Lettuce Plants and More 04-09-08

Bibb Lettuce 98 days (click to enlarge)

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce 98 days (click to enlarge)

Mmm…the Bibb lettuce is coming along really well. All it needs are some yummy cucumber slices and little red cherry tomatoes. I’m going to harvest these soon or else it’ll bolt. I have 4 to 5 Bibb lettuce ready to harvest and 3-4 heads of black seeded Simpson lettuce. I also have some little cherry belle radishes getting ready to harvest but I might just wait to let it grow a little longer to mellow out its peppery taste. This growing season, I’m going to try succession planting to ensure salad crops throughout the season. I have some more cucumber seedlings growing just in case the ones I planted in the ground. I also have some more Bibb lettuce seedlings growing inside on my windowsill. I forgot to sow more black seeded Simpson seeds though. I’ll start some tomorrow. Once I harvest the lettuce I planted a couple of months ago, I’ll put more lettuce seedlings in the ground. I’m surprised at how fast lettuce grows in a couple of months.

Lettuce Seedlings 21 days (click to enlarge)

Tomorrow, I’m going to plant some lime basil seeds and goji berries I got from a trade. My trade partner also surprised me with some royal burgundy bean seeds too. I’m super excited about this one since I’ve wanted to try a purple podded bean this season. I really hope they sprout. I also got some bean seeds from a friend from yougrowgirl. She gave me some trionfo violetta beans. I might wait to start bean seeds later in the season when the weather warms up considerably. I think I’ve been starting them too early and they need heat to germinate. My bean experiment isn’t over yet. I’m just postponing it. Any advice on bean seed starting? I’ve had the most terrible luck. Well, I guess that’s all for now. I’ll take more pictures of my garden tomorrow morning. Until then, happy gardening!

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Pepper Transplanting, Bean Germinating and More

Pepper Seedlings (click to enlarge)

I transplanted jalapeno, bell peppers, and squash into individual pots I got from Thompson and Morgan. I planted more cucumber straight 8 seedlings into the ground and gave them a good watering. I also planted some tomato plants I had sitting on our fence. I planted a lady bug hybrid tomato and also a gardener's delight. I received the lady bug tomato seeds from a friend from you grow girl, which is a garden forum I actively visit on a daily basis. There, you can exchange various seeds you have for other seeds you don't have! It's been great fun.

French Filet Bean Sprout(click to enlarge)

Top Crop Bean Sprout(click to enlarge)

Oh, on the bean front. I have 3 sproutages from a French Filet and a Top crop variety. Eek. I was super excited. I also see some romano bean sprouting. But I really wanted the purple peacock beans to sprout. I want to have purple beans for the summer. I'm crossing my fingers for those! Please sprout...please sprout...

Pink nicotiana seedlings (click to enlarge)

My flower seedlings are doing well too. The stocks are growing slowly but surely. My nicotiana seeds are growing like mad. They've been crowded in a salsa container and I plan on planting them out soon. I have them on my west facing windowsill so they can get some real sun and get acclimated to the harsh sun. I'll eventually take them out and slowly get them used to the outside weather. The weather here has been wonderful. It's going to get into the high 70s and maybe 80s soon. I love spring!

Yesterday, I planted some lunaria(aka money plant or honesty plants) seeds into a 9 pack. These are biennels and they'll grow the first year and flower the next. They look like delicate little silver dollars. They would look great in flower arrangements or dried and put in a nice vase. I have tons of these seeds so if it doesn't germinate this time, I can keep trying.

Hydrangea flower bud(click to enlarge)

My hydrangea plant is now forming tiny little flower buds. I thought I had killed it since during the winter, it was woody but I noticed other people's hydrangeas did that too so I shouldn't be alarmed. I kept it outside, watered occasionally and covered it during frosts and all that hard work paid off since it's still alive and budding! Yippee.

Well, that's all for now folks. Happy Gardening. Please don't forget to sign up to get email updates on my blog! click here to subscribe!

Slug/Snail Nightmare and Transplanting

Darn Slugs!

The snails or slugs are back! urgh. I hate them so bad! They've gotten to two of my cucumber seedlings I planted a couple of days ago and also some of my bok choi seedlings. I'm going to have to resort to covering the cucumbers at night to deter the slugs. I'm surprised they haven't gone to my homemade and less toxic slug traps. I read somewhere that slugs/snails are attracted to beer so my DH and I took some bottles and buried them in the soil with beer. The idea is that the slugs will crawl into the bottle, fall in and drink themselves to death! Maybe, I need more beer. The funny thing is, I never catch them in action. I probably have to get up early or stay late to catch these buggers but I promise I'll get you my pretty(-ies) I will! hehe

My other veggies and flowers are doing well. The bok choi has been sprouting these pretty yellow flowers. I've been shaking the flower stalk to encourage pollination.

Celery Seedlings (click to enlarge)

I finally planted the celery I started months ago. I put them in a spot where they get morning/mid-morning sun. I hope we'll at least get 5-6 celery plants from them! Here's hoping.

I also noticed that my endive seeds have sprouted and to spare them from the horrible slugs, I've placed them on top of my fence. That's the only spot the slugs don't get to. I hope they don't find out they're up there or else they're doomed! Eek.

I also went to Target this morning and found some cute gardening acoutrements. I got some metal plant labels and some garden shears. They were only $1.00 a piece so it wasn't too bad. Well, I guess that's all for now. Happy gardening everyone!

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Garden times...

Squash seedlings (click to enlarge)

Yesterday, I repotted my little African violets into bigger pots and I planted more bean seeds but instead of in pots, I direct seeded them into the ground. I started some top crop beans and also some Kentucky wonder beans.I also planted more watermelon radish and sunflower (a Walmart variety) seedlings in the ground

Hyacinth bulbs (click to enlarge)

My garden is filling in nicely. I have pea flowers blooming with tiny little pea pods forming, geranium flowers blooming, bulbs poking their head out, lettuce getting fuller and radishes getting nice and round. I also planted my asparagus peas into a square I had empty. I noticed that I had 6 more squares empty. Any suggestions?

I brought some of my extra tomato, pepper, and zucchini seedlings to work today. However, they took a beating in my bike basket and some dirt shook off but all in all, they had a great ride with me to work. My coworkers are appreciative of the green presents. The peppers were of an unknown variety. I had to label them "a" and "b" because I forgot to label the peat pellets when I planted the seeds. oh well. We'll soon find out what they are if and when they fruit.

Lately, to conserve energy and mostly gas money, I've been using my new bike. I bike to work and mostly anywhere around town that's 2 miles from where I live. It only takes 10 minutes to bike 2 miles including stop signs and traffic lights and plus you get some exercise. I rationalize bike riding as me trying to help save the environmnt. hehe. Yesterday, I biked to my local Rite-Aid and found some good deals on herb seedlings. I got some English thyme and sage for $1.50 a piece. They also had some rosemary and cilantro for sale but I already purchased some rosemary at Target earlier this season. I also got some seeds here. They were only 10 for $1.00 so I got 10. I got some cauliflower, marigolds, zinnias, annual cut flower mix, and beans. I put some beans in between some wet towels to see if they germinate and some of the seeds, I plan on sending to my seed-trade partner this month.

Well I guess that's all for now. Happy gardening everyone!