Veggies Growing outside

Since I live in Georgia it is not covered in a blanket of snow. So I was able to start a few things outside the last week of Feb. and first week of Mar. Above are an assortment of white icicle radishes and regular radishes. I have also planted beets and white egg turnips which aren't shown. They are doing great!
I have attempted carrots again. Finally I was able to get them to start growing. It's so hard to plant them 1 inch apart so it's better to just toss them in and thin later. I think the key with carrots is water! keep them moist until they start to grow well then water normal. If you plant carrot seeds outside when it is warm enough you want to make sure you cover them and keep them watered until they sprout good. Maybe instead of having a row of carrots try many short rows and inch or two apart and then cover them. You can make little row covers by buying the long windowsill pots. a 3 foot one would be good. doesn't have to be a deep one. Cut the bottom of the long pot off and duck tape painters plastic(I love duck tape) so when you flip it upside down on a few rows no more than 3 feet long its a cover with a sky lite. lift only to water when needed. check daily. Once the seeds have sprouted great and look hardy you can remove it and water as needed. Carrots will take when it is still chilly out. Just wait until after the last frost.

Garlic is so easy to grow. Yes these long shoots are Garlic. All you need is a good garlic bulb. Take the bulb apart and plant each garlic clove 3 inches apart and about 1 inch deep. Point side up ruff side down. They take root so quickly.. I understand it takes a long time to grow. At least till the end of summer. If your garlic grows big then starts to yellow and dry out check one to see if its ready. You don't want to leave them in the ground for too long or they will go nasty. use a hand shovel and start at least as far as what the bulb might be wide. Go straight down and then push up the earth to loosen. try to tap off as much dirt as you can. you will need to let them dry and then you should be able to wipe the dirt clean off. If you have many bulbs you can actually braid them together. And hang them in your kitchen. to dry more.

I have already started Potatoes in Buckets since my garden has not been plowed yet. I will be doing more of these when my other potato seed order comes in. This method will be one of a few I will use to grow potatoes. These are Red potatoes. I loved growing them last year. There is nothing like a tater grown at home. My potatoes only travel 50 feet to my kitchen and dinner plate... Most folks taters have frequent flyer miles by the time they eat them. I also have all blue potatoes planted in the ground behind this grow box. I still have about 14 more pounds of potatoes to plant. I think I am going to have to sell them at the farmers market.

I think everyone should grow potatoes. It's so easy. I had 20 plants last year this year I should have about 100.

Seedlings inside

List of what i have started to grow inside:
Two types of tomato, 2 types of eggplant, Jalapeno, cayenne pepper, herbs, Artichoke, leeks, garlic, onion, Asian green bean, Brussel sprouts, zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers.... There is so much I am sure i have forgotten something.

Starting my vegetable garden inside

I've started alot of veggies inside. Some have already been transplanted into larger pots. I have also been creative on using other items around the house to plant in.

These are my leek seedlings. They come up pretty fast inside. I covered mine with a clear shower cap and the other with clear painters plastic. If you start onions of any kind in a round pot you can buy a bag of clear shower/dryer caps from sally's beauty supply. They fit over and snug on any pot not bigger then your head! :) It helps keep them moist>less watering. most of my seedlings and starter pots just get misted with a squirt bottle. when I say misted I mean soaking the soil around the seedling not the plant itself. it doesn't disrupt the seed and new growth as much.... I would just make sure you bottle is big>mine is small and I have to fill it up a lot.



It's 2 weeks to plow time in the garden so I have decided to start a few seeds you would normally sow straight in the ground. I figure I can have veggies that much faster. The day I transplant these I will also start seeds in the ground. These pots have 3 brussel sprout, 2 yellow squash, 2 zucchini and 1 cucumber for pickles... We love Pickles! Yes we do! We made homemade garlic dill pickles last year. They were a hit where ever I took them. Homemade dill pickles are great for fried pickles. YUM! When it gets closer to pickle time I will post my secret pickle recipe. It's super easy and there is no canning involved. Start saving glass jars and lids now though. Any kind will work.. I save sauce jars, glass mayo jars or you can just buy new also.

The 8 pots to the right have globe artichoke growing.. So far it looks like 5 out of 8 will be transplanted. I will be planting them in the far back corner of my garden where the soil retains the most moisture and the weeds and wild things seem to grow like giants. I think they will like there. I will also plant a blueberries and sunflowers back there. Eventually that corner will become the permanent corner for Vegetables and fruit that will produce many seasons. I would love to have more fruit in my garden.

Spring 2010

It's time to start fresh and grow fresh! Now that it's spring I am starting to get the garden itch.. You know what i am talking about. You can't wait to start planting and growing your own food! I started my seeds inside early this year. I am also going to be planting some more permanent vegetable and fruit plants this year. I also have decided to order a wide variety of seed potato. Last years potatoes did very well out in the garden.. Georgia dirt isn't the best. So last year was a "science project" to find out what did and didn't grow so easily. Some vegetables like carrots I have decided to try again. I have learned from my mistakes last year. I also learned that there is a dead zone in my garden which I will not waste my time on this year. It will be the new home for container plants like bucket potatoes. and shovel storage. Maybe next year that is where I will build a raised bed or two. Most of the garden this year will be potatoes but I will be using other growing methods to limit how much space they take up. We are also going to hit the zucchini hard and tomatoes.... It will be a given that I will end up with way to much eggplant, since this seems to grow off the hook out there. Why I don't know???? Odd... I loved the white eggplant but have not been able to find the seeds this year. So I decided to plant seeds from my white eggplant last year... Then I found out it won't likely be white. I had 2 or 3 kinds surrounding it. So we have decided to name it Surprise Eggplant because I don't know what it will look like. This should be interesting. I would also like to try beans this year again. The deer ate a 30 foot row of beans overnight last season. I have decided to grow beans and tomatoes on my front porch instead. I hope this makes it a little harder for the deer. I have declared war on the deer! I will be trying a few make it yourself sprays (organic) for bugs and deer this year. The bugs are horrible. I would also like to raise some Guinea fowl to help keep the bugs under control this year. I know I will ramble on if I don't stop myself :) I will post pics as the vegetables grow.