It is so sad when the hostess can't come up with a harvest to show off. But I've got nothing. I'm leaving on a two week trip to Costa Rica and Panama and I've been working on eating up everything in my fridge and trying to eat up the spinach in the freezer. I now have only two packets of spinach left in the freezer so I did well on that front.
Which is good because the spinach outside is looking great. I think it has even started growing again. I'm hoping when I get back there will be a lot of new growth and I can pick. It would be so much earlier than usual, but I'll be happy to be eating freshly picked spinach again.
There are many seedlings I should have planted to get a head start, but this year because of my trip I decided to just plant onion seedlings. The rest are being pushed back to when I get home. My townhouse mates are taking care of them when I'm gone. I figured the onions were pretty easy as seedlings go. The aren't prone to things like damping off so they shouldn't cause problems. The hard part is telling when to water. Over watering is bad and so is under watering. Hopefully they have the idea of when to do it. They wanted a schedule so they knew when to do it, but as they grow it gets closer and closer together as the plants get bigger. You have to look at the soil to figure it out.
Obviously I won't be here for the next two Harvest Mondays, but I'll have the posts scheduled and you all can have fun without me. Hopefully Blogger will be working and the posts will come up on time.
Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.
Your onion seedlings look really strong Daphne! I hope everything survives OK while you are away. This week I continued to harvest late summer crops - a good variety, but particularly beans and eggplant.
ReplyDeleteSorry for leaving the link twice. Wow! A Trip to Costa Rica and Panama. Sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful vacation! Enjoy yourself and don't worry about your seedlings!
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip. Your onion seedlings are so healthy looking so do the spinach.
ReplyDeleteMy spinach is growing well too. I have 3 different beds with spinach in them so they should last a while. Have fun on your trip!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice trip!
ReplyDeleteNo harvests for me either but I do have seedlings.
Those are good looking onion seedlings and the spinach patch is looking healthy and ready to spring into growth. Have a great trip and enjoy yourself!
ReplyDeleteThank you again for the great idea about Harvest Monday! Great onions! Do you trim them?
ReplyDeleteYes I do trim them every couple of weeks. They want to be about 8" tall right now, but that is way too high and they get floppy.
DeleteThe trip sounds good, I have been to Central America a few times, you're going to love it. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great trip.
ReplyDeleteYour onions look great! I'm sure they'll do just fine while you're gone! Have a phenomenal trip!
ReplyDeleteI know you'll have a blast! You spinach is looking fantstic, as are your onions. Thanks for thinking of us- you know we will be thinking about you while you are on such a fabulous trip!
ReplyDeleteWow! Have a wonderful trip. We've traveled quite a bit in Costa Rica, but haven't made it over the border to Panama - hope to someday!
ReplyDeleteLooks like your germination rate is far better than mine. I can't imagine growing spinach without a cold frame in eastern Massachusetts! Indeed, an unusual winter.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't grow much over the winter, but you can over winter it without a cold frame. I did it last winter with no protection at all and that was a normally cold winter (though there was a lot of snow to keep them covered).
DeleteWow, I think you started your onion seed about the same time I did and I have had to start over. Lost a lot of them the the others just aren't growing. What are you feeding them?
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip.
So far they haven't been fed. The soil mix I use has a lot of compost and organic fertilizer mixed in already (Vermont Compost Company Fort V). I never fertilize unless I keep seedlings in there for a long time. Onions occasionally get some fish emulsion since they are in their blocks for so long, but that stuff smells vial. I try not to, but will if they start to look yellow. I think they are about 6 weeks old right now. I'll harden them off as soon as I get home, so they will be in the ground by week 9. I put the lights on for 12 hours a day since they are long day onions I don't want to give them too long of a day. And when they go out it will be close to the equinox, so 12 hours seems right.
DeleteYour onion seedlings look great! Growing my own onions from seeds has been on my list for a while but I never seem to get to it on time and end up having to buy instead. Oh Well! Maybe next year!
ReplyDeleteYour onion seedlings look terrific. Yes so hard for non-gardeners to figure out how much to water. That is why I decided I'm staying home this year to concentrate on the garden; it looks way to sad when I come home from vacation in the summer time.
ReplyDeleteOh Costa Rica, how fun! I understand there are number of permaculture projects there. I know I've seen a couple of blogs, but can't remember the name, darn it.
I wonder if we go near any of the permaculture places. It is with a tour group on the National Geographic Sea Lion (small ship), so I can't make my own itinerary. My husband gets annoyed that I won't travel in April and May. But other than that I just go. I try to work my planting around my trips. In the summer I'm usually fine since the garden takes care of itself for the most part. We usually get at least enough rain to keep the plants alive if not thriving.
DeleteYour travel plans sound great - I know the feeling of them interfering with seed starting! And weeding... And harvesting... And watering...
ReplyDeleteHave fun on your travels! Your onions always look so wonderful. I wish mine would behave.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice trip!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely holiday - I'd love to visit central American one day so very jealous.
ReplyDeleteYour trip sounds fantastic, have a great time!
ReplyDeleteYour spinach and onion babies look nice. Have a wonderful trip and take lots of pics!
ReplyDeleteI just spent wayyy too much money on spinach today. I do have trouble growing it. Yours looks great, I agree.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I was wondering if you would share a tutorial on your soil blocks. I would love to add it to my seed starting post from this week. I appreciate your suggestions.
Stevie
I have a three part article up about making and using soil blocks at http://www.squidoo.com/seed-starting-in-soil-blocks
Deletehttp://www.pottingblocks.com/ has a lot of info.
DeleteFrom my own writing:
http://daphnesdandelions.blogspot.com/2011/03/making-soil-blocks.html
Since I'm leaving I can't do a tutorial now. I might have some time for it over the next couple of months though. It is about to be busy time in the garden :>
The spinach looks great I am jealous! When did you plant the spinach? I am assuming you didn't protect it at all.
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't protect it at all. I planted it last year around the beginning of September. I was hoping for fall spinach, but I didn't cover it so the leaf miners got into it and made a mess. But a lot survived anyway and now it is growing well.
DeleteI´m happy to have found somewhere to share what our lovely garden gives us! Greetings from mexico!
ReplyDeleteclau
http://handmadeconamor.blogspot.com
Your vegetables look great!
ReplyDeleteYour onion seedlings look great! Mine are not nearly as big. I'm sure that the inconsistent natural lighting in the green room has something to do with this. But I'm sticking to your advice about not giving them too much light supplemental light. I think I'll have to rig some grow lights when I start my other seeds.
ReplyDelete