How quickly they grow

My container garden is taking off like wild fire!  Now that the weather is sunny and warm during both day and night, my leafy greens are growing quickly.

Bright Lights rainbow chard after rainstorm

spinach, chard, and garlic chives

This potato plant used to have leaves - darn rabbits!

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the vegetables I planted in the ground.  The zucchini is just barely out of the soil and the chard and potatoes are being nibbled by what I suspect are hungry bunnies.

Potted potato plants - too high for bunnies to munch

Last year, the strawberry plant was nibbled on so much that it never had a chance to bear fruit.  This afternoon, I found it growing among the weeds and was thrilled for the opportunity to try again!  I gently pulled up the weeds around it and then put up a barrier of sticks.  Check it out below!

Defense against rabbits - a fence of sticks and twigs!

the strawberry plant is back!

Another observation of interest: composting worms do not eat seeds.  The "soil" I took from my compost started growing a wild and mysterious blend of curcubits!  It seems as though all the seeds thrown carelessly into the compost bin last fall survived the winter and readily germinated in the warm spring weather.  At first there was one; now there are five or six!  Eventually I will need to thin them - squash plants take up a LOT of space, but for now it is a fun experiment in overcrowding.

Soil from my compost - naturally growing mystery seeds

The saddest story is probably my basil.  It was so healthy when I picked it out at Norman's Farm Market in Bethesda (thank you Irene Jillson!), but begin wilting as soon as I transplanted it.  Two weeks later, it is still looking unhappy.  Does anyone know what is wrong and/or what I might do to remedy the problem?

My poor basil plant has holes and dry patches - what is going on?

The Spinach Is Growing!

sea of spinach sprouts

After 5 days of waiting and below-average air temp, the spinach is growing! Much celebration - So glad I didn't fail as a gardener this spring!

baby potato plant

I'm also impressed by the seed potatoes - they took right off once I put them into nutrient-dense soil.

Motherly Worries

This is something that every new gardener experiences: the fear that my seeds will not sprout!

I optimistically planted my seeds this past weekend, assuming the weather would continue to be sunny and temperatures continue to rise.  Incorrect assumption.  The last four days have been both cold and rainy.  Not the kind of weather that entices seeds to germinate.  I'm concerned that the seeds will either wash away in the rain or succumb to mold...

On a positive note, the Swiss chard sprouts survived transplanting - so at least I will have something to harvest this year!

Worm Babies!

My worms are having babies!  I am so excited!

Three worm eggs - the future of my compost bin!

I dug into my compost bin today to "fluff up" the dense, compacted material at the bottom of the bin.  As I aerated the dark, black soil, I found several of these little, oval-shaped capsules.  Suspecting they might be worm eggs, I ran inside and watched Uncle Jim's youtube video about composting worms (see min 8:12).  According to Uncle Jim, who confirmed my suspicions, these little eggs can hold as many as 20 baby red worms!

Spring is here! Time for planting!

I returned from my topical vacation to Maui to find spring in full-force.  Everything is in bloom around my house.  So many colors! I can't go outside without feeling inspired.  And hoping to inspired others, too.

As part of the Northern District Virginia Dietetic Association (NDVDA), I am helping Franconia Elementary School start a school yard garden.  I met with the Student Council Association (SCA), recently, to get them rev'd up about the garden and jump-start their service learning project: creating shade maps!  The student representatives from each grade (~30 students, ages 8 - 13) will determine the best location to build raised beds next spring.

On my way home from the meeting, I visited the local garden center, Nalls Produce, and met Sue Brinner, a former high school teacher from Illinois who has helped other schools implement gardens.  We chatted for about 20 minutes and she has agreed to help with the project!  She also talked me into some beautiful rainbow chard sprouts and I added a Yukon Gold seed potato, to try out something new.

When I got home, I opened my my compost bin, expecting to find decaying, freeze-dried worms.  Instead, I found healthy, live worms and sprouting seeds!  Not sure how things grow in there without direct sunlight.  Nature always finds a way.

The VA Cooperative Extension recommends planting after April 20 in this region, but I waited until today (May 4) to plant because it's been getting cold at night the past couple weeks and I want to give my little seeds and seedlings the best chance at survival.

I am trying out something new this year: containers!  I have garlic chives, spinach, chard and potatoes in pots (portable, in case I move this summer).  The extra chard and potatoes, I planted in the ground.  It will be an experiment to see what grows best, where.

"Bright Lights" rainbow chard

Since the zucchini did so well last year, I planted another round of that, too.  It's in the same location as last year, so I expect it to do well.  Unfortunately, I cannot plant zucchini in a container to take with me because it spreads out and takes up so much room.  Same story for pumpkins.