May 15, 2010 Update

Arugula

The arugula is growing at an incredible rate. We've had one meal already, and there is another meal's worth in the fridge. We've taken to eating it in lieu of lettuce on our hamburgers as it gives a nice little kick. The boys call them mustard greens because they taste a lot like the groniger mustard that we have. We have also stir fried them in a pan with a bit of oil and vinegar which is delicious. We must have at least two varieties as we have both green and purple leaves.

Spinach

The spinach took a bit of a beating from the two inches of snow we got late April, but most of them grew quite well and are approaching being big enough to feed us while sending out more shoots. We're looking forward to eating this stir-fried with a bit of garlic.

Onions

I planted sets this year. About 5 of them were from N's aunt's heirloom onions and the rest were white onions planted from a bag that I got at half price at Canadian Tire because some of them had gone bad. The ones I got from N's aunt I simply picked off the flower of the onion. I never knew that sets came from the flower! Most have come up just fine, though I've had to throw out a lot as well. I'd say I did better than 50% though, which means the deal was worth it. :) This is really my first time growing onions, and I planted quite a bit of them. At first, something (a small mammal, I think, maybe a squirrel in search of bulbs) dug them up and left them strewn about the bed, but I covered it with a bit of chicken wire and they now seem to be doing well. The largest is about 3" tall.

Currants

My black currant bush did very well over the winter and is bearing a good load of fruit already. I also propogated a bunch and they all did well. I stupidly pulled up the plants which weren't opening their buds, only to find them quite alive below the soil. Note to self: don't consider something dead because its leaves aren't out in mid-May. I was able to grow one and give it to a friend, though, so nothing lost.

I bought a red currant bush from Canadian Tire this year too. It was $7.00 which was 50% off of the regular price. I asked for half-off because it looked in very rough shape with at least one broken branch and the manager was very obliging. However, I knew the plant would do well with a bit of compost and a good watering and it is now looking very healthy in my garden. I also put the broken branch into a cup of water and it is now sprouting roots. Here's to two red currant bushes for the price of 1/2!

Peas

I planted about 18 peas this year and 14 have come up, which is a decent germination rate. They're now all about 2" high and doing well. I've been lucky that the slugs have yet to devour them. I did see a small slug (a baby) tonight on my arugula greens which doesn't bode well. We need to get some sharp sand, which we will likely do tomorrow.

Basil, Cilantro

Planted it about 2 weeks ago and it is coming up nicely. It's about 3 cm tall at this point. Very small.

Chives, Oregano,

Coming nicely.

Les Oignons

(click for big)

These are my Red Globe Onions from Greta. If you look closely you'll see that there are about 50 little onion plants there out of a approximately 70 seeds planted. There are more popping up every day, so I'd say the germination rate is very good. I planted them on March 2, and they have been up for about 4 days. I simply stuck them in some potting soil that I had crumbled finely and moistened and placed in a danish package from the grocery store. Not a bad little greenhouse when stuck on the fridge. The key now is to strengthen them up. I'm not sure how to do this, but this blog (seems to be a Canadian from Brantford!) says that you can trim them back to 4-5'' to prevent them from getting too leggy. As you'll note from the pic, that's a concern. I'll wait a few days before taking the snips to them. G&E take note, we sent some of these your way! Get them started ASAP.

Red Globe Onions

Planted March 2, 2009

Germination rate: approx. 67%

Time to germinate: approx. 4-7 days

Concerns: leggy plants

Update (March 15, 2009): There are 48 viable seedlings. They are very thin and fragile after two weeks. Research suggests that I should keep them trimmed to 3'' to thicken the stems.

Update (April 5, 2009): Nicole accidentally killed all my onions by placing the germination tray on the top of the stove while the oven was on. Needless to say, the tender little shoots wilted beyond recognition. I replanted and now they are back at the same stage as the picture above. We might not get good bulbs this year what with being a month behind schedule. But, we'll see. Germination for second round of seeds was over 80% though.