Snip snip!

Careful harvesting of individual leaves...this is about the fifth or sixth harvest...

Veggie Gardening for Small Spaces Session

Recently, well, really a couple of weeks ago, I attended Vegetable Gardening in Small Spaces at Sloat Garden Center. Lora Kellner the Training Manager, subbed in for the regular instructor; she was very knowledgeable and able to answer a lot of my questions. 

One of the best tips she gave us was to snip off the budding flowers because, as she put it (while covering the ears of the nearest plants), the plants job is to take over the world. Their job in life is to grow, make seeds and spread them, then die. Not feed humans. But we can trick them into making more delicious greens for us by thwarting their plans by denying them flowers. OR she said, you can let them grow flowers which will attract 'beneficials' (bees and butterflies) who will come in and spread the pollen around. We know their job, I don't have to go into it : )

Anyway, a highly recommended session at Sloat for novice urban veggie growers like myself. Session is free to members, and membership is free. Or pay $5 if you don't want to give them your contact info.

I notice that they have EarthBox sessions coming up at their locations in San Rafael and Mill Valley. Check it out!

What's working, what's not

It's been about a month since my last entry. As was expected some things are going well, others not so well.

The peas are going gang busters. Both the EarthBox peas and the standard container peas. Will need to read up on what's supposed to happen next...

The lettuces from the six packs continue to produce large amounts of very delicious greens. I've harvested twice, about the equivalent of six side salads.  On my most recent harvest I took out enough for four large side salads, easily. I think I will start to harvest once a week now. 

Some of the greens have started to produce flowers, but as you can see in my earlier blog, cutting them is the key to continued output.

Sadly my germinated seeds are not working well since transplanted. I have lost about two thirds of transplants and those that remain are not growing fast at all. I think a couple of forces have contributed to this. 

1. I put way too many seeds per germinating pod, meaning that the sprouts were competing with each other for space and water.

2. I brought them out to harden before the first set of real leaves began to show.

3. The roots didn't show signs of busting out of the germinating pods when I planted them, so maybe I should have removed the outer sacks before planting

4. They are planted almost on top of the pea plants which had a good start on them in terms of root base. Maybe the peas are taking all the good stuff?

I will leave them be and see what happens, but I think I'm just pushing the limits a little too far on the EarthBox.