Up-potting, and my new mini Greenhouse

Well my little tiny sprouts got big, too big for their pots (it seems to happen faster every year!) Time to pot up, or up-pot.

These little nubs on the bottom of the tomato trunks are rootlets, I always make sure to put these under the dirt, so they can form into roots, making my plants sturdy and strong.

Since space in my apartment is limited, and I have a south facing balcony, and I hope to grow many, many plants this year, I thought it was time to build myself a mini greenhouse. 

This was actually my first frame building experience, and it is really not straight, but anchored on the corners with big pots and covered with clear plastic, it actually works.

The hope is that the thermal mass of the big pots and all the soil will keep the little plants warm at night. I can easily begin hardening them off starting in a week, by lifting the roof off for a few hours at a time.

I'm excited, I think this is the beginning of a long relationship between greenhouses and myself.

Burdock Root

I've been making an effort lately to push myself to try new things. A fear of new foods is natural, but so is diversity in our diet, and I personally want to benefit from all the nutrients available from many different sources. So, when I saw this humungous burdock root (1lb) for sale at the farmers market, I had to jump at the chance to go on a culinary adventure.

I decided to pair it with another relatively new food to me, Oyster mushrooms, also bought from the farmers market, they had always scared  me off for looking so much like a fungus. Thankfully they have a mild flavour and a pleasing, tender texture. With all this new food, I had to add something familiar... green beans.

 I made this delicious stir fry, I challenge you to try it yourself. The sauce is worth it.

1 part washed and peeled Burdock root

1 part chopped Oyster mushrooms

1 part trimmed Green beans

Sautee, in enough oil to cover pan, with 

1 part maple syrup (maybe 3tbs)

and 

1 part soy sauce (same as the syrup, balance it)

Serve over rice, 

Enjoy!

Daffodils for Spring!

There is something about a bouquet of Daffodils that screams EASTER at me. I know we still have another week, but after buying these amazing Daffodils at the Farmers Market yesterday I've been in a mood to decorate eggs and create a brunch menu.

This is the floral shelf I just put up, to help brighten up the space above the table.

Here's a simple drink to try if you want to luxuriate over brunch next sunday (and won't be driving.)

Champagne Orange Spritzer

1 part White Bubbly wine

1 part Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1 piece fruit to garnish

ice

Mix drink, toss over ice is glass, garnish

Enjoy!

Thinning!

Maybe I'm a bleeding heart, but I always find myself resisting to do any thinning. It just seems counter intuitive, after working so hard to provide seedlings with proper soil, light and water, to then kill almost half of what responded to your care and sprouted. But I have learned over the seasons that the plants given enough growing room will be the healthiest and most productive. Over crowding often results in diseases, pests, stunted twisted growth and no fruiting at all, not to mention that they become very dependent on heavy water and fertilizer treatments. And so...

I've sowed three to four seeds per pot, usually two come up per pot, so I choose the weaker ones, the ones with the bent stems, small leaves etc. and then I simply pinch them off with my nails.

They look so much happier already

I sowed the peppers in bigger pots so that I may not have to pot them up at all before they get put into their summer home, thinning is really important for allowing me to do this.

Its tough, I love all babies, but I try to keep in mind that this is all part of the path to loads of home grown vegetables!

The Wonder of Sprouts!

I love seeds. It is amazing that something so small has the potential to create a plant with fruit that contains so many more seeds. I sprouted some of my saved tomato seeds last month, now I am enjoying watching this tender early growth.

Sprouts are weak, small and needy. The seed (and this is an important consideration with especially small seeds like tomato) only has enough energy stored within it to germinate, burst from the casing of the seed, form roots and send leaflets towards the light.

I say leaflets because these first few leaves do not photosynthesize, so they don't feed the plant, they seem instead to serve as a light sensor, directing the seedling towards the light...

...then, when the true leaves begin emerging they are facing the right way. Isn't it cute that tomato seedlings are fuzzy just like their larger plants?

Once the true leaves emerge, the roots start feeding, the stalk gets thicker and the seedling works its way to becoming a large fruit producing plant. This is the case with tomatoes and peppers at least.

These Pea seedlings on my balcony have emerged with true leaves and begin photosynthesizing immediately, and grasses like corn are also way different, but that'll be another post.

A Garlic update

This is how my garlic bed was looking yesterday. There is a little bit of frost damage on the outer leaves but good new growth emanating from their centre (sounds pretty new age, but its true.)

The goal with garlic this time of year is to try to get them to grow as much green tops as possible before they start bulbing, the bigger the tops, the bigger the bulbs, so this is the best time to fertilize with a high N goody, like compost or manure (I did both.) 

When garlic starts bulbing is determined by the variety you grew, so its always good to try to grow local garlic, as its already proven itself to succeed in your area