Hold On To Your Hat! My Garden Is Taking Off!
Photo: My garden beans!
Day 16 Shows So Much Growth!
OK. First. I was worried about my seeds. I mean I'd wake up at 3AM and think - "Is there anything I didn't do?" "Maybe they are too dry?" God! It's not easy being a parent to Green Kids!
I never fretted this much over the starter plants I used in the past. But seeds? I had no confidence whatsoever when I planted them and as soon as I saw the first sign of something green happening I assumed it must be weeds. We had a very dry spell at the beginning of March and I figured that even with hand watering 3x a day, it might not be enough. But the Gardening Angels were in my court because I started seeing not just a bit of green - but lots of green.
Second. At about 10 or 12 days I had about 80% of my seeds popping. I have learned from much more experienced gardeners that that's not bad at all. However, the feeling that my seeds would not amount to anything much still persisted, and I figured whatever I was seeing may not be permanent. Well, so far so good! Not only are my little guys up and showing themselves, but they are starting to climb, creep and bush out. Wow.
Hold On To Your Hat Now
Even with the success I have had, I still had that nagging feeling that some of my seeds would never show. Namely: rosemary, parsley, lemon balm, Greek oregano and lavender. A little side note here about lavender. In that past I have had no luck at all with lavender starter plants. So I had the idea that that plant was a long shot.
However, in the past week or so, the rosemary, parsley, lemon balm and possibly even the elusive lavender have all made various growth progress. Albeit the lavender is just a hint of green at this point. But with my past experience I'll take any sign of a real plant that I can get.
Photo at right: Spearmint, with rosemary and thyme in the background
My Garden Is Taking Off Overall
My garden beans have been the star so far. I know that that can and probably will change, but, Jeez Louise, these little guys are full and healthy (3 plants in all), climbing up their poles (I put 2 next to each plant), and looking like they are reaching for the moon.
The summer squash, as I mentioned, had a little hiccup, but the surviving plant (2 in all - they get planted 3 feet apart so I was limited) looks great.
Next I'd have to brag about the garden peas and the spinach. Green and growing.
A Nice Surprise
I wondered if I'd ever see the Best Boy tomatoes, and the lettuce. Both have made respectable showings this week. Interesting. The lettuce was supposed to be the earliest harvest, 40 days, according to the seed package. I will let you know, but at day 16 that doesn't look it to me. Time will tell.
Update over for now. Wind and rain coming later so I am considering using the row covers I have to protect them overnight. Hmmmm.....