I've started a gardening journal and I've really been able to see the difference a week or two makes.
In order to plant all the seedlings, we had to clear out everything from the winter garden and re-energize the soil. I bought soil and compost from Hastings and I also has vermi-whatever, that stuff that allows the soil to hold moisture better.
These carrots were planted as seeds back in like September and have been just hanging out. So on May 12, we harvested them, and they look pretty decent, even though their tops were not that tall!
The herbs that grew from seed are doing pretty well. The mint continues to do well and is actually growing more in its square pot (not pictured). The chives are doing really well and I hope they keep it up. I've been harvesting it and adding it to salads. The oregano is still doing super well. Last night, I harvested some for my chimichurri. The rosemary is mediocre and looks exactly the same as it has for like a year now. I added some more soil just today and hopefully that will help it along.
Even the cilantro is doing well -- at least I think it is. The stalk is pretty thick, thicker than I've ever seen for cilantro. Of course, worst of all is the parsley. I now have like five parsley plants and still I have to buy parsley. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.
May 12. The tomatoes are all growing in their permanent homes. They all look about the same size. For some reason, the tomatoes in the tomato planters are darker than the others. Perhaps they are the cherry tomatoes. I am not sure.
The farther we go out, the smaller the plants are, but not by much.
The wisteria is in bloom and it's beautiful. Last year, our first year in the house, I think we caught the tail end of the bloom, which meant that I only saw the green the rest of the year. I asked the lawn peeps to cut it back. But now I see that it's gorgeous when it's flowering.
It was so nice to see all the different blooms in the spring. This yard is amazing in the spring. Then it's green for the rest of the year. It's beautiful to see.
The yard guys came and replaced all the pansies with impatiens. It's definitely not cheap, but it's so gorgeous. Over time, it's certainly worth the cost.
This honeysuckle grows in a corner of the house next to the driveway. The sweet smell comes in the kitchen window.
There was a sale on vegetables at Hastings, so we went over there to fill the gaps in our garden. I bought two of these cantaloupe seedlings. They were pretty scrawny so I was worried about them, but you have to experiment!
This poor little eggplant... I grew him from seed. He alone was left from all the planting and I think he got too dried out. He looks so sad.
A few days after planting him, I see that new growth is sprouting from the middle. These poor leaves you see never recovered. It seems pretty late to be starting eggplant, so let's see how it goes.
We bought a selection of peppers. Three habaneros, one jalapeno (and I also have one from seed), one poblano, one tomatillo. And in its own pot, a lilac bell pepper.
We also bought a lot of flowers, which also sat around for a week, too much. I didn't realize how quickly they would dry out, but now I understand. The marigolds bounced back and are looking absolutely gorgeous.
Everything else is at least keeping stable. I purchased those "funky chickens" from gardeners.com. They make me happy.
The muscadines are growing well. There are a lot of little sprouts, which I think will be muscadine fruit. I hope so!
May 27. The peppers are growing up. We put cages onto all of them and moved them to their new home along the side of the yard. This allows us to see all the pretty flowers. The cucumbers from seed are in the planter on the right. They are growing relatively well.
The tomatoes are looking good. The tomato planters are the bushiest by far. As you go down the line, the plants get smaller and smaller. It could be the order of planting, it could be the tomato-specific fertilizer. Not sure.
I believe the first fruit set on the planter closest to the house, which was not one of the tomato planters. Could also be the bees got tired going down the line.
The hydrangea is totally starting to bloom. It looks awesome.
We have some cherry tomatoes with fruit set. Woo.
And here are the tomatoes that are the farthest along. They are along the bottom of the plant and easily missed.
We were at Hastings and I asked (only thought to do it now!) about avoiding blossom end rot. We bought a spray to add calcium. But then I learned to mix lime with the soil when planting. Man, you learn something new every time.
The peppers are looking pretty decent.
And so are the tomatoes.
I bought these pepper bags from gardeners but it ends up that I planted three of them with patty pan squash seeds. They all look about the same, and it looks like they all are sprouting.
The flowers are looking good!
Yesterday, we bought a "mortgage lifter" tomato to replace the green zebra that is not doing well. I transplanted the green zebra into its own planter to see if we can revive it.
We also bought two raspberry plants: one black and one red. I've never had a black raspberry bush before but it had the most fruit set. We bought these wooden barrels and I planted them this morning. They look good.
So the garden is looking pretty good. I'm hopeful for a good season.
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