Extra, Extra! Leggy Legumes Boast Bean!

Well folks, in case any of you were wondering what happens when you plant beans indoors in March, speculate no longer.  You get leggy plants and beans in May.

Yes, I have reaped my first harvest.  I no longer am running the danger of fruitless labor.  I have picked....one bean.

Solar Solanum Planting Day!

Solanum, of course, as in the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and potatoes among other things.  I, however, am referring to tomatoes and peppers, which I planted out today!  But first we'll start with some pictures.  I finally took a picture of my garden plot.  I kept forgetting to bring the camera, and finally tonight I ran back out on a special trip and took some pictures. Here's the one of my garden plot:

A Day of Beautiful Weather

First off, pictures:

The first is of my cuttings setup.  The cuttings need near 100% humidity, so I've wrapped them in plastic and use a misting bottle to keep them moist.  They're under a florescent light in the basement for a cool environment which will keep the foliage alive long enough to allow the buried nodes to root (at least that is the theory.)  The ones on the right are clematis cuttings and I dare say they look as healthy as the day that I cut them, which was nearly a week ago.  The rest of the cuttings are in the window box.  The second picture is the cuttings in the windowbox.  Yes, they look a bit jumbled.  Yes, it is because I, true to form, fell down the stairs while carrying it.  The fact that it didn't dump all over the carpet is a miracle.

Cotyledons, Citrullus, and Cuttings...Oh My!

My Baker Seed seeds are sprouting!  I haven't had a chance to plant any of them in dirt yet, since I've been working crappy shifts the last couple days, but it will definitely happen tomorrow.  I finally FINALLY have some white watermelon seedlings.  After the first packet having 0% germination, I was worried it would be too late to start over...and I'm still not sure if I will end up with ripe melons at the end of the season, but I reeeeeally hope that I can get at least a couple white fleshed watermelons.  It's one of the varieties I'm most excited about.

Two days ago...which would be Friday, I planted out my Scarlet Sweet watermelons and my cantaloupe.  HOPEFULLY we are done with surprise freezes.  I hope to get much more out over the next few days.  All the flowers are outside hardening off.  I really do not want any more legginess, that's for sure.

Also, I've delved into a new area:  cuttings.  My mom and I walked around Arnolds Park with a plastic sack and a scissors, looking for any plants that we might want to have.  Then, I would get out my scissors and snip off a piece.  We returned home with three kinds of lilacs, a rose bush, honeysuckle, and some other things that just "looked neat."  I also got some peony cuttings but I'm doubting that they will do anything with a stem cutting.  We shall see!  I bought some rooting hormone which is supposed to speed things up, and none of the cuttings look like they have completely died yet, so here's hoping.  I'm especially excited about the white French (double) lilac.  By the way, a double bloom happens when all of the stamens (male part of the flower) are converted into petals.  Because of this, double blooms are not able to pollinate themselves.  A semi-double bloom has only some of the stamens as petals.  Will post pictures later.

First ACTUAL Post

Yes, it's a double post day since the first one was just a basic overview.  Here is the first of the actual day-by-day accounts.  I know, it's VERY exciting.

First of all, it's finally supposed to be decent out tomorrow.  As in there might be some sun and temperatures that make sense for mid-May.  I'll be doing some weedeating to help get our campgrounds open for business (which happens the 15th) but I'd love to be able to plant out some things as well.

I have taken all of the solanum (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers) inside seeing how day/night temperatures of 45/33 are not exactly what they thrive in.  They WERE out during the "night of late frost" but on the porch and seemed to survive just fine, however...but better safe than sorry.  The beans, peas, and whatever else is left out there (some melons, until today) actually look fine.  Maybe this cold weather will make them hardy, or maybe they will be stunted and yield nothing.  Who knows.  It's all part of the experiment, I guess.

My Baker Creek seeds came today.  I went on one last ordering spree after the death of all my squash.  I HOPE this is the last of the seeds that I buy O_o  Here's what I got:

White Wonder Cucumber
Ground Cherry
Pea, Golden Sweet
Hungarian Black Pepper
Painted Lady Sweet Pea

Clemson Sweet Okra (freebie!)

Rouge vif D'etampes pumpkin

Ping Tung Eggplant

I've never had okra before so we'll have to see how that goes.  I learned it was part of the hibiscus family, and has ornamental flowers.  It could be interesting.

And last but not least....some pictures.

Baker Creek seeds...in the baggie to germinate.

Some of my flower cups

Gardening Adventure

I've decided to use this as an attempt to keep track of some of the more important aspects of growing these plants, so that if I decide to do it again in the future I have a reference to look back on. I've got a journal that I started by hand, starting April 30th. I'm a bit behind on many plants since they are already well on their way to being full grown, but I guess that will just have to do.

The weather in April was unseasonably nice, and it tricked a lot of people into hastening their garden plants outside. Perhaps "a lot of people" is an overstatement, but it tricked me. I planted out May 1. It's almost as if someone flipped a switch when May started and told the weather to go back to March. Maybe even the last part of February. Yesterday, on May 12th, the high temperature was about 42 degrees. That's just not right.

Needless to say, a frost hit my garden this past weekend. ALL my pumpkins are dead. All of them. I can start some more Howden's, but I have no more Prizewinner seeds left since there were only five in the packet. My unknown variety could probably be started again, but the seeds are four years old.

All the zucchini that I planted are also gone. I planted a dozen, but I still had a couple plants left over and they are relatively quick to start. I don't know if it is late to start zucchini and pumpkins, I'm guessing it probably is, but you live and you learn.

I'm guessing the corn is also croaked but since I planted it just sprouting roots at least I don't have to look at their dead corpses on the ground. Hopefully I have enough seed left.

The brassicae family, of course, held out through the frost.

When it was still in the 70's in April and the sun was still shining on occassion, I took some pictures. Here's the link to the album.

I started planting sometime in early March.

Tomorrow I'll add more about my more recent starts and perhaps a list of varieties.