frost on the lettuce

We’ve had a generally warmer-than-usual winter again this year, but at least we’ve had a little bit of snow and more than a couple frosty mornings. I did a hideously bad job of getting in-focus close-ups during this photo shoot, probably because it was really cold out and I neglected to properly bundle up before heading out.

frost on lettuce

I’m semi-embarrassed to even post this photo, because it is evidence of me being too lazy to put all the patio containers in the garage this year. But the frost on these teensy lettuce leaves (which are, yes, encased in ice – more evidence of my laziness since I neglected to dump out the water that accumulated after the previous thaw) was too neat not to share.

frost on the clover

The clover was really neat looking, too.

frost on a Morning Glory seed pod

And my favorite shot: a morning glory seed pod with frost on it, and the neat pattern the frost made on the black fence. Even the little hairs on the morning glory vine have teensy bits of frost on! This is where my laziness is rewarded – theoretically I should have cleared away all the morning glory vines, but I never quite finished that task before winter arrived.

lettuce decide

Earlier this summer, I planted some lettuce seeds in one of the patio containers. It was really too late and too hot to be planting lettuce, but I scattered some seeds there just in case. The summer then turned REALLY hot, and there was no chance at all that lettuce seeds would germinate, but lo and behold now that it’s cooler, they’re sprouting!

lettuce

Though this next photo doesn’t really tell you anything additional about the lettuce, I love it because there are two wee critters trying to photobomb.

lettuce

Salad as a Meal

Salad as a Meal You don’t win friends with salad, but with this book you might find that you have some satisfying options for using up all the lettuce growing in your garden. There are a lot of salads here that will satisfy meat-eaters, but there are a number of vegetarian options, too, and best of all most of the recipes include just a handful of ingredients, so they’re realistic as well as mouth-watering. My post over at CPL has more.

more sprouts

The seeds are still starting!

The lettuces are really doing nicely. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to resist these sweet little greens – I may have to sneak a few leaves into a salad pretty soon.

lettuces

This cracked me up – apparently I dropped a seed or two into the bottom of the tray and they’re growing right from there, just in the water and the few grains of soil that spilled in there as well.

a seed escaped and is growing in the bottom of the tray

This Emerald Giant Pepper is the coolest shape! Gorgeous.

Emerald Giant Pepper

The Bloomsdale Long-Standing Spinach that sprouted first is getting to look like a real plant. How cool is the contrast between the different types of leaves?

Bloomsdale Long-Standing Spinach

I had a bunch of seeds for Bellflower Tussock that I meant to spread around outside directly in the garden last fall, but forgot. So I thought, why not try starting some? It’s sprouting like crazy! Note: these seeds are tiny, so I was pretty liberal in how many I put in each container.

Bellflower Tussock

The Sugar Baby Watermelon is sprouting, too! I wasn’t sure how these would do, but they seem to be doing just fine.

Sugar Baby Watermelon

I sowed more seeds last week, so I’m now using five out of the six trays and all three tiers of the shelving unit. This leaves me one tray left to fill as we get closer to the last frost date, and then I’ll have more room in the tray that currently contains lettuce, when I move that out. Overall I have to say that I’m very pleased with this whole set-up. It is working even better than I had hoped!

seed starting setup aglow -now using all three tiers

veg

I returned from ALA to find that the veg gardens are growing by leaps and bounds! So are the weeds, of course, and this morning I spent some time listening to podcasts of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me and clearing out of a bunch of those.

back yard

fence-side bed

I was thrilled to find cucumbers and squash:

early russian cucumber

baby pam squash

buttercup squash

There are also some green tomatoes, which I didn’t manage to take any photos of. I ripped out the remaining pea vines and gave up on the beans (I planted some seeds left over from last year, and they never got any taller than about eight inches).

main veg bed

I’ve also got garlic and lettuce and potatoes that are ready to go or will be soon. Hooray for growing your own food!

Finally, look how cute Logan is:

Logan on the back patio

Awww.

More photos on Flickr.

veggie seeds

I’ve been working on what I want to plant in the veggie beds this year. For some of these, I need to narrow it down – if you’ve tried any of these or have other recommendations, I’d love to hear them.

