Give a Tomato a Chance

The initial tomato transplants seem to be shrinking.

So, I transplanted 3 new seedlings to a relatively empty piece of garden real estate.  All alone....
Well, maybe I'll transplant some carrots around them tomorrow.

:-D

Squash & Cukes may need thinning too.

The cucumber mounds are sprouting all over the place.  I'll have to read the seed packet to see what it says about thinning them.  I think I planted 5 seeds on each mound, but it looks like more that that came up.

The squash are looking like they could become a bit crowded too.

The Butternut look a bit more vigorous than the Delicata, as far as the number of sprouts and the size.  I like both kinds, but Delicata has such great flavor! 

If I hope to save all my babies again, I'll have to get my next raised bed built in a hurry!

:-D

Thinning the Carrots

My son LOVES carrots!   So do the other neighbor kids, even though  they turn their noses up at a lot of other things I've got planted.  They ALL like carrots.

But its time to thin the carrots. 

That was one of my mistakes last year.  It's just so hard to pull up those beloved little guys and throw them away.  They're just babies!

But last year, I left them all.  I wanted to give each and every one of them a chance for a good life.  Well, they were all tiny.  Thinner than a pencil.  Some thinner than a pencil lead. 

So, I learned my lesson.  I thinned a couple patches of my carrots.  But I still just could NOT bring myself to just throw out my little babies.    So, instead, I found a somewhat empty patch of my raised bed garden, and as I pulled them out, I transplanted them into a new row.  Then I watered them really well.  They may not actually make it, but I feel like I've given my babies the best chance I possibly could.

I saved a couple of patches for tomorrow, to see how these make out, before I take the time to save the rest of them.

Say a little prayer for my seedlings.

:-D

How does my Garden Grow?

Besides whats pictured above, the Straight Eight Cucumbers are sprouting!

The Nasturtiums  have nearly doubled in size.  Amazing.  Now I'm sure that the plant at the base of my Lime tree is NOT a Nasturtium, but a weed, I mean, native plant.

Amazingly enough, the transplanted radishes seem to be doing fine.  No special treatment here, these guys are pretty hardy.  I just plucked out a few from the over crowded bunch, and stuck them in the ground over there.  Radishes are my friends!

The Fennel popped thru in a bunch of places today.  At least I'm pretty sure its the Fennel.  Last year's subscription to White Rabbit Farm got me hooked on growing my own lettuce, and Fennel added so much flavor!

The Broccoli & Kale transplants are getting their first true leaves.  As well as the Red Cabbage transplants from the same batch.

The Chives look like a little patch of grass.  They'll be so pretty when they grow up.

The Honey Bees are still visiting for water.  It rained a little yesterday, so I only saw one at this morning's watering.

The Delicata may have popped thru first, but the Butternut has outgrown them overnight.

The Romaine is starting to get curly.  Isn't it cute?

And my Companion Planting Experiment is going along.  I'm afraid its too crowded, and the Tomato seems to be loosing the competition.  Maybe I should have called it Competitive Planting.  :-)

Companion Planting

Radishes and Carrots

Companion Planting.  The Tomato Seedling is being overpowered by the Black Beans, Peas, Carrots & Radishes.

How will this garden grow?

In such a small space, it may have become more of a competition than a cooperative growing environment.

Fennel Sprout

This is definitely Fennel.  You can see the seed.

How to Grow Fennel

The Cabbage Sprouts

Here are my tiny Cabbage Sprouts.  I wonder how big they should be before I transplant them.

This tray is looking a little "leggy".  I think I'll put them closer to the sun.