Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional gardener. In all honesty, I have basic knowledge at best and next zero practical experience. This is simply me chronicling my adventures in vegetable gardening!
Phew, it's been a little while since I posted a Veg Patch update! And boy is this going to be a big (ish) update. In my last entry The Veg Patch Diaries: Entry 03 I planted seeds, and onions, and was reminded the hard way that I am very susceptible to sunburn.
Since then I also had to figure out a bit of a DIY solution to keep my very thirsty but thriving spinach plants from wilting on the very hot days we are currently having. To see how I did that you can look at DIY Self-Watering from Recycled Bottles.
Now in this post, I will give you a full overview of what I have been up to since the last Veg Patch Diaries entry.
Naughty Birds!
At least I assume the culprit to be birds. I am pretty suspicious of the Olive Thrush pair that lives in our area in particular, as I have seen them around my seedling trays. What are they guilty of? Foraging for insects right inside my seed trays!
Look at the holes! Naughty naughty!
On the one hand, having them around is good, because they tend to eat any insect 'pests' that pose a danger to my veggies. On the other hand, they kept disturbing my plant babies. I had intended on waiting a little longer before planting out these little seedlings but was afraid I may not have seedlings to plant if I delayed much longer. One little radish seedling had almost been completely lifted out of his dirt bed. Talk about a rough start.
Beetroot and Cherry Radishes
Fearing my little seedlings might not survive the constant foraging in their small trays, I decided to make the leap and plant them out. I don't have any pots large enough to accommodate root vegetables so I had to plant them directly into the ground.
First I prepared the ground by loosening the soil and removing as many stones as I came across. Stones may impede the growth of root vegetables, so you want them out of the way. You also want to space them apart at a reasonable distance for the same reason. I made use of the self-watering bottles in the center of the bed to help keep the seedlings watered during the hot days.
The seedlings all planted in their new home!
Naughty Dogs!
Okay, that is an overreaction. It's not that they were trampling the poor seedlings intentionally. More like they were completely oblivious to the fact that seedlings even existed. So we acquired these little wire fences. Initially, we only put them around the seedlings.
Seedlings safe for now!
But, after reviewing the situation, we decided they were cheap enough and look a lot better if we simply cordoned off the entire bedding. So the following day we got a few extra of these little fences. Installing them is really easy and took about 10-15 minutes.
Sure, the dogs could easily jump over it if they really wanted to, but that would require effort. An effort that would not be expended unless there was something worthwhile on the other side for them. It is also low enough that I am easily able to step over the fence and go about my way inside the garden bed itself.
All fenced off and safe from accidental trampling while getting a drink.
Growth Update
The onions in the pots seem to be doing better than the ones in the ground. Probably do to better water retention. The ones in the ground also suffered some trampling and bird raids. But overall they appear to be doing well.
Onion growth update!
I moved the lettuce to a more shaded area of the garden so that they do not get as much sun. I was noticing yellowing leaves and after some research narrowed it down to two possibilities, too much sun, or too much water. Since moving them, and lowering the amount of water I provide, they appear to be doing better.
Lettuce and rocket seedlings.
I still have three tiny rocket seedlings left in the tray. The birds continue their raids, but I am pretty sure that if I attempt to transplant them at such a tender point in their growth they will not make it.
The spinach has been doing exceptionally well and so has the parsley. It seems like I will be able to get a taste sooner than I thought!
Spinach and parsley.
Up Ahead
My next plans for the veg patch involve replacing the water bottles I currently have supplying the seedlings with different ones. They have too many holes and drain too quickly. So I would like to get slightly bigger ones and make fewer holes this time.
I have also noticed a lot of things sprouting up in the bed and pots that need to come out. So weeding will also have to happen this week. I want to get to that sooner rather than later. The longer I wait, the more difficult the task will become as those plants get deeper roots.
I am also considering planting some more beetroot and radish seedlings directly into the garden bed to see how they fare. Here is a bonus photo of the baby beetroot and baby cherry radish. And yes, I did cover the peeking radish after I took the photo.
Baby beetroot and baby radish.
Thanks!
As always, thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my ramblings. There you go @zakludick and @lex-zaiya, my veg patch update for the week!
Credits:
- Photos by me;
- Canva for helping me make the photos look pretty.
