July Garden Update

Lately I'm all about the COLOUR in my garden! Seeing little bits of bright pink or orange peeking out from within the jungle of green just makes me so happy. This could also be because my garden isn't producing much in the way of edibles right now. Aside from herbs, some lettuce and edible flowers, I'm still mostly waiting for things to mature (or show up at all). 

So let's dive right into the good stuff shall we? CHERRIES!! Aren't these spectacular?? Mostly because we had no idea we owned a cherry tree until it started to bloom early this spring, and then weeks later when fruit slowly started to appear. 

June Garden Tour

Things are really in full swing here in my backyard. I am officially swimming in salad greens (I've given away 3 grocery bags full of greens in the past week and still have so much left to eat) and am starting to think this is going to be a theme this summer. Thankfully most everything else I'll be growing will be preservable.

Come take a peek into my garden...

Seed Starting Part II

Remember how I was telling you a while ago about how determined I was to make starting seeds indoors really work for me this year? Well I think it's safe to say it has worked! YAAAAY!
Every once and a while (ok all the time) I look at my plants I've started from seed and seriously can't believe that I GREW THEM! They look like "real" plants!!
My tomato plants are all looking so nice and strong. I've already started hardening off the really big ones outside (fingers crossed I don't regret that decision).

The bok choy, tatsoi and marigold pictured above were all started indoors and all appear to be very happy now that they've been transplanted to my garden. I've sown some more seeds of both greens directly so I can hopefully have a continued harvest. 

I will say that starting these greens indoors was mildly frustrating. I really only have 2 good looking bok choy plants out of close to a dozen. They were just SO leggy and seemed really unhappy indoors. I was able to find a couple good looking sprouts and transplant them to larger containers indoors (which resulted in these bad boys) but I feel like greens are really so much happier to just start outdoors. I've noticed the same with all my other greens too, such as arugula, romaine lettuce, etc. I'm not sure if I would start them again inside next year or not. I feel like I didn't get much quantity considering how many seeds germinated, but it sure is nice to have such well established greens this early in my garden. Someday I'll hopefully have cold frames and then will be able to grow greens outdoors all year round.

Before my husband had time to build our garden boxes I was feeling rather antsy and just couldn't wait to get some things growing outside so I started some radishes, various lettuce mixes, swiss chard and chives in containers. Seeing those little red gems poking out from the soil just makes me so happy.

How is your garden growing? 

Seed Starting

A baby isn't the only thing growing around here!

I'm hoping that this will be my year for starting seeds indoors. I have previously never had enough sunlight in my homes to really allow for indoor growing, but now that I have a real HOUSE (!!) I have more windows with more sunlight streaming in all day.
I've also learned more about indoor sowing and am hoping that my research will pay off with fruitful results. Fingers crossed!

Here a few things I never knew about starting seeds indoors:
- potting or seed starting mix is necessary. Regular old soil just won't do.
- rotate your seedlings daily. They will grow towards the sun, so rotating them will help them grow straight.
- not all plants are best started indoors and there are plenty that resist transplanting.
- watering enough (but not too much) can feel like a fine line. Your soil should feel like a damp sponge that's been wrung out.
- harden off your plants slowly and gently. It might seem like a nice treat to set your plants out on your deck on the first sunny warm day of spring, but the heat might actually be too much for them. Try a warm overcast day to start, and of course bring them back in overnight.
- once your seedlings have developed "true leaves" (the new leaves that grow past the baby sprouting leaves) they should be transplanted to a larger pot to continue to grow until they're ready for the garden.

If you live in Nova Scotia and are interested in starting your own garden from seed check out Annapolis Seeds (can be found at the Seaport Market) as well as Halifax Seed.

Seed Saving

These are the first dry seeds I've found in my garden so far this year. Up next should be arugula, then dill and cilantro. Not only is it exciting to save seeds and store them for next spring, but how cute is it to  package them up as gifts for friends?

Cherry Tomatoes

If I was only able to grow one thing next year in my garden it would be tomatoes. Sure I've enjoyed growing lettuce, kale, zucchini, peppers and herbs, but tomatoes take the cake.
Is there really anything better than freshly picked sweet cherry tomatoes?

My tiny urban patio garden has earned the same envious skepticism ("What? You grew these?? Wow I wish I could do that.") as do many of my usual domestic affairs ("What? You made this?? Wow I wish I could do that"). But guess what? You can do it too, I promise!
If you have any outdoor space at all that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight a day, you can grow tomatoes. You can easily find wonderful transplants at farmers markets in the spring, or you can grow them from seed indoors if you have lots of sunlight inside your home.

With lots of sun, water and love you'll have a beautiful bounty of tomatoes in no time. 

Patio Flowers

It's really the "little things" about summer that I love so much. Like drinking coffee in the warmth of the morning sun, eating fresh berries by the handful, or the good night sleep I always get after a late night lake swim.

Today it was making tiny floral arrangements with flowers from my tiny patio garden that gave me such a sense of pure summer joy.