My job has been very demanding as usual but I wanted to give an update on the gardens progress. It has been 10 days since I finished seeding the hydroponic system and I am happy to report that everything has sprouted!
I managed to snap a few pictures with my cellphone the other day in anticipation of writing this post! The parsley and cilantro had us worried because they took so long to germinate but after doing a little research we are way ahead of schedule as they can take 2-3 weeks to sprout under normal conditions! The hydroponic gardens are filled with lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, bok choy, beets, green onions, parsley and cilantro.
I am especially excited about the beets, they are one of my favorite root vegetables and I love the greens both raw and steamed!
Despite the area bear emptying out the bin once already the potatoes that he didn't find seem to be growing in the mulch and compost. It looks like the muskmelon seeds I threw in last week have sprouted too as well as the celery bottoms I tucked along the edges. I am leaving this all to do its own thing so I will be curious to see how things turn out!
The raised bed garden has started to take off as well, I am hoping to get some deer netting this week as I have a large doe that seems to like stopping by every now and again for her fix of tomato greens.
The peppers have begun producing and I will be harvesting this yummy serrano chile as I don't think I can stand to wait for it to turn red - I am sure there will be plenty more in the coming weeks.
The zucchini plants have quadrupled in size and with some sunshine I think we will be blessed with blossoms for frying and yummy green squash before too long
All the rain we have been blessed with has made it care free for watering but I am looking forward to some warm sunshine to get these sweet fruits ripened so I can begin snacking on them daily!
Last year we grew some dill and much to our surprise we found it had seeded itself in the deck planters for this year - I
love free food!
Some of the basil we planted in the deck benches
Organic cilantro we picked up at whole foods and decided to plant so we would have some to harvest while waiting for the hydroponics. I am amazed at how well it is filling out.