Beans

Blue Lake Snap Bush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) : 15-18″ : 55-60 days
blue lake snap bush bean
from Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Gold Rush Bush Bean (Phaselous vulgaris) : 16-20″ : 50-55 days
gold rush bush bean
from Seeds of Change

Haricot Vert “Maxibel” Snap Bush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) : 20-24″ : 50-55 days
haricot vert maxibel
from Seeds of Change

Roc D’Or Yellow Wax Bean (Phaseolus vugaris) : 16-20″ : 55-60 days
roc d'or
from Seeds of Change

Royalty Purple Podded Snap Bush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) : 12-20″ : 50-55 days
royalty purple
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Envy Soya/Soybean [Edamame] : 80 days
envy soya
from Seed Savers, Baker Creek

Broccoli

Calabrese (Brassica oleracea) : 18-28″ : 2-6″ head : 60-90 days
calabrese
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Romanesco Italia : 75-100 days
romanesco
from Seed Savers, Baker Creek

Cabbage

Farao F-1 Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) : 2.5-3.5 lb : 60-65 days
Farao F-1 Cabbage
from Seeds of Change

Red Express Cabbage : (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) : 2-4 lb : 60-70 days
from Seeds of Change

Early Jersey Wakefield : 2 lb : 70 days
early jersey
from Seed Savers, Baker Creek

Carrots

Japanese Imperial Long (Daucus carota var. sativus) : 10-24″ : 90-100 days
Japanese Imperial Long Carrot
from Seeds of Change

Oxheart (Daucus carota var. sativus) : 4-5″ : 65-75 days
oxheart
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change

St. Valery : 10-12″ : 70 days
st valery
from Seed Savers, Baker Creek

Celery

French Dinant (Apium graveolens) : 12-18″ : 85-110 days
from Seeds of Change

Tendercrisp (Apium graveloens)
from Baker Creek

Corn

Sugar Pearl F-1 Sweet Corn (Zea mays) : 6-7′ : 70-75 days
sugar pearl sweet corn
from Seeds of Change

True Gold Sweet Corn (Zea mays) : 6′ : 70-80 days
true gold sweet corn
from Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Cucumber

Mideast Prolific (Cucumis sativus) : 5-7″ : 50-60 days
mideast prolific
from Seeds of Change

Early Russian (Cucumis sativus): 55 days
early russian
from Baker Creek

Lettuce

Maruba Santoh (Brassica Rapa) : 18″
Maruba Santoh
from Seeds of Change

New York Head (Lactuca sativa) : 10-12″ : 3-4lbs : 80-85 days
New York head
from Seeds of Change

Red Iceberg (Lactuca sativa) : 8-10″ : 60-65 days
red iceberg
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change

Barcarole (Lactuca sativa) : 10-12″ : 70-75 days
barcarole
from Seeds of Change

Iceberg Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
from Baker Creek

Rouge Grenobloise (Lactuca sativa)
from Baker Creek

Melons

Blenheim Orange Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) : 2 lbs : 80-90 days
Blenheim Orange
from Seeds of Change

Charentais Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) : 1.5-2.5 lbs : 80-90 days
charentais
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Sugar Baby Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) : 10-20 lbs : 60-65 days
sugar baby
from Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Sierra Gold Melon (Cucumis melo) : 3lb : 85 days
from Baker Creek

Peas

Sugar Snap (Pisum sativum) : 4-5′ : 60-70 days
sugar snap
from Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Golden Sweet Pea (Pisum sativum) : 6′ vines
golden sweet
from Seed Savers, Baker Creek

Peppers

Sweet Yankee Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) : 18-24″ : 75-85 days
sweet yankee bell pepper
from Seeds of Change

Jalapeno (Capsicum annuum) : 24-30″ : 65-75 days
jalapeno
from Seeds of Change

Numex Conquistador (Capsicum annuum) : 18-24″ : 70-80 days
numex conquistador
from Seeds of Change

Peruvian Purple (Capiscum frutescens) : 16-24″ : 85-95 days
peruvian purple
from Seeds of Change

Paprika Alma (Capiscum frutescens) : 16-24″ : 75-85 days
alma
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change

Purple Beauty Bell (Capiscum frutescens) : 18-24″ : 70-80 days
Purple Beauty
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Red Belgian (Capsicum annum)
red belgian
from Baker Creek

Potatoes

Desiree potato (Solanum tuberosum) : 95-100 days
desiree potato
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change

Banana potato (Solanum tuberosum) : 95-100 days
banana potato
from Seeds of Change

Spinach

Bloomsdale (Raphanus bipinnatus) : 16″ : 50-55 days
bloomsdale
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Squash and Pumpkins

Black Beauty Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) : 5-8″ : 50-55 days
black beauty zucchini
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Buttercup (Cucurbita maxima) : 3-5lbs : 95-105 days
buttercup
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Jack-O-Lite (Cucurbita pepo) : 8-15 lbs : 90 days
jackolite
from Seeds of Change

Sunflowers

Evening Sun (Helianthus annuus) : 4-6″ flowers : 6-10′ : 95-105 days
evening sun
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Tarahumara White Shelled (Helianthus annuus) : 7-10′ : 85-100 days
tarahumara
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Tomatoes

Chadwick Cherry Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) : 1.5 oz : 80-90 days
chadwick
from Seeds of Change, Baker Creek

Black Krim Slicing Tomtato (Lycopersicon esculentum) : 10-12 oz : 85-90 days
black krim
from Seed Savers, Seeds of Change, Baker Creek