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!

Growth updates!

I love this time of year....things really start getting off the ground (literally)!

It was a little cool recently, but a big rain came through and today was much warmer.

All the seedlings have been moved outside and have been transplanted to

small pots (or in some cases, small pot-shaped things I could find!)

I have tomatoes, either basil or thyme (forgot what I planted), and I believe two types of

peppers (of three possible, either banana, bell, or jalepeno). This is a hodgepodge of seedlings because I planted them whilst finalizing my thesis (defended yesterday, hurray!), so hopefully I'll figure out what's what :) Can't figure out how to get the pic up correctly, else someone could help me!

Two of the planted tomatoes are slowing growing....the sole remain

ing planted cuke is not long for this world I believe though....

....and a few carrot sprouts, finally! I think I'm also going to plant

some bee balm in this pot soon, so I don't have to hand-pollinate everything!

The other two tomato plants aren't moving much and are a little yellow, so I'm worried. The chives and parsley are exploding though! Maybe putting some leaf lettuce or radishes in once the tomatoes get larger and shadier.

Lime buds and flowers!!!

Pepper plants...I read that peppers "sulk" when it gets too cool, so I'm guessing that's what happened with these bells, not much growth.

Finally, my amazing mint plant. I love this

plant--nothing like it to boost a novice gardener's morale!

Beautiful April Sunday

This weekend has been amazing--75 degrees, mild humidity, pure sunshine. Great time for me to get some pics of my balcony garden up.

the view from inside

cuke seedlings

sage plant that I grew from seed--v. proud of this plant, I've never gotten an herb to grow from seed before!

seedlings getting some fresh air

aloe plant that I use more than any other plant I've ever had--also just repotted

bonsai lime tree--all the leaves dropped this winter (which is normal?) but it now has tons of baby leaves and some flower buds--first flower of the season!

mint plant, one week later! Apparently it loves the shade

baby tomato plants and a cuke that probably won't make it...hasn't grown in a while, maybe I transplanted too early? Also some carrot seeds sown in here that haven't sprouted

tomatoes (hidden in the center) and herbs--garlic chives & parsley

Finally, bell peppers!

I really want to plant more, but with the big move coming up soon, I'm trying to work with plants that can be combined in large pots and will hopefully not be so big that the move will jostle them a ton.

Mint's Alive!

One of the reasons that I started this blog is to share my trials and joys of gardening as a complete novice. I usually do pretty well with my plants, but I've definitely killed several in my time. So when something goes well after I've written it off as a goner, it's a thrill :)

This happened recently to me with my beloved mint plant. Virginia got a cold spell in January/February, and the hardy mint was left outside on my balcony in snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. I've left it out in winter before and it's died back but not died all the way, so I both didn't bother to bring it in and actually forgot about it in the midst of writing my master's thesis this winter. When I started gardening again in March, the poor mint looked like a goner. I don't have a picture, but believe me, what was left was hard, brown, and didn't make you think of life at all. I watered it anyway, and promptly forgot about it for two weeks (luckily for all my balcony plants, it rained a lot during these weeks!).

Huzzah--the mint is alive! This is less than two weeks' growth, amazing!

Of course, anyone who knows much of anything about gardening would know that this "weed" would grow back, but I adore this plant and was so scared that it was gone forever. Phew!

As you may also notice, this pic is from inside my living room, not on my balcony. The apartment complex is pressuring washing buildings this week, so my living room is *crammed*. Once everything gets back outside, I plan on doing a full update of all my lovelies!

Blogable? Eatable.

I've always loved plants, but in a subconscious kind of way. It runs in my blood--my grandmother always had a garden, and I have cute memories of me helping. Ornamental plants never did it for me though--I like having a few around, especially in the dull, blue winter months, but I've always been a function-first kind of girl. Fast-forward to about 1.5 years ago, when I started a master's degree program in southern Virginia, and got a one-bedroom apartment (finally, no roommates!) with a 4X8 foot balcony. This was in August, and my few late season tomato plants yielded little. The next summer came and I was able to grow tomatoes, cukes (which died from too little watering), beans, herbs, and hot peppers.

Now, I'm newly married and moving to California in June to start my PhD, and am addicted to the idea of growing edibles as simply as possible on my tiny space. My thought process is, if I could make it, why buy it? This year I'm growing everything (except for plants I already have) from seed, but also moving in the middle of the growing season. Thankfully, I'll be able to bring all my planted containers with me on the move, and I'll be heading toward a longer growing season :)

This blog is my attempt to document my trials and tribulations with edible gardening on limited space. I welcome any helpful comments and hope that my silly accidents and lucky outcomes will aid in other newbies' attempts.