Well, actually, we have been harvesting herbs and lambsquarters for our salads for a while now -- but I am still very excited!
Our one little bean plants has several baby green beans and signs of more on the way!
It's a pity that only one really made it to this stage, but I am very glad at least this one did. Maybe next year I'll have better luck with peas and beans. It seems like they didn't much enjoy being transplanted.
Then again, a couple of years ago, I transplanted zucchini and got GOBS of squash.
This year, I planted dozens but the jury is still out on whether the one remaining plants will make it.
The others never made it to being transplanted.We also have baby cauliflowers in two of the four plants -- and they look mighty happy in there! I have hopes that the other two (which were planted a week later) will catch up eventually -- and if so, this works out perfectly. Having them staggered means not getting our only four caulies all in one day.
I am coming to believe that cabbage and cauliflower, while not difficult, are so space intensive that they are unlikely to be things I get to the point of being able to supply for our own table all summer. That's a pity, because home grown are just amazing!
And, of course, out tomato plants are beginning to show fruit. It'll be a while before they're ready to eat -- but it's so encouraging to see payoff for all the work.
No sign of any squashes or eggplants yet.
Even the early cabbages are a ways off, but it's clear that we'll be eating them too.
I do have one question, though ...
I notice that the compost I started laying last week has been "disappearing" in the course of the week.
That suggests that it's actually breaking down and nourishing the soil much more quickly than I had thought possible.
Does that mean it's worth arm wrestling the tomato plants to supplement them, too?
(I thought the compost was mainly going to help keep the soil moist this year and would break down and act as a supplement next year.
The tomatoes are so close they don't need to be mulched. But maybe it's worth doing it anyway if it breaks down fast enough to be a real nutrient.
What do you real gardeners think?
Well, for one, I think that *you* are a real gardener.
ReplyDeleteCompost does seem to nourish plants immediately. I wouldn't hestitate to put it on top of the soil where your tomatoes are growing. I haven't seen compost disappear the way you describe. I think it could wash away if there's rain or if you water the garden in a way that causes water to run off it into the sewers or rivers. But more likely it is indeed getting into the soil and nourishing the plants.
Which reminds me that I should have already been adding compost around my plants, but I'd forgotten.