Christian's Garden-- Sprouting

A few days ago I visited my friend Christian to check up on his garden. Amazingly, in less than a week, he has sprouts from each of the seed varieties we planted, with carrots being the lone exception.

A row of kale sprouts

Through my experience I've found that seeds planted in late summer tend to have a much easier time germinating than seeds planted in late spring. Obviously the warmer soil temperatures have much to do with this, but nevertheless I've had much more success with late summer plantings as a general rule. The only trick is to maintain soil moisture while seeds are still germinating, which usually means watering in the morning and night to keep the bed fairly wet.

Christian devised a rather clever way to incorporate the stones we pulled from the bed at the time we tilled it by using them as a border between his garden and the surrounding yard. It won't keep the cats out, but aesthetically it's quite pleasing. Eventually he plans to construct a more permanent barrier from all the curious animals on the property: raccoons, possums, squirrels and the aforementioned cats.

I also gave Christian a handful of tags to mark the rows, as well as an oregano seedling to plant in the 'herb garden' at the south end of the bed. Once the sprouts attain a larger size (perhaps a couple of inches in height) it will be time to thin them out and spread some additional compost. Until then we're hoping for more beautiful late summer weather.

Planting List

Something I've been meaning to do for quite some time now, but for whatever reason have neglected the task: a complete list of the vegetables and flowers I've planted this year (in an order that probably only makes sense to me).

Veggies
Tomatoes: Pear
Peach
Cherry
Heirloom
Better Boy
Peppers: Ancho
Jalapeno
Purple Bell
Lady Bell
Golden Bell
Popper
Eggplant: Black
Hybrid
Turkish Orange
Peas: Snow
Sugar Snap
Beans: Scarlet Runner
Rattlesnake Pole
Squash: Zucchini
Straight Yellow
Potato: Purple
Onion: Yellow Bulb
Leeks
Carrot: Cosmic Purple
Nantes
Spinach
Quinoa (technically a grain)
Broccoli

Herbs
Basil
Oregano
Chives
Cilantro

Flowers
Sunflower
Marigold
Snapdragon
Texas Hummingbird Sage
Nasturtium

A little closer to the end of the season I'll be reporting on what worked well and what I plan on trying again in a future garden endeavor, and conversely what seeds I plan on depositing straight into the garbage can.

Container Gardening

A number of factors contribute to the realization of the urban grown garden, foremost among them an actual piece of dirt in which to grow vegetables. For those in want of a simple solution to a despotic landlord or the tragically limiting nature of apartment living, your answer may lie in container gardening. Though this idea is nothing new to many city dwellers, I was recently inspired while staying with my friend Brian at his rented home in the heart of Washington, D.C.

Brian's gracious roommates (thanks again for all your hospitality guys!) live in a 100-year-old Victorian home lacking a yard proper. The space behind the house is a concrete patio meant to be used as a parking spot. While serving as an excellent space to host one mean summertime barbecue, concrete does not the ideal growing space make. Thus, the introduction of the versatile container garden. Brian's roommate Andrew has converted two "muck buckets" to accommodate several varieties of vegetables and herbs.

To purchase similarly sized containers designed for growing vegetables would have cost around $25 each. These buckets cost Andrew around $6, and have conveniently placed rope handles should they need to be moved to follow the sun's changing trajectory in late summer. The only modification to consider is drilling several half inch holes in the bottom of the containers to allow water to drain. The containers (which I believe are 15-18 gallon capacity) are large enough to accommodate between five and six plants each. They are filled with a potting soil mix designed for growing vegetables. This should contain plenty of perlite to ensure good airflow within the soil.

This container contains mostly herbs (from left parsley, oregano, and basil).

The other contains three pepper plants, sage, and a cucumber. Placing the cucumber next to the fence has the added benefit of providing the plant a surface to climb and vine (although allowing it to vine through the fence will prevent moving the container until the plant is done fruiting).

For those with the will but perhaps thought they lacked a way, container gardening provides a fantastic solution to the often perceived problem of concrete and limited space.