I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to take a break from the tedious chronological format that I've taken up and jump right to the present day. There's still a lot that I want to cover from April and early May, including my grow light, the construction of the tipsy pots, and transplanting the seedlings - but everything is always more exciting as it is happening! I marvel at authors who can conjure up the emotions of events long-past with the freshness of today (I'm thinking of you, Kristin Kimball, of The Dirty Life). But I believe that these posts will be much more interesting if I write them as they occur and take short side trips into the garden set-up.
Today was fertilizer day. I've read that supplying good soil nutrients is even more important when the amount of sunlight a plant receives is limited, so I'm reassured of my original plan to fertilize every two weeks. Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer had been recommended in one of the books that I'd read, and it was available at my local hardware store. Next time I'll opt for the formula that includes seaweed, but so far I'm pleased. It's also a low nitrogen fertilizer; if overused, nitrogen will encourage leaf and stem growth, but not fruit bearing. Since I added blood meal (high in nitrogen) at the beginning of the season, this fertilizer is perfect. My mom's worry that it would make the herbs taste like fish, especially with foliar feeding, turned out to be groundless. Of course, I do have to make sure not to get the fertilizer/water mixture on my clothes or skin if I'm going anywhere - it does make them smell like fish!
It's amazing how much everything has grown. When I get frustrated by how slowly things seem to be progressing, the pictures I've taken bring everything back into perspective. The potatoes, especially, have taken off in the past six weeks!
The potatoes on the left are Yukon Gold, and the ones on the right are Red Pontiac - I've since discovered that the reds, at least, are fairly heat tolerant. Thank goodness, since we've had a crazily hot spring! They are planted in a mixture of peat moss and compost, and the containers are chicken wire on top of a weed prevention fabric.
I can't wait to share more pictures of how the plants are growing. I'm still battling a lack of sun, slugs, a million tiny weeds, and a mole digging mazes in my peas, but I love every minute that I spend in my garden.
Today was fertilizer day. I've read that supplying good soil nutrients is even more important when the amount of sunlight a plant receives is limited, so I'm reassured of my original plan to fertilize every two weeks. Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer had been recommended in one of the books that I'd read, and it was available at my local hardware store. Next time I'll opt for the formula that includes seaweed, but so far I'm pleased. It's also a low nitrogen fertilizer; if overused, nitrogen will encourage leaf and stem growth, but not fruit bearing. Since I added blood meal (high in nitrogen) at the beginning of the season, this fertilizer is perfect. My mom's worry that it would make the herbs taste like fish, especially with foliar feeding, turned out to be groundless. Of course, I do have to make sure not to get the fertilizer/water mixture on my clothes or skin if I'm going anywhere - it does make them smell like fish!
It's amazing how much everything has grown. When I get frustrated by how slowly things seem to be progressing, the pictures I've taken bring everything back into perspective. The potatoes, especially, have taken off in the past six weeks!
I can't wait to share more pictures of how the plants are growing. I'm still battling a lack of sun, slugs, a million tiny weeds, and a mole digging mazes in my peas, but I love every minute that I spend in my garden.
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