Tuesday, March 24, 2009

8 Out of 12 and Counting...

More seedling updates to report...

Just LOOK at this ravenous zucchini beauty:


This past Saturday the dill came up like a forest overnight. They are so delicate and wispy, even as sprouts:


This past Sunday the first fuzzy yellow crookneck squash nuzzled its way to the surface. To date there are four plucky siblings:


I also spotted the first oregano and what I THINK is a red marconi pepper sprout. However, the oregano looks very similar to the thyme, and the pepper looks very similar to the dill. Sloppy sowing on my part? We'll see once things develop more!

Based upon my observations of the sun on our side yard, I decided to move my outdoor pots. All of the sprouts are up except the kohlrabi. That is, they are up, but haven't taken off yet. I moved them about 10 feet north to where they should be getting longer sun.

I've had more and more of an itch to try and build a raised bed for this summer. It's probably overly ambitious at this point as I've read you should build it the fall before to give the soil time to settle. I've been comparing wood boards vs. cinder blocks. I'm hesitant to use boards from the hardware store for fear of chemical leaching from treated lumber. Cinder blocks seem more sturdy, weather resistant, and easier. I'm not so much concerned about the aesthetics of it, but more about the functionality. I think it would be nice to plant some herbs or flowers in the cinder block holes. So far as I can tell, the only disadvantage to cinder blocks is they can raise the pH of the soil. That's something I can counteract in the future. This will be a big step for me, so I'm going to keep mulling it over for a bit...

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