Growing Pains

This is our official birth announcement! Our health kick plum tomato plant has 6 small babies growing. We also finally have one small baby burger tomato! So far that's 2 out of 4 plants and each has at least 8 flowers, which will produce tomotoes. I can't wait to cook my homemade pasta sauce with fresh ingredients from my very own garden! Aren't ya proud Ma?



Burger tomato



Health Kick Tomatoes

Our zucchini plants had 2-3 flowers each (pictured left) but since the picture was taken, we have lost about 2 flowers each :( Soooo, I did some more research and found out that zucchini has both male and female flowers which will be cross pollinated by the bees (which means I probably shouldnt have tried to drown the bee I saw in there this morning..woops/duhh)

Also, the broccoli plants are getting bigger and I noticed that the stalk is starting to get thicker. Next, I need to figure out when these guys will start producing. As you may also notice, the leaves are still holey but the top leaves are not. I would say that means our Basil Herb Tea Spray has been working :) We have been applying it as necessary.

The carrots have also been sprouting up, we have some tall stalks which I am going to guess are around 6 inches. That means it's time to thin them out again. I'm hoping to create garden "furrows," which is basically what most people picture when thinking of a garden; rows of vegetables. Not sure why but my mind always goes to a cartoon farmer/garden?!

Goooodbye black thumb, Helloooo green!

Background Check

Seeing as this is our first vegetable garden,  we obviously rushed into it. After the fact, I thought I better do a background check if we plan on keeping these plants alive. Turns out, we are going to have to make some changes. Here we go:

Carrots: Grows in partial shade but prefers full sun. Carrots prefer cooler garden zones and do not grow well next to dill plants. Seedlings should be thinned out when 2" high and again when 6" high. Loose soil with good drainge is also important. Only small amounts of water are needed, as too much water will cause the roots to crack. Harvesting is based on size preference. So, these veggies are going to be relocated.

Zucchini: Grows best in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Leave 3ft of space between mounds: 3 plants per mound. Watering should be up to the plant but NOT directly on the stems or foliage: avoid handling when wet (this will help prevent  powdery mildew and bacterial wilt). Harvesting begins when the Zucc is 4" long and when the skin is still tender. Again, these veggies will be relocated.

Broccoli: Grows in full sun and prefers beds that are well drained. Plant in beds 20" apart. Water constantly to keep soil moist because plants grow quickly. Harvest when buds are large and firm but not yet flowering. Cut the large central bud leaving 6" of stalk attached and any small branches alone. Smaller branches will produce smaller harvests throught the season. We did okay, Broc can stay close to home.

Tomatoes: A warm weather crop that grows in full sun. When plants are 10" tall they can be transplants to an open garden, but also grow well in containers. Water regularly to keep the soil moist and avoid un evenwatering that can cause blossom-end rot. Pick when ripe on the vine but tomatoes will also ripen indoors. These veggies are staying put for now, atleast until they get a little bigger.

The plan is to transplant some of the vegetables into the larger garden in the backyard (see below). I was nervous about this to begin with. Out of sight, out of mind-ya know? Well, here goes nothing- you gotta do what ya gotta do.

But first, there is a farmer's market tomorrow and I'm excited to see what this saturday will offer.