Day 13 & 14 - Seedlings

It's been 2 weeks since I first sowed the seeds. It's been just a few days since they germinated. I realized nothing was happening on the porch since it was still too cold out, so I brought them inside and put them over the heat and shined a lamp over them. Immediately, I saw signs of life.

Day 12-13: They were just beginning to peep their heads out.





Then today, everything was emerging and lookin' good.



For my own purposes, I took individual pictures of each to compile my Garden Blurb book at the end of the year.
I still haven't finished my other book yet. Sorting through the photos were difficult because they all looked the same. I am also trying to incorporate recipes and that's a task too.

Day 14: All 4 plants are emerging. I didn't want to do too many tomatoes this year, so I limited myself to 4 plants.


Lemon Cucumbers


Striata Zucchini - These seem pretty dominant. I have to thin them now. It breaks my heart to do that, so I'll probably repot the excess and give them away (or keep em! kekeke) Anyone want some zucchini plants? Please, come get one (I think you need two though to promote germination)


Black Beauty Zucchini -These seeds are from last year. I just wanted to see if they were any good. The fruits were good, so if the Striata Zucs don't work out, I still have these to eat.


Brussel Sprouts - I need to thin these too. They require 2 FEET in spacing. I'm not sure if I should put them outside now or keep them in little cups?


Arugula - I love the taste of arugula so much that I decided to plant a whole bunch of them. It's a perennial, so it will grow back each year.


The mini basil has germinated finally.

Spring Break - Day 2

I feel like I should throw on a red plaid shirt. Today, I continued to do the North wall, so that Keith could pick up doing the hard stuff when he came home. I played with the dog a lot and did some gardening. I think Maui was so worn out, he fell asleep every time we went inside.

My arugula and brussel sprouts came up.


My zucchini is starting to show. So are the cucumbers.


I planted lots of extra herbs for the summer.


Strawberries. These are store started because seed started ones won't fruit until next year. I just wanted to see how well they do before I go through with sowing my own.


Maui ran around outside and marking his territory.


This was the cutest thing. Our neighbors dog kept peeking in, whimpering, and made friends with Maui.


Maui is so sweet.


I took the cabinet down and removed all the molding I could. Emptying the cabinet is the biggest pain.


I removed the paneling on this wall.


The kitchen looks so big without anything in it! :)

A Lazy Day

I spent the day tending to my seedlings. The tomato seedlings were getting large and crowding one another, so I put them into bigger foam cups so they can continue to establish their roots before being transplanted outdoors.


My eggplant seedlings began to form a very large leaf.


Keith spent the whole day trying to "fix" his leaf blower. He got it for $2 at a yard sale. I told him to just junk it. He's so stubborn.


My zuchinni and cucumber are beginning to germinate. Okra takes 2 weeks but I figure it could use some warmth.


I was ready to chuck the bell pepper and start over, but suddenly with the warmer weather I noticed 10 new seeds beginning to germinate. (I transplanted some basil here)


I moved my basil around to give them more room for growth. They should be 1 inch apart.


I began "dusting off" my grass that I dug up to put the soil back into the ground. My mom was right about the grass dying against the fence. I will leave them there to create a "wall" for my beds to raise up on.


I planted a tomato plant into the ground to see how well it does.


For dinner, Keith made me a Strawberry Shortcake. It's one of those TGIF mixers. It was good. I normally don't like drinks that contain dairy but this wasn't bad at all.


I made rice with saffron and onions (egyptian recipe) with grilled shrimp (with chopped tomatoes, red onions, cumin, s&p, and habernero sauce) and a piece of bbq chicken (in case we were still hungry).

Day 1 of Zucchini, Cucumer and Okra. Oh my!

Lilacs from our yard. I love lilacs. They are so fragant and romantic.


Since it looks like the zucchini and cucumber I planted earlier did not make it through the frost, I sowed some more seeds into the ground. I also put some in pots to see which ones do better. I am beginning to lose track. so I made some quick tags for each. On each tag, I jotted down what the germination and harvest dates were and how to care for them. As time progresses, I will not be able to remember it all.

This one is in the front yard. My plan is to train this one to climb the fence to camouflage the garbage cans behind it. I added a warning so parents can be aware that if their kids touch it, they are going to be in for a nasty surprise.


I just planted a few here and there to see how they fair in the different areas of the yard. There is minimal sunlight here below the deck due to the shadow.


My mom brought me several scallions and we placed some randomly.


My peony in the front yard has 6 buds. The plant is still alot smaller than I expected. Maybe I will add fertilizer or compost to it in the Fall and next Spring to see if that makes a difference. That's what I read.


My other seedlings are doing well. More eggplant seeds have germinated. The bell peppers are still extremely slow. I have 2 new bell pepper plants but the others are still very skinny. I wonder if they are simply weeds. I am going to sow some new bell pepper seeds. My basil is also slow. I thought they grow much faster, but perhaps there isn't enough sunlight.


The most significant change are that the tomato plants are begining to form fuzz. They have developed 2 sets of true leaves now. Since adding more rich soil and peat moss, they have been stronger in my opinion. They have also grown taller.


Now for an untasteful story. This morning I looked out the window and saw this stray cat playing with our turf tupee. He was pulling on it and dragging it around. I thought it was sooo cute.


Keith goes outside and starts to shoo him away. I asked what happened?


Keith: "My love, that was not grass he was dragging around".
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Day 10

The Bright Cosmos are all germinating. I read that this a reliable flower for gardeners.


Today the sugar snap peas I planted for my friend's daughter came up! They are very thick numbs. With the rain, I am sure the ones I have outside aren't going to make it if it's freezing this weekend. I think I'll do more of these in a planter for the deck.



The mesclun salad is really coming up tall.


Chilli Peppers