Dirt and the Start of Raised Beds 2 and 3

From Gardening

Yesterday we had 2.5 cubic yards of planting mix delivered. Wow, that pile looked like a lot of work. Plus we knew we had rain in the forecast for today, so we knew all of it had to be used or at least moved into the back yard by the end of the day. So... we did.

From Gardening

By the end of the day, we had filled Raised Beds 2&3, and planted everything that could go in before the last frost, which I think is April 15 in region 7. We also put planting mix in Raised Bed #4, which we moved from by the patio, a 4 foot square which will house herbs. We still need to figure out what to do with the rose, which we kept in the dirt that the bed left behind, maybe into the front yard. Raised Bed #5 is ready to go too, but is for flowers, and we don't have a plan at all for that one. It is 8x2.

So please welcome to the family, Raised Bed #2 and Raised Bed #3!

From Gardening

Raised Bed #2 has strawberries, onions, and leeks, and will also have cucumbers, corn, potatoes, and beans. We ran out of strawberry plants and put a few bok choy cabbages that we sprouted indoors, so we'll see if they make it.

From Gardening

Raised Bed #3 is temporarily only the home of some extra broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, which we expect to be ready for harvest before the other plants are growing tall enough to block out their sun. Later on, it will be the home of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, and we'll give one big square to a melon, despite the advice given in the Square Foot Gardening books.

Day 27 Reflection

From Gardening

I missed blogging last weekend because I was on my way to San Diego, but Nathaniel has been watering and doing other things in my absence. Everything you see sitting around is waiting to go into the two other beds that we will put together this weekend, after our 3 pm Saturday planting mix delivery. We found a mulch company locally that makes the same kind of mix we were making, and thought it would be easier this way.

From Gardening

We've had many more sprouts since the radish sprouts showed their faces on Day 15. The peas have sprouted and will be staked tomorrow (a few already are) because they are growing quickly! The carrots finally are peeking up (they were the last), and a few beets are showing. The marigolds, lettuce, and spinach that we planted from seed are starting to show, and the cauliflower and cabbage is starting to look like a real plant. I replanted the romaine seedlings with the extra sprouts that I held back for that very purpose, as well as one kale and one romaine plant from a six pack.

From Gardening

Nathaniel put together the last raised bed on his own (somehow) while I was gone, and we hope to plant most things tomorrow that we have seeds for. I originally didn't have a plan for the spaces between tomato plants, because I wanted them to have plenty of room. But I think if I time it right, I can put some of the extra cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower plants that are already pretty stable into those squares, and they might be done maturing and ready for eating before the tomato plants block the sun.

From Gardening

This is what my sprouts for tomato, pepper, eggplant, and tomatillo plants look like. The Home & Garden Information Center at Clemson University's Extension Office has some great information on gardening in my region, and I learned that long willowy sprouts are often a result of not enough light. I'll need to find a better solution for that next year, but for this year I might try putting them on the kitchen table under the lamp at night (although this isn't fluorescent, will that matter? I have no idea).

Sprouts

From Gardening

This week, we saw the first sprouts come up in the raised bed. The winning vegetable, who persevered through snow and colder temperatures - the radish! This is good news, because radishes are one plant you can harvest and re-plant immediately.

From Gardening

To complete the chart of Raised Bed #1 - Cold Weather Vegetables, we transplanted sprouted cabbage, kale, swiss chard, and lettuce this weekend, as well as sowing the marigold seeds into the ground. I am actually not sure how old the sprouts are supposed to be when you do this, but they were over three inches tall and starting to fall over in their little plastic pots. It was a challenge moving them and planting them without breaking them, but we'll keep a close eye this week to see how it goes.

From Gardening

This week I also replaced the two cauliflower plants and one romaine because they didn't seem to fare very well after the snow. Other than that most things seem to be alive, but I know things just take longer to grow when it is cold. The plants may seem less abundant in this 15 day picture, because I cut all the leaves from the lettuce to encourage them to keep growing and producing. Then I brought them inside, washed them, put them in the salad spinner, and promptly forgot about them. Actually eating the things we harvest is going to be another challenge for the year!

Yesterday I also started seeds indoors for some tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplants, and peppers. We bought strawberries to put in Raised Bed #2 - I'm hoping to get a planting mix delivery this week, maybe as early as tomorrow. I was inspired late to grow strawberries, because really I could have planted them when I planted the greens (from what I understand). We're approaching our region's typical last-frost date, which is around when all the rest of the vegetables can be planted outside. I want to be ready!

In case you read this on a blog reader, come check out how Nathaniel has changed our layout. It looks extra gardeny now.

Day 8 Update

From Gardening

Hmm, well, the first raised bed looks suspiciously like it did last week. I keep telling myself, first the seeds and transplants send out roots! Except for one thing - snow.

From Gardening

It snowed on Tuesday, just like the weather people said it might. It was pretty cold for a while but most of it had melted by mid-day Wednesday. The plants don't have that mushy dead look when you KNOW something has been too cold, but they're not thriving like the backup plants in my garage either. We may have jumped the gun. At the same time, we've had an unusually cold winter down here in the south, I mean, it even snowed in Charleston.

From Gardening

On the other hand, the seeds I planted in the tray have sprouted pretty well, although the two rows of spinach seem to be a bit lazy. I was worried it wasn't getting enough light in the garage, so it hangs out in front of the sliding door in the kitchen. Hopefully they will start filling out a little and not grow too much taller!

Yesterday I sat and planned out what I think I'll do for the other two raised beds. I also discovered I need to get some seeds started indoors for some of those plants that can't be planted until after the last spring frost. I keep reminding myself this is the year of experimentation. And if something I try doesn't work, I'll do it differently next year!