Category: Vegetables

Re-Potting

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Today, I re-potted my tomatoes and the Swiss chard. I have 16 tomato plants total (two each of eight different varieties) and eight cells of rainbow chard, two seedlings each. In other news, my supermarket ginger in the blue-green pot (in the back of the picture) is finally waking up. You can see the big long shoot. And there is another one. I am sooo excited! The Zinnias I sowed three days ago are starting to sprout. And the sun is shining. Spring!

Yesterday, I cleaned my back porch, rearranged furniture and planted some herbs (parsley, chives and cilantro) and flowers (osteospermum and violas) to get the porch ready for spring. The intermediate state before full-time summer use.

Viola “Tiger Eye”

First Fails of the Season

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It’s not even April and I already recorded the first fail of the season. All my eggplant and hot pepper seedlings stalled after germination and never set true leaves. The only explanation I have is that I kept them on the heat mat for a few days after germination. Perhaps that was just too hot for the seedlings. I now will have to buy Thai pepper and Asian eggplant seedlings as it is too late to start new plants from seed.

Last Squash

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Today, I used up the last butternut squash from the fall. I made a rose harissa-roasted squash salad with greens, toasted pumpkin seeds and blue cheese (because I did not have feta on hand) in a white balsamic vinegar dressing. It turned out pretty spectacular.

My last squash, harvested on October 31, 2023
Looking good for having spent the last five months in my back hall way
Last soft-neck garlic

As for home-grown vegetables from last year, I still have garlic hanging in the pantry and a few beets in the fridge. In the freezer, there is still basil pesto, lemongrass, Thai basil, and Thai peppers. I used some of the lemon grass last week to make this lemongrass chicken dinner. Very good. It is nice to still enjoy some produce from the garden while this year’s harvest is starting its journey in the seedling trays.

Garden Plot 2024

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This is my current garden plot diagram. I think it covers everything I want to plant this year. I have garden fleece and just ordered hoops and garden staples today, so I can build tunnels to protect my seedlings from rabbits and birds. Last year, ALL my bean seedlings were eaten by some critters; the plants did not stand a chance. I am planning on a different outcome this year. Fingers crossed.

New Seeds

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All my new seeds

All my newly ordered seeds for this season have arrived. I am all set for the season. Indoors, I already started leeks, kale, eggplant and hot peppers, and will start more eggplant (Pingtung) today.

Baker Creek has the prettiest seed packets hands down
My three favorite seed sources in order – Sand Hill Preservation Center, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Company

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The leeks got company about a week ago, when I started my kale (ten plants). I only recently realized that I have a dwarf variety. I was wondering last year why the plants stayed so short and thought it was my soil. Turns out Blue Curled Scotch is a cold-hardy, “compact” variety that only grows up to a foot or foot-and-a-half tall. Today, I will be starting Hot Thai peppers and eggplant (Diamond), four seedlings each for now.