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July 2008
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vegetables and fruits: January 2008 ArchivesStill growing strongWell, my little seedlings are looking really good, right now. I am forgoing a picture for this update because they don't look a whole lot different than they did last week.... just a little taller. Continue reading "Still growing strong" » Tiny green leaves
A few hints of green have popped up in the seed flats I planted a couple of weeks ago. And I was very excited and relieved to see them. It means my seed-starting system is so far working, and on the good stuff, no less. Most of the tomato seeds I planted have germinated and they appear to be growing stronger. I'm also seeing signs of growth in the hodge-podge tray of vegetables I planted. The only downer for me is the last tray -- sweet peppers and eggplants. Still nothing. But I have hope. The sage is also taking a while to sprout, and maybe the peppers and eggplant also take their sweet time. Having the seeds inside where I can see them everyday has helped me make a habit out of checking on them and watering them. I take a water bottle with room temperature water and spray each seed "pod" 10 times once a day. Then I rotate and shift each tray so they don't stay in the same place on the table the entire time they grow. The seedling are less likely to grow at wonky angles looking for light. Definitely don't want wonky. Continue reading "Tiny green leaves" » If at first you don't succeed....
I just couldn't wait anymore. My bowl of seed packets has been calling my name for weeks now... "Cindy..... Cindy.... plant us Cindy! Don't wait or you might start too late!" I waited too long to get started for the fall crop. I don't want to make that mistake again. The average last frost in Central Texas is March 15, which is a good 8 weeks or so away. Many of the seed packets I have from last fall have directions on them that say I can sow them indoors in flats and transplant after the last frost. I'm there. I had three seed-starting flats leftover from last summer's seed-starting adventure. I had seed-starting soil. I had liquid seaweed for fertilizer. I had seeds. I set to work. In one flat I planted "Red-Ruffled Pimiento Sweet Pepper" (a mild pepper that's supposed to turn red when ripe and be great for fresh-eating) and "Imperial Black Beauty Eggplant" (an heirloom variety that was introduced around 1910). I separated them with a row of sage. In the second flat I planted three varieties of tomato, separated by a row of more sage and medicinal borage. The tomatoes are "Martian Giant Tomato" (which is supposed to be extremely productive), "Prize of the Trials Cherry Tomato" (a rare variety that thrives in hot, dry climates) and a "Roma Paste Tomato" (that is disease resistant). The third flat has a hodge-podge of vegetables, herbs and flowers, including "Tomatillo Verde," "Waltham Broccoli" (I'm scared of growing broccoli, but it was a freebie seed-pack), "Lime Basil," "Sweet Genovese Basil," "Thai Basil," more borage and "Texas Hummingbird Sage." But that's when I ran up against another potential problem. Continue reading "If at first you don't succeed...." » I planted a blackberry patch
I've been talking about planting blackberries for so long, I bet you wondered if I was ever going to follow through. Well, I did this weekend. Yay! I've been telling every gardener I know about it... I'm so excited -- like a kid at Christmas! I drove down to one of my favorite local nurseries this weekend and bought three blackberry plants. Well, "plant" doesn't exactly described them. They're more like thorny short sticks with roots. The nursery was selling them bareroot. I saw they had two varieties, but one -- "Brazos" was already sold out. We ended up with "Roseborough" which is a variety developed by Texas A&M and is supposedly drought and disease resistant. I wasn't sure how to get it home. We were standing there in front of several large tubs of sand with thorny sticks poking up out of them. Finally, we pulled three canes out of the tub, wrapped them in newsprint, threw in a little sand, and put them in a plastic bag. The sign said to protect the roots from sun exposure. When we got them home, we set to work. I decided the raised beds I had originally marked for the blackberries would not give them the full sun they need... so I started digging. And digging... And digging. Can you say 'Ow?' Continue reading "I planted a blackberry patch" » |
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