Garden Update Lots of Pictures!

Easter Egg Blend Radishes

It has been a couple of months since my last update.  After our battle with the raccoons and then replanting the beds three times, it took a while for the vegetable garden to produce. We have been harvesting lettuces, green onions, kale, pea pods and swiss chard the last few weeks.  I will post a lot of pictures to keep my blog up to date on the growth and varieties we planted. All the seeds I used in the garden are from Botanical Interest Seeds.

Bed One

Bed Two

Bed Three has Purple & White Vienna Blend Kohlrabi, American Purple Top Rutabaga, Sugar Snap Peas, and Spinach

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Red Sails and Tango Leaf Lettuce, and a few Cilantro Plants

Easter Egg Blend Radishes (I picked some earlier)  and Gourmet Blend Beets.  Spring Onion Seeds I saved from last year. These I tossed around in all the beds.

Early Wonder Beets

Q's Special Medley Mesclun Lettuce

Oak Leaf Lettuce

Mache Corn Salad Greens

Kale Italian Lacinato (Nero Toscana)

Brussels Sprouts Long Island Improved Heirloom

these are just about ready to pick

start at the bottom and move upward when picking. The plant continues to grow taller and taller forming new sprouts at each leaf joint.

Kohlrabi Purple and White Vienna Blend

Kohlrabi Purple & White Vienna Blend

Sugar Snap Peas

I also planted Bok Choy and onion sets along with some garlic which I didn't get a picture of.  They are just coming in so I will update that later.

I purchased as many organic seeds from Botanical Interests as I could this year.  I think this spring I will add more seed from Baker Creek and Seeds of Change.  I have used Seeds of Change a few times now for my tomato seeds and have been very happy with them. But I do love Botanical Interest and will always buy the majority of my seeds from them.

We are off to a great start in the winter garden, now that the raccoons are gone. Oh, I forgot to mention; my neighbor caught 8 raccoons and relocated them somewhere.  So far I have not had any more damage to the beds.

I will continue to plant consecutively so we can harvest throughout the growing season, which will end for me around early May. I will need to use some of the beds for tomato plants as I generally get those in around March or April.  Last March we had a hail storm late in the month so I may hold off on the tomatoes until April this year; that will give me a couple more months of winter vegetable planting.

I have already started to pull tomato seeds to plant in pots that I had saved from some of my plants last year.  I will get those going this month.  I also need to get started on replanting the herb garden. I generally do this about every two years and put in some new plants to replace those that may have become overgrown or woody.  The marjoram is due this year. I may just move it as it has the most intoxicating aroma and I love to make wreaths out of the longer stems. Hang one on your garden gate; all those that enter will ask "what is that lovely smell?"

I will end with a couple photos of our Aloe plant that is in full bloom now.

These tower about 6 to 7 feet tall.

You may just get a fleeting glimpse
of golden wings or faint footprints
For gardens whether large or small
Are not quite what they seem at all.

Happy Gardening!