The Edible Garden Project: May 2013 Update
All the seeds have sprouted and our edible garden is growing mighty well - even though the Seattle weather seems to be on some sort of roller coaster ride (we've even had hail). Things seem even better when I go back to look at last months pictures of all the teeny tiny sprouts. In even better news, our living situation has finally been straightened out and we'll get to stay in our rental house for at least another year. Phew!
That means we've planted the center bed and after moving it, the first bed will also be planted for a fall crop (or winter, depending on when we get it moved). Overall, we should have a much grander and more varied harvest than last year.
How grand and varied a harvest you ask? Well, at this point we've got about 50 different varieties of of edible plants growing around our property and I've got the full inventory in the rest of the post.
So, like I mentioned, the first bed will be moved and therefore we'll wait to plant it. For now, we've stuck our ad hoc container garden on top of it. In the containers, we've got the following plants & herbs growing;
- Scallions (2 containers)
- Rainbow Tuscan Kale
- Collards
- German Chamomile
- Cilantro
- Spinach
- Jester Lettuce
- Moroccan Mint
- Chives
- Garlic Chives
- Parsley
- Sorrel
- Arugula
- Calendula (3 containers)
In the second bed we've planted;
- Tuscan Kale
- Collards
- Sun Sugar Tomato
- Amish Paste Tomato
- Brandywine Tomato
- Rainbow Carrots
- Nantes Carrots
- Red Beets
- Golden Beets
- Chioggia Beets
In the third bed, the rhubarb has taken off and I've even used a few stalks in some recipes. We've also planted;
- Red Kuri Squash
- Cinderella Pumpkin
- Sugar Pie Pumpkin
What's doing well out front? The spinach is by far the best performer of all the plants we've grown from seed, followed by the arugula. My favorite so far is the jester lettuce - isn't it just gorgeous? I'm also quiet excited about the success of the cilantro and the beets - both of which have been a challenge for me in the past.
In our back patio, which functions somewhat as a greenhouse, we've planted a few things that we think (and hope) will be more successful growing in containers rather than the raised beds they were in last year. Here's what we're growing back;
- Lemon Basil
- Lime Basil
- Cinnamon Basil
- Lettuce Leaf Basil
- Genovese Basil
- Thai Basil
- Kumquat Tree
- Meyer Lemon Tree
- Thai Hot Pepper
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Kermit Eggplant
- National Pickling Cucumber
- Calypso Cucumber
Yes, we really are growing six varieties of basil - I just love it that much. Everything seems to be growing well, except the cucumbers. Comparatively they just don't seem to be taking off and gaining much height. Anyone have suggestions for growing cucumbers?
Moving on to the inside of the house and our Windowfarm - all of the plants are growing fantastically and we've been harvesting the herbs and arugula on a regular basis. Just to get the full inventory in the post, here's what we've got growing;
- Habanero Pepper
- Arugula
- Thai Basil
- Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Also scattered about the property in containers we have;
- Russian Tea Plant (2 containers)
- Sage
- Parsley
- Cascade Hops
- French Lavender
- Blueberry (2 containers)
- Pink Lemonade Blueberry
- Lingonberry
By next month, I hope to be actively harvesting more of our herbs and greens. I also hope to have an update on what we've planted in the raised bed that will be moved to a spot in our yard. Any suggestions out there for edibles to plant in the summer for a fall or winter harvest?
