Back Porch in Early May
Category: Flowers
First Harvest
First harvest of the year! This is my new rhubarb’s third year and the plant is thriving. I cut the flowers for decoration and pulled a good number of stalks. So many more to go! I see a lot of strawberry rhubarb galettes in my near future (recipe here). After four years, I am so excited to finally grow enough rhubarb again for baking!
Preparing the Plot for Spring
This morning, I spent a couple of hours in the garden weeding, spreading compost and replacing the hay in my plot. It is now ready for planting. For the first time in years, I have not been planting peas, which I would have done mid to late March. The last couple of years were just demoralizing with the birds getting all the peas in the end. And I don’t feel like dealing with bird netting. I might transplant my lettuce seedlings tomorrow (they have been hardening on the porch for a few days), which would be a good time as rain is in the forecast for the day after. So, currently, I have garlic, rhubarb and strawberries coming in, and a lot of calendulas, which self-sowed from last year (they can be seen right behind the timber border to the left). I will thin them once they are a little bigger and plant them in different spots around the plot and also outside the community garden.
Mid-April
Repotting Tomatoes
On this sunny and warm Saturday afternoon, I repotted all my 24 tomato plants. I had started them on March 16, and they definitely had outgrown their little cells. Here again are the varieties: I have two each of Scotia (E), Stupice (E), Green Zebra (M), Ailsa Craig (M), Brimmer Pink* (M), Ananas Noire (L), Black Krim (L) and Dr. Wyche’s Yellow (L) plus 4 each of Mountain Magic (M) and Peacevine Cherry tomatoes (M) [E=early, M=mid-season, L=late tomato]. The 8 cherry tomato plants will go in the communal bed outside the community garden for the whole neighborhood to enjoy.
* One of the Brimmer Pink plants is a different variety (the one seen to the right in the front row) as it is a potato leaf-type, and Brimmer Pink has “regular” tomato leaves. We shall see the mystery unfold.
Shades of Green – April Update
Repotting Seedlings and More Seed Starting
Today, I re-potted my kale, Thai hot peppers and Sweet Thai basil seedlings. They had outgrown their little seedling cells. The kale and peppers were started on February 16, the basil on March 1.
I also started more seedlings: Siam Queen Thai basil (6 cells), Italian basil, Clemson Spineless okra (6) and 6 cells each Merlot lettuce, Allstar Gourmet lettuce mix (Johnny’s), and Salanova green butterhead lettuce (Johnny’s), plus more flowers: Crackerjack mixed marigold (12), Oriental Nights Alyssum (6) and Tall Double Mix strawflower (6). It is my first time growing okra. The okra and flowers are for the communal bed, but I may keep an okra plant or two as they are just so beautiful (even though I am not particularly fond of eating them).
Early Spring
Things are waking up in my containers. The radishes and arugula I sowed on March 10 sprouted, and the 20 flower bulbs I had planted in my large flower container in early November are beginning to emerge. The bulbs are a mix of White Splendour Anemone, Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica), King of the Striped Crocus and Blue Grape Hyacinth. I am so excited for some color on my back porch soon!
Anticipation
Progress and More Sowing
Today, I started more seedlings: Sweet Italian basil, Thai basil, and flowers (gomphrena, strawflower and two types of sweet alyssum). Together, they are taking up almost an entire flat of six-packs. I covered the flat with a lid and placed it on a heat mat. Fingers crossed. In two or three weeks, I will start tomatoes and Swiss chard. The kale and Thai peppers I sowed a couple of weeks ago sprouted nicely, 6/6 for the kale and 5/6 for the Thai pepper, which is not bad considering that the pepper seeds were from 2023. I also just spotted my first ginger shoots, yay!
