Garden Update

This week I found 2 great cafeteria trays for sale at a local thrift store- They work perfectly to hold 5 of my containers. I have to be honest - I love the metal floral trays I got for free - and I will use them as well - but they only fit 4 of my little containers, while these trays hold 5 nicely. I think I paid 1.00 max for each of them, well worth the money for sure!!! 

So out of everything I planted on the 7th everything seems to be coming up - last up was the eggplants. And it seems weird to me that the little frog egg eggplants did better than the japanese kind I grew last year. Oh and my kale plants looks scrawny - bottom photo - on the left - one plant looks normal the other plants look poorly. I actually planted another 6 plants because of how poorly these did. 

Speaking of kale - I was reading on the Baker Creek facebook page and someone said that Casper Kale was really good- so now I have another list of seeds to order - once one of the things that were out of stock comes back into stock. 

This week I have planted at least 6 of each of the following plants: 

• Green onions 
• marigolds - a french variety - I heard that this kind is best defense against pests. 
• cilantro 
• 3 more of each of the 2 varieties of Eggplants that I am growing
• 6 more kale plants 
• purple basil 
• my broccoli that I planted last week didn't have all come up and I ended up ordering a different variety from BC so I planted 6 more broccoli plants- it will be interesting to see which does better. 

This year I am trying to keep better notes so that it will help me in the future and I figure out better ways of doing things. I know I could forget some important tips and tricks so I am keeping notes. I am writing in a gardening journal. Last year I had kept some notes but ended up writing things several different places and then forgetting where I had written my notes - only to have found my notebook - after the fact - with only half of the information needed in it. So this year I have a journal that I am writing in and keeping track of what I have planted and when they start germinating and all. 

Within the next week or so it will be time to start sowing things outside like my : 

• radishes
• carrots 
• sugar snap peas (these I could start indoors and then move them out in a few weeks - haven't decided for sure on that yet. 

Last year I shared that I had gotten several GreenStalk planters- well I only have one left. This year I plan on growing my 

spinach, 2-3 kinds of lettuces and marigolds 

on the top like last time. 

I sure hope the things do better this year. I figured out some things I did wrong last year and then I also figured out that you have to fertilize the stuff quite often. My advice for anyone thinking about getting some - just buy one and see how it works for you before you buy more. If it works great for you - then by all means buy more if you would like but don't make the mistake I did and buy several only to realize that it is not your preferred way to garden. 

I do hope you all are having fun in what ever stage of the gardening year you are in - whether it is in the planning stage or if you are being able to plant. It is such a rewarding things to plant seeds and watch things grow. It amazes me when I look at the seeds and although a lot of them look exactly alike - they are totally different things. I think it is amazing how God created everything and how we can get a plant and produce out of a tiny seed!!!