April 1st, 2012

In the main garden
Garlic, Asparagus, Snow peas, Snap peas, Spinach, Marigolds, Onions, Bush Beans, Radishes, Kale, Collards, Bibb Lettuce 

In the Herb garden
Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Parsley, Oregano, Mint, Onions

In the front
Pole Beans, Summer Squash, Aster, Celosia, Tithonia

Growing indoors

Poblano Peppers, Anaheim Peppers, Basil

New This week 

• Pole Beans - On Thursday (3/29), I planted about 25 pole beans in the front of the house, to the right of the front door.  Not sure they will get enough sun, but it would be a great place for them to climb, so I hope it works.  
• Summer Squash - Also on the 29th, I planted some summer squash right next to the pole beans.  There have been Hosta's growing in this spot since we moved in, but we are hoping that we can use that same space for something edible.

• Note:  We tried a zucchini plant the first year we moved in, and it was huge, and seemingly healthy looking, but something (squirrels) kept eating the zucchini when they were about 1 inch long.   Hopefully we have better luck this year.  

• Collards - Transplanted about 15 seedlings that we grew from seed.  

1. First I patted down the transplants so that the roots would make good contact to the soil.  
2. Then  I loosened up the top 1/2 inch of soil and broadcast some new seed in the bed.  
3. Then I moved the soil around just enough to let the seeds drop.
4.  Finally I patted it all down again and watered the whole area.

• Bibb Lettuce - Transplanted about 6 seedlings that we grew from seed.  Unlike the collards that were very firm and sturdy, the Bibb lettuce is very floppy and I wonder if it is going to survive the transplant.   I followed the same transplanting technique as listed above, including broadcasting some new seed over the area


• Spinach - The spinach that was directly sowed is doing really well, but we had some seedlings growing inside, so I transplanted about 6 seedlings that we grew from seed.


•  Parsley - Transplanted 5 seedlings into the herb garden.  The two parsley plants from last year are still going strong, but my guess is that they will start to decline very soon.   Hopefully these new guys will be ready by then.  
  
  
• Annual Flowers (Tithonia,  Aster, Celoisa) - Transplanted about 18-24 of each of these flowers into two beds in the front.  The Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower) started to dampen off, which to my knowledge means it grew some kind of fungus on it's leaves that made them dry and wilty.   The other two flowers were doing just great.   Hopefully they add a lot to the front yard.  

Updates 

• Brussels Sprouts - This week we finally pulled the Brussels sprouts.  They kept growing and were between 4-5 feet tall.   Before we pulled them, at Emily's mom's request I checked online to see if the leaves were edible.   Actually, they are, which makes sense since they look just like collard green leaves.   So we ate Brussels sprouts leaves with garlic, raisins (to make it less bitter), salt and olive oil.  We were both pretty impressed actually, so if you ever have the opportunity to buy them or cook your own BS leaves, I recommend it.  Obviously, the reason you don't see them much is because the sprouts are still way better, and by eating the leaves, you are hurting your sprouts.