Garden Update | Week 4

It was a balmy 40 degrees outside today. I’m not letting the cool weather stop me and have managed to get a jump on a garden this year turning my kitchen into a stand-in greenhouse.

Today, I decided to replant the overgrown lettuce in my Bounty Elite Aerogarden and started 8 pods of various heirloom lettuces including Deer Tongue, Red Sails, and Black Seeded Simpson. In the last pod, I transplanted my chives from my Aerogarden Farm Plus as it was being overcrowded by my humongous basil plant.

I finally transplanted the first seeds, various tomatoes plants, I started in the Jiffy peat pellets to bigger 3″ peat pots. I should have transplanted them several weeks ago and I think I starved them for nutrients leaving them in the pellets too long causing the leaves to turn yellow slightly. I will just have to see how they do.

In my Aerogarden Farm Plus, the dill and basil are out of control and I need to get them cut and preserved somehow. I’ve tried to preserve herbs before in a dehydrator with no luck, so this time I might try freezing them. My two cherry tomatoes plants are growing and have blossoms on them; however, I am seeing a lot of curled and discolored leaves. What I have concluded from some research is this might be a nutrition deficiency, and while I’m following the recommended nutrient schedule, I might need to up the amount a bit.

What I’m most excited about are the seeds I started in the Farm XL seed starting system a few weeks ago just kind of messing around. I started cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, and Brussel sprouts and they are actually doing really well. I’m worried that they will get too big and tangled before I can get them into the garden. I just received my seed order from Baker Creek Seed Company and started those seeds yesterday in the seed starting system. I can’t wait to see peppers, tomatoes, and some luffa grouds starting to pop up!

Now, if I could get the weather to warm up enough to get some stuff in the ground outside…

Starting Seeds with my Aerogarden

I recently splurged and purchased an Aerogarden Farm Plus, which I put together on the kitchen table (…my kitchen really isn’t big enough for it, but neither is anywhere else in the house). The Farm Plus has two growing bays. In one side, I’ve planted a herb kit with basil, dill, and cilantro and two cherry tomatoes plants that I plan to keep in the Aerogarden system. In the other bay, I’m trying out the seed starting tray which allows you to start 85 seedlings at one time.

Goose and I found some older seeds in the house and decided to play around and see what would sprout. We planted tomatoes, peppers, swiss chard, Brussel sprouts, eggplants, zucchini, and cucumbers. Unfortunately, none of the tomatoes and peppers germinated (I think the seeds were just too old and had not been stored properly). What did sprout was every. single. eggplant, zucchini, and cucumber. Not only did they sprout, but they have become quite large seedings in a very short period of time. I am working to get them transplanted into 3″ Jiffy Pots.

This is the first time I have had any success with starting seeds. I’m afraid that I have started too early and these plants are going to be too big to manage before I can get them into the garden, especially since I don’t have a greenhouse to move them too.

I purchased another round of grow sponges and some new tomatoes and pepper seeds. I’m going to start them this weekend.

Please send your eggplant, zucchini, and cucumber recipes.