Just a quick update on the garden. The self-watering containers are almost complete. They’re made from re-purposed plastic 55 gallon drums. The only part we had to purchase is FRP- only 1 sheet though for roughly 8 containers.
All of the plants are still inside under the lights.
- Tomatoes: The plants are 7-8 inches and looking really healthy.
- The Rutabagas, Parsnips, Chard, Brussels, and Kale are all sort of mixed up. We planted anywhere from 1-3 seeds in each little seed starter. The delay in moving them outside caused them to grow more and need more room than expected. We were sort of concerned about them being too “leggy”/spindly, but we’ve done some transplanting and I think they’re going to be just fine.
- The other seeds (lettuce, carrots, etc.) are not supposed to be transplanted so we’re waiting until the containers are ready and can be placed outside to start these seeds.
- The Aero-Garden: We started growing herbs in the aero-garden back in December. The marjoram took over and pretty much turned into a bush. It has since been transplanted. We’ve re-planted basil seeds 3 or 4 times yet it won’t grow. So, no pesto here. Chives and Parsley are the only ones left.
- Additional plants I’ve acquired: I heard that mint was a beast to start from seed so I purchased two mint plants- one regular and one chocolate mint. They each cost $2 which is the same as 1 packet of mint leaves at the grocery store. So, I figure as long as we get 1 grocery store packet out of each mint plant then the rest is bonus. Also, I picked up a wheatgrass plant along the way. I tried adding it to one of my smoothies, but the blender is not the best tool for wheatgrass.
The Delay:
I thought that the plants would for sure be re-located to outside by the end of May, but we had snow storms on April 28 (at least 6 inches), May 10, and now May 21-22 (4-5 inches). To be fair, this is not the norm for this area and we do live at 7400 feet, but still, it’s May!!! Last summer, in Gunnison, CO, I was hating life when it hailed in June, however, right now, it’s 30 degrees warmer in Gunnison than it is here in Tahoe.
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