up a bunch of food for the winter. I may be eating my words in a couple of months when the garden (and weeds) are overwhelming me with work though!!
And today:
I am so thrilled to have had this "experiment" of starting our own seeds pay off in such a big way! Everything seems to be doing great and growing strong. Here are the red and orange mini bell peppers:
From left to right; celery, brussel sprouts, red cabbage and more mini bell peppers:
This tray is a mix of brussel sprouts, romanesco broccoli and red cabbage....I had to lift the light higher on this side to accommodate these ones!
Now that I know a lot more about starting seeds, I know what to do and not to do next year. I am going to start directly into these 4 inch pots next year, and hopefully avoid the watering problems we had with the cell tray. This will require another light because the pots take up so much room....but that just means I can start twice as many plants!
Our peas have sprouted up outside, they are super sugar snap peas and they simply can not grow fast enough for our family. We are all anxiously awaiting fresh peas!
Its still a few weeks before our average last frost which is normally April 30th, but can be as late as mid May. But we just couldn't help taking a gamble and planting some tomatoes this weekend! I picked 3 organic "Oregon Spring" plants, and the kids helped settle them into the ground. To protect them from frost, we put some wall o' waters around them. These will soak up the heat of the sun during the day, and when it gets cold at night they will release that heat and surround the tomatoes with warmth. At least in theory! I am hopeful that they will work, if they do I will invest in a bunch more for next year.
Between the tomatoes are some shelling peas, marked by the bamboo sticks. They have finally sprouted, along with teeny tiny lettuce sprouts in a smaller bed in the garden. I also transplanted some lettuces that we had started inside, but they are looking sort of iffy. Hopefully they will pull through, I am tired of buying lettuce at the store!
Our fabric covers for the brassicas didn't last long - we had a week of big storms, hail and wind and the covers just didn't hold up to them. The plants made it through just fine though, red cabbage is in the first bed, broccoli in the far bed:
Last weekend we also got all our fruit trees planted - the two apples and pluot that we had bought last month, and a Santa Rosa plum that we picked up last week. We needed a plum tree to pollinate our pluot (or another plout but we wanted more of a variety) and Santa Rosa was one of the Japanese plums that would work for the job. Here it is in its new home:
We are all so excited at the thought of having fresh fruit in our backyard in a couple of years. We would like to get two more apple trees, but will probably wait until fall to get them because we have so many other projects going on right now.
It feels good to have things happening in the garden, I am really looking forward to lowering our food bills, eating wholesome fresh organic fruits and veggies, and putting up a bunch of food for the winter. I may be eating my words in a couple of months when the garden (and weeds) are overwhelming me with work though!!