Remember back in January I planted those seeds in the basement? Well they grew, and now they are ready to go in the ground. So I took my bran new soft soil and transfered the little seedlings in to the ground. The first year I planted a veggie garden I loved just throwing plants here and there. Much to my orderly husband's dislike I ended up with a very jungley garden. It was pretty, but it was very hard to navigate in order to weed and harvest.
Enjoy the sunny weekend we are having and throw some seeds in the ground! You will be happy you did when you can walk outside in your own yard and come back in with most of a meal!
Enjoy the sunny weekend we are having and throw some seeds in the ground! You will be happy you did when you can walk outside in your own yard and come back in with most of a meal!
In February you can plant:
onions
garlic
shallots
lettuces
potatoes
chard
radishes
broccoli
cauliflower
bock chow
I transfered the lettuce, arugula, and tomato seedlings and planted them in rows. I know they look a droopy, but they will get stronger as their roots grow in. I planted them pretty close, because by the time the tomatoes get big and cast a shadow, the lettuce will be pretty much done for the season. It is a little early for the tomotoes to thrive, but they were getting too tall for the plastic green house, so in the ground they go!
onions
garlic
shallots
lettuces
potatoes
chard
radishes
broccoli
cauliflower
bock chow
I transfered the lettuce, arugula, and tomato seedlings and planted them in rows. I know they look a droopy, but they will get stronger as their roots grow in. I planted them pretty close, because by the time the tomatoes get big and cast a shadow, the lettuce will be pretty much done for the season. It is a little early for the tomotoes to thrive, but they were getting too tall for the plastic green house, so in the ground they go!
I also planted a row of radish seeds so I will have ingredients for a garden salad! Radishes are fairly hardy, so they are okay to go directly into the soil. Just make sure they get good and wet after you plant them so the moisture penetrates the inner seed. You can also soak the seeds in water for about 24 hours before planting. This will shorten the germination time by a few days.
I then broke up a head of garlic that I had in the kitchen. Garlic is the easiest! Just pop each individual clove into the ground about two inches under the soil. Put them the same direction a clove sits. They need a bit of cold first to activate and trick the seed into thinking it is winter. So if you have had the garlic in the house, put it in the fridge for a few days and then plant it. While the garlic is growing it does not need very much water. Keep this in mind while you are planting. It just needs enough to keep the leaves rigid. It will grow thin green stalks. When they are ready to harvest the stocks will turn brown and completely fall to the grown. Under the soil will be a plump new globe of garlic! If you get anxious and pick it early (I have done this many times) then you will have a skinny little garlic that isn't very good.
Over the next few weeks I plan to till the other garden beds, and plant some of the vegetables listed above. One more tip to keep in mind. Onions and carrots are great to plant next to each other. The pests that like carrots don't like the smell of onions and vice versa. Carrots are not good to transplant because the root is too sensitive. So wherever you plant your onions, leave a space for a row of carrots as well. I will write about how to do potatoes because it is an interesting process! Soon I will write about what to harvest this time of year! Have fun in the mean time!
I then broke up a head of garlic that I had in the kitchen. Garlic is the easiest! Just pop each individual clove into the ground about two inches under the soil. Put them the same direction a clove sits. They need a bit of cold first to activate and trick the seed into thinking it is winter. So if you have had the garlic in the house, put it in the fridge for a few days and then plant it. While the garlic is growing it does not need very much water. Keep this in mind while you are planting. It just needs enough to keep the leaves rigid. It will grow thin green stalks. When they are ready to harvest the stocks will turn brown and completely fall to the grown. Under the soil will be a plump new globe of garlic! If you get anxious and pick it early (I have done this many times) then you will have a skinny little garlic that isn't very good.
Over the next few weeks I plan to till the other garden beds, and plant some of the vegetables listed above. One more tip to keep in mind. Onions and carrots are great to plant next to each other. The pests that like carrots don't like the smell of onions and vice versa. Carrots are not good to transplant because the root is too sensitive. So wherever you plant your onions, leave a space for a row of carrots as well. I will write about how to do potatoes because it is an interesting process! Soon I will write about what to harvest this time of year! Have fun in the mean time!
RSS Feed
