Category: Spring

Planting the Last Seedlings

SabineLeave a Reply

I finished planting my garden plot for now. Today, I transplanted the remaining seedlings: 5 cucumbers (3 x National Pickling, 1 x Straight Eight, 1 x Tokiwa), winter squash (one each butternut, honey nut, delicata), one more tomato just because (Dr. Wyche Yellow), leeks, cilantro, 1 zucchini, lettuces (May Queen, Salanova Mix and Black Seeded Simpson), eggplant (3 each Nadia and Thai), kale and Swiss Chard. All I have to do now is put in flowers (all direct-sow except the dahlias) and direct-sow corn, beets, carrots and greens and plant the rhubarb.

Planting Tomatoes

SabineLeave a Reply

I finally got to spend a few hours in the garden to weed and plant. COVID had basically knocked me out the entire month of April, and life, work and the weather got in the way until today. While weeding, I discovered that the cilantro and the beets I sowed earlier this spring germinated. They are tiny because of all the weeds but are looking strong. Yay! So I excavated them plus the sole kale plant and the couple of carrots that survived. I have had all my seedlings ready for weeks, but now finally got to plant the first batch: tomatoes (12 plants, 10 varieties total, I doubled Ananas Noire and Stupice), four basil plants and four marigolds. All grown from seed except the marigolds, which came from Neighborhood Farm. The peas and the garlic are looking good. Next, I will plant all the cucumbers and squash, eggplant, lettuce, leeks etc. waiting so patiently on my back porch.

Porch Arugula

SabineLeave a Reply

I harvested a huge bowl of arugula on my back porch today. Now there are only leaf lettuces left in that big pot and they have all the space they need. The radishes, flowers and herbs are looking good. I also transplanted a Thai pepper into a big container yesterday (bought as, sadly, none my my seeds germinated).

Arugula pot before harvesting …
… and after
One corner of my porch this afternoon

Spring

SabineLeave a Reply

I spent a couple of hours in the garden this afternoon weeding, trellising the peas and chatting to passers-by. I also harvested my first three stalks of asparagus and cut some lily of the valley.

Sugar snap peas underplanted with lettuce. Garlic in the middle, and lily of the valley and asparagus in the back towards the fence.
Our cherry blossom tree in the backyard

Spring Planting and First Harvest

SabineLeave a Reply
Peas

I have not been in the garden for a while because I had COVID for the past three and a half weeks and was not feeling too great. I had managed to sow peas and spring greens in early April and they are sprouting. Today, I did more direct sowing. I sowed red beets (Detroit Dark Red), carrots (Scarlet Nantes and Danvers Half Long), Rainbow Chard and cilantro. I also transplanted a parsley plant I had purchased a few days ago and four kale seedlings I had started indoors a few weeks ago. We still do not have water in the garden. Fingers crossed for some showers in the next few days, so I do not have to schlepp water from home.

I also harvested my first crops today, spring onions. They were so fragrant! And the asparagus is getting ready.

Spring onions before trimming …
… and after
My purple asparagus poking out

Repotting

SabineLeave a Reply

I repotted my seedlings today. 43 seedlings overall (7 cells did not have any germination): tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, basil. That included five kale plants that were repotted as well and are currently hardening off on the back porch. I also bought some rosemary, thyme, parsley and calendula seedlings yesterday for the back porch. The radishes, lettuces and arugula I direct-sowed in containers a couple of weeks ago are looking really good.