Cilantro in a container, growing cilantro in pots

Our cilantro is growing fast in our container.

Back from out of town

A bit of a delay in posting to the garden blog I know. We have been out of town recenlty which hasn't allowed me to post some of the images of what we wereup to before leaving. We are getting ready to pour some alfalfa tea on our plants and trees tomorrow. I have a few images of how to make the alfalfa tea which is supposed to be a great fertilizer!

We had what looks to be a lot of rain while we were gone. This is a great thing, however it hasd made the alfalfa hay and straw smell a bit ripe if oyu know what I mean, lol. It's almost time to put the alfalfa hay into the raised garden beds! I have a lot to add just as soon as we get caught up from our travels :)

Look at this little carrot!!!

We threw a bunch of carrot seeds in a small container on the North/West side of our yard I think in March? Well we thought we should give one a pull and see whats been going on all this time. We were pretty happy with the findings, especially with all this heat and where they are located! I also recently read that you can take the carrot tops and mix them with various other wild flowers and even the top of new tumbleweeds growing in the yard and make a delicious salad! The things I've discovered since gardening amaze me more and more each day!

You will also notice the new logo design on this image :) 

I think I like this logo the best so far.

Monsoon today!?!? Awww so close....

Well, you could feel it in the air for the last few days. The rain wanted to fall but never did. Sticky and muggy, the heat kept climbing today and then the clouds rolled in and gathered atop the mountains to the north. The wind rose up and blew around the bushes quite a bit, but never amounted to much of a monsoon. Zero rain to report as of now for my location.

Today was my application of seaweed, fish emulsion and vinegar solution. I wasn't sure if I should spray it since the rain look close, but I'm glad I did it now. I used a new hose end sprayer instead of the old pump spray bottle. It seemed to work much easier as far as broadcasting the liquid and all I had to do was stand there and aim the hose :)

I think I'll retire the pump sprayer to just our smaller container plants that can't take a powerful spray from the hose.

I did find a cool new friend! I'll post a photo as soon as I download it...

Wet towel seed germination technique

Since our outdoor attempts to germinate seeds were dashed by our lovely summer sun, we turn to a very easy and effective seed germination method inside: Wet towel seed germination

The process is simple. Here's how you do it:

Step one: Gather supplies: Paper towel, seeds, zip lock baggy, marker.

Step two: Place seeds on paper towel.

Step three: Fold the paper towel over seeds and soak with water. Place wet paper towel into baggy and seal the baggy. Write the name of seed and the date on baggy.

Step four: Place your sealed baggy in a dark location and check it in about 3-4 days later for root development. You should be able to see roots growing through the paper towel. If you do not see roots after 7 or 8 days open it up to look at, if there zero roots start over, something went wrong :(
This is very rare however :)

Step five: Plant into soil or hydroponic medium.

EASY RIGHT! :) I TOLD YOU!!!

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS TO BETTER HELP YOU

STEP ONE
SUPPLIES NEEDED

Paper towel, seeds, zip lock baggy, marker

STEP TWO

Place seeds on paper towel, were using water melon seeds here.

STEP THREE

Fold the paper towel over seeds and soak with water.

(water has always worked so well that I hesitate to change, however you might try a seaweed/water nutrient mix to soak the towel in? Just a thought...)

STEP FOUR

Seal the baggy and write the name of seed and the date. Place in dark location and check within a week for root development.

The next entry will show images of what a successful outcome looks like...

Mini garden just for fun

So here is our mini garden. We did this for a fun indoor experiment, but soon changed our minds and put it where the large garden is since it has no soil yet.

We have:
Row 1: Sweet Basil
Row 2: Cat Nip
Row 3: Sweet 'N Early Cantaloupe
Row 4: Garlic Chives
Row 5: Blue Lake Bush Snap Beans
Row 6: Zucchini
Row 7: Cucumber
Row 8: More Blue Lake / Crimson Sweet Water Melon

Our plan is to transplant these into our garden when they are big enough and when we get some soil. We just couldn't wait to start growing something!

It's been about a week since they were panted. I will post and update with pics when there is any growth.