Monday, August 20, 2012

Gardening Update - Zucchini and seed starts


Seed starts and plants ready for transplant


My zucchini plant, a lot bigger than it was in the August 13 post


Strawberries!


Folly's First Beet

I started the beet seed in a biodegradable pellet made from fiber, not peat, which is apparently the eco-friendly thing to do. According to the package the demand for peat is negatively affecting the peat bogs. I didn't even know that was a problem. You can read more at saveourpeatbogs.com. I guess we are supposed to be using coir instead, which is the outer husks of the coconut.

I am learning so much.

The, uh, greenhouse thing I ordered should arrive today so I'll be able to get a lot of those plants in the Mel's Mix. For fall I have seeds for carrots, beets, and kale and I am very excited--probably more than I should be about helping along a natural process.

Also it is probably too late in the season but I found this great post about growing zucchinis in containers, complete with info about hand-pollinating the flowers. I think I might give it a try.

2 comments:

Elizabeth Twist said...

Awesome. This is so exciting! I've dedicated part of my summer to figuring out which of the weeds growing in my garden are edible (a lot of them). Lamb's quarters is more nutritious than spinach: who knew? I may have already mentioned this on one of your previous gardening posts because I'm semi-jealous of your zucchini plants.

Folly Blaine said...

Elizabeth: How interesting. I hadn't thought to research edible weeds. That would've saved me some trouble. :) I'm going to plant the zucchini in a bigger container today and see how long I can keep it alive. The weather in Seattle is already showing signs of getting cooler so I may have waited too late in the season.