My Memorial Day deadline has come and gone–my garden has now been completely planted.
The garden is growing!! I have radishes, turnips, two pepper varieties, peas, beans, corn, pumpkin, summer squash, zucchini, onions, two varieties of cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, oak leaf lettuce, cabbage, fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, garlic, chives, dill, cilantro, basil, and asparagus in the main garden. I also planted rhubarb, strawberries, and raspberries in additional areas around my yard. In containers, I have my tomatoes, and additional strawberries and basil. Whew! That is a lot. Too much? That remains to be seen.
Garden Care for Dummies
My main garden has raised beds and a soaker hose system on a timer. I figure even I can’t kill it if it is automatically watered. Fingers crossed! I have been watering twice a day for about 20 minutes a session. My soil is about a 50/50 mix of plain old dirt and compost–the recommended ratio for drier environs. I have been using Miracle Grow for Tomatoes on my tomatoes and peppers every two weeks and also once on my other plants.
I Will Survive
As for my leggy seedlings that survived the grow light apocalypse? I am happy to report that two of the three asparagus seem to be making it. After I planted them they all died, however, two have started to regrow! One of my original brussels sprouts seems to be surviving as well as most of the broccoli and cauliflower I transplanted. And, despite all warnings of doom, at least half of my transplanted peas are hanging on.
Tomatoes, Potatoes, and Peppers . . . Oh My!
I am particularly pleased with peppers and tomatoes. I started them from seeds and they seem to be thriving. They are more than a foot high and I swear I can almost watch them grow! No flowers or fruit yet, but I have faith. My potatoes are sprouting up nicely. I “hilled” them once already. According to what I have read, potatoes should be hilled about three times (bury them in more dirt).
Finally, A Harvest . . .
As far as harvesting goes, I have gotten some spinach and lettuce. The lettuce is growing fantastically. It is re-growing well each time I cut leaves and it is very tasty. I am a bit disappointed in the spinach. It didn’t taste very good and wasn’t very prolific. It might have gotten to hot for it, so I cut it all back and planted a second batch. I have also harvested chives and basil. I am freezing the basil leaves to make pesto!!
All in all, I am quite pleased with the progress so far!
See my Amazon picks below!
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Read More:
Seed Starting 101 (A Step by Step Guide for Beginners)
Black Thumb Diary of A Wannabe Gardener, Day 7 – The Garden
Black Thumb: Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, Day 9 — 5 Things I Learned
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