Rain, Rain...Grow Away!!!

As soon as it started raining last week, my veggies took off. They have been getting plenty of winter sun, but this is my winter crop, they don't LOVE sun, the LOVE water. So as you can imagine, they are pretty content with the current cloud burst. Here is what the garden is looking like, 5 weeks after laying the seed, with the exception of the artichoke. It came up from last years failed transplant from my ex-neighbors yard that never survived, I guess the roots did!

Totally new to me, Artichokes!

Radishes

Spinach

Kohlrabi!!!!

Growing into Swiss Chard, I missed you last season!

Pea trellis'

Carrots growing between the peas

A whole new crop of Arugula! 

Spinach

Yummy lettuce

Elephant Garlic, started with one of last years bulbs

Red Onions 

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Germinating 5 varieties of heirloom of tomatoes from seed 

The Waiting Game

All the hard work is done. I prepped the beds with worm and chicken poo. Tilled last years mulch under. Cleared out all the old dead plants from last year and thew them into the new hot compost pile. And laid the seed for my winter crop. Planted about 15 different patches of vegetables altogether.

It's been awfully warm around these parts, we have not had a cold or wet winter at all. Although my water bill does not appreciate this, it also makes for rapid seed germination. It's the waiting game at this point.

Ready. Set. Grow.

Most of the seed packs I used for Winter, not including potatoes, onions, peas and beans

Swiss chard

Pea trellis

Pea sprouts

Baby Carrots

Kohlrabi

Stella Bell the Duck

Radish

New gardening station/germination sun table for this warm winter. Germinating tomatoes for March transplant. 

Artichoke

New compost hot pile this year: All food scraps but meat and dairy, Stella's straw soiled bedding and grass clippings

Photobomb.

Side bed, arugula seedlings at base

Back yard raised bed

5 Elephant garlic, used the ones I grew last year to propagate new ones for this season

Red Onions, 60 of 'em

Good 'ol Yukon Potatoes 

4th of July on the Urban Farm

It's been really hot in the Bay Area the last couple of weeks, with the exception of a cloud burst system which made a cameo mid-last-week. When I say hot for the Bay Area, that is anything above 80 degrees. This is hot even for plants and can damage them sometimes if it gets too hot, especially if you are not diligent with watering. I seem to have an issue with "blossom drop", a common symptom of the plant overheating in the summertime. Simply put, the blossoms drop off at the elbow, instead of turning into tomatoes. Unfortunately, there is not a whole hell of a lot you can do about this since we can't control the weather.

My mulch has been proving helpful in retaining soil moisture, although I haven't been able to mulch the rest of my seedlings, because they aren't big enough. As a result,  some of them are drying out because they are so tiny and fragile, only the strong shall survive.

Here are a few pictures of the property and how far it's come since we've moved in. We finally sank Stella's pond into the ground and got a filter, fountain and some pond plants. The best part of my day is looking out our kitchen window to watch our duck get in her new pond and take a nice afternoon bird bath.

Side yard

Stella pond+side yard+garage+house

Stella's duck house, and today's egg

4th of July Stella egg

My beautiful sunflower that a squirrel planted for me

Yummy Strawberries coming into season

Pond and duck house

Side yard beds

Wilted radishes in the afternoon sun, they come back to life every night.

Daryl brought home the kiddie pool, I didn't complain.

One week after compost tea

Its been a week since brewing my first batch of compost tea and applying it to all my plants. As I said, I feel that the plants are thriving here at the new home but the compost tea has added new brilliant green growth to most of the plants. The tomatoes have started sprouting new growth all over the entire plant. They are healthier than any tomatoes I have ever grown before. I can not wait to eat them.

Zucchini on left and Brandywine Heirloom tomato on right below.

Midget melon on the left (started from seed in March), cucumbers on the right (from starters).

Radishes on the left, kohlrabi on the right, started from seed 10 days ago.

Crinkle and romaine lettuce