Harvesting has begun!

Garden Update

Two months ago I transplanted the little seedlings into the garden. Now, the garden is in full swing and I am finally getting fresh produce! The first plants to grow enough to pick was the red leaf lettuce. It shot right up! I started picking it before it was huge, but I had a few nice salads and fresh lettuce on sandwiches and in tacos. So tasty! The rest of the plants (including rainbow chard, spinach, carrots, onions, chives, oregano, cilantro, squash, cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, and strawberries) have also become pickable in the last couple weeks.

The day after we originally planted everything Jasmine got into it and ran around tearing plants out of their homes. I was not pleased, to say the least. I don’t remember being so mad at her! We ended up having to replant the chard (luckily we had some backups already sprouted) and start some spinach again from seeds. Also a couple squash/zucchini plants fell victim to her rampage, we had to replant a couple. Not quite sure what is what as far as the squash/zucchini/cucumber. We didn’t label very well as we planted and they all look the same so far!

The rainbow swiss chard is looking very colorful, it's a nice addition to the garden. Unfortunately, it seems the bugs are liking it as well. It seems to be the only plans that is getting munched on, we'll have to figure out something to do about that! It is definitely pretty with the bright pinks, yellows, and reds!

Last night I picked the first zucchini. One of the replanted zucchini plants took off! It is loving it’s corner spot in the garden and the leaves are towering over the side and there are more little zucchinis starting! I hope the other plants are an array of squash and cucumbers…even if they all turn out to be the same I will eat it up!

The tomato plant are all flowering, hopefully they start fruiting soon! I need to get a few more cages to put over them, I only had 2 left over from last year. I thought I’d have time before they were needed but now that time has come and I need to support the plants very soon.



Carrots



Carrots are starting to pop up as well! The top of one is sticking out of the ground and their greens are getting thick above ground. I wonder when it will be time to harvest? It says carrots take a while, like 70+ days…that’s a long time to wait for a few carrots! I want them now!!! Those and the onions…not quite sure how to tell if they are ready or not, do you just pick them after a certain length of time and hope for the best? Or are there signs to look for??



Strawberries

Everything is thriving, especially my monstrosity of an oregano plant! It is HUGE! I guess I need to cook with it more or cut it back a bunch and freeze it. I may try freezing some herbs with olive oil like I’ve seen all over the internet. Seems like a smart idea… I’ll report back once I try it out. Overall, I’m glad to say the garden is going amazing and I cant wait for more fresh eats!

Also newest addition: chocolate peppers! I bought one plant at the farmers market to try it out and see if we like it. No, it won't taste like chocolate, so I was told, but it is a sweet pepper like a red/yellow/orange. It gets its name from the dark purplish/brownish color. Bring a little variety into the garden. :)



Beans