Sprouts Sunday 6/20

Many gardening blogs have Harvest Mondays, where everyone posts their harvest for that week. Thanks to the California Agriculture Committee, I don't have harvests to post :/. I've therefore decided to have Sprouts Sunday, at least for the next month or so. Each Sunday I will be posting updates as to what plants have and have not sprouted and growth updates for those that have.

SPROUTED:

1. Radishes.

2. Lettuce.

3. Cucumbers.

4. Tomatoes: Brandywine, Roma, and misc. cherry--one of each so far!

5. Thyme (included in picture).

6. Basil.

7. Peas.

NOT SPROUTED:

1. Green onions.

2. Carrots.

3. Peppers: Bell, jalapeno, and sweet banana.

4. Sage.

5. Rosemary.

6. Parsley.

7. Chives.

8. Lavender.

It's a bit cool in the evenings still, so I'm worried the peppers are sulking. Also, I'm quite suspicious of the organic red potatoes I bought at the store--I've set them out to sprout for nearly a week, with no luck. Makes me think some chemicals have touched them!

New Beginnings

The drive cross-country has come and gone, and the move went off without much of a hitch. We’re currently finalizing unpacking and decorating, and it’s so nice here! The weather in SoCal is dry and warm, with cool evenings (that is, perfect!).

One small problem though—I arrived sans garden. “But didn’t she plan to bring her plants with her to Cali?”, you ask. I sure did, and they seemed to do fine throughout the trip—most were inside my car, which was being towed by the truck we drove. I put up the sunshade to keep the plants from roasting, and the temperature didn’t get too high in the car, just nice and warm. There was some wiltage, but nothing I didn’t think I could handle once we arrived.

I hadn’t planned on my plants being attacked. They’re just plants, right? Why would someone not like them? Turns out, the state of California hates plants from Virginia. Hates them so much, it turns out, that vehicles entering the state are searched for agriculture from certain states, and any found foliage is confiscated and burned.

And so explains why I arrived in the Inland Empire with no plants and a dejected spirit. My new balcony cried out for life, which led to the silver lining.

I got to get all new plants!

I purchased an aloe, a mint (unnamed, only one they had), and two flowering plants for the hubby. I also picked up some new seeds—hey, might as well get what I want while I’m at it, right?

Over three days, I planted the following: mixed leaf lettuce, easter egg radishes, sugar snap peas, bunching onions, brandywine tomatoes, miscellaneous cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapenos, rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, parsley, lavender, cucumbers, and sage.

And my radishes have already sprouted!

My mother-in-law gave me some standing plant holders, so I'm going to use the taller one to train my peas up (the bottom pot). The other holder is going to shade some lettuce in this warm weather.

I plan to plant potatoes soon—already got organic red potatoes from the grocery store, just going to use them until one or two sprouts. I’m also planning to grow garlic, but it’s much too early to plant that yet.

Here's to new beginnings!

First tomato blossom & move

Ta-da! My first tomato blossom of the year!

Okay, so that's a bit of a lie. I've been pinching off buds from my tomatoes, cukes, and peppers for the last month for two reasons: to promote leaf and plant growth and become of the upcoming move. The growth idea is that if the plant isn't putting energy towards flowers and fruit, the plant itself will grow stronger and move vigorous, leading towards heavier harvests later on. For the move, I didn't want a lot of teeny fruit getting jostled around for five days, and preferred not to have a lot of blossoms at that time either, in hopes that the move wouldn't knock down the flowers. A few buds slipped past me, however, in the last few days' rush to pack and clean.

I also have several pepper buds (bells, jalepenos, and banana) that I hope will survive the trip. Additionally, my herbs have been going nuts in the humid heat Virginia has had this week--I cut several of them back for the move Monday, and my garlic chives grew back to full length in.two.days!

The hubs and I are heading out Monday morning--a few of the hardier plants (e.g., aloe) will be riding in the back of the uhaul, while the more delicate plants will be hanging out in my car, towed by the uhaul truck. We plan to take five days to get from southeastern Virginia to southern California, and honestly, I'll be happy if half my plants make it to their new, larger balcony home!

Minty Mint-tea

This time of year is generally pretty warm, but today rain came in and I've barely been able to even have the windows open. What a perfect day to brew some homegrown mint tea!

As I previously posted, my mint has been growing like a weed...which it should, as mint is a weed. This picture does not do it justice, as I've been making cups of tea nearly daily.

I have been trying to keep it as pruned as actually possible, both to make more room on my balcony and to train it to grow up rather than out, so I generally cut sprigs from the sides, rather than the middle.

Boiling water of course.

I usually make tea by the cup, but today was chilly and I felt like using the pretty glass teapot we got at our wedding.

The teapot is especially impressive when brewing fresh mint!

And even prettier when on the teapot warmer!

Yum! Homebrewed mint tea is not as dark or strong as the kind you brew from bags. I love a cup of this clear tea if I've indulged in too much dessert or am stressed out--mint helps with indigestion, headaches, and menstrual cramps, and is just generally delicious. And as it's so easy to grow (hey, I didn't kill mine yet!), why not?

Free seeds!

As a novice gardener on a budget (in other words, someone who doesn't have the money to kill all the plants that she kills), cheap ways of expanding my repertoire are always high on my to-find list. I did a quick Google of "free vegetable seeds" today, not expecting a thing...

....and voila! The Dinner Garden! This awesome site will send you veggie seeds free of charge, no shipping, nothing, just for filling out a form!

I ordered mine today, and the site then said they were backlogged and it may be six weeks before they send my seeds, but I'll be sure to update when I get them!