Vegetable Seed Planting and Germination. 5.17.15

Image via vintageprintable.com

Sweet corn seeds are germinating.   Almost all of the containers have at least one sprout.  I still need to prep the garden bed for the sweet corn.

About half of the squash and pumpkin seeds have germinated.  I moved them from peat pots into slightly larger containers for root room.  Same as sweet corn, I need to prep the garden bed.

Today I planted melon seeds:

Petite Yellow  Watermelon 65-80 days

Blacktail Mountain  Watermelon 65-75 days

Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe - 60 - 75 days

Sakata Sweet Asian Melon - 85-95 days

Edens Gem Cantaloupe - 65-80 days

So far only one outdoor bush bean has germinated.

It's still early to on-time for all of the squashes, beans, and corn.  Corn was planted 5.12.15, beans 5.11.15, and squashes/pumpkins 5.11.15

Kitchen Garden

Today...

I picked a bowl of ripe figs.  Most were Petite Negri and Hardy Chicago.  Two Lattarula.

I picked a big yellow bell pepper.

And a few Thai peppers.

Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe

 The first cantaloupe.  I've been watching for ripeness.  Today when I picked it up gently, the stem detached itself from the vine.  So it's ripe.

The flavor was good.  Tasted just like a cantaloupe.

This is a convenient size.  Like a grapefruit.  It ripened soon enough for us to get a taste.  There are a few more on the fine.  None went to waste.  The chickens like the seeds.

Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe

Butternut Squash

 One of the watermelons developed a big hole in the size.  Then spoiled.  So the chickens got it.  They liked it

Another watermelon is looking almost ripe.  Maybe tomorrow.

The butternut squash is my first attempt at Winter squash.  Nice size for the two of us.

These were I-phone pics.  I misplaced my camera.  The colors are a little off. My hand is not that pink.  But the melon looks right.

Some of the harvest 9/21/13

Kitchen Garden

Watermelon

Pepper Barrel

 I think this is the Idaho-developed Cougar Mountain watermelon.  Watching closely for signs of ripeness.

Minnesota Midget Canteloupe

Fruit harvest

Container-grown Peppers

The pepper barrel grew great this year.  It always does well.  I'm happy with these.  The reds are "Italian Roaster".  The little red is "Thai" pepper.  There are others.

Also watching closely for the "Minnesota Midget" canteloupe.

Loved the fruit harvest.  That was from the Vancouver back yard.  Lattarula figs, Hawaiian Pineapple tomatoes, Italian Roaster peppers, various Asian pears, and a few peaches - forget the variety.  Genetic dwarf peach.  Was surprised to get any.  The tree has quite a few more, not ripe yet. 

Those "Hawaiian Pineapple" tomatoes are really good.

"Hawaiian Pineapple" Tomato

Kitchen Garden

Chinese cucumber

 Selected shots of the kitchen garden.

Chinese cucumber is blooming.  Shouldn't be long before we get some cucumbers.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry.  This will be the last of them..  I will savor them.  They are so good.

Cherry tomatoes are bearing a few handfulls now.

Cantaloupe is in bloom.  Whether we get some remains to be seen.

Mulberry Illinois Everbearing

Cherry Tomatoes Sungold and SuperSweet 100

Cantaloupe "Minnesota" miniature

Okra Clemson Spineless

 There are a couple of okra flowers.  If we get just one okra, it will be fun.  The plants that did best were the ones I grew in containers then planted into the raised bed.  The direct seeded plants remain puny.

Not pictured, the swiss chard is big and productive.

The pole beans are just beginning to bloom.

Planting Seeds.

Spring Seed Planting

These are the seeds I planted in the past week.

Alyssum and Bonanza Mix Marigolds in the tomato bed.  They sprouted during the rains of the last week.  Also planted alyssum seeds in the border of the new iris raised bed.

Clemson Spineless Okra - Also in the tomato bed.  Clemson Spineless was introduced by Clemson University in 1939, 50-64 days.  That's in an ideal hot climate - possibly 2 or 3 months here if it bears at all.  After one week of rain, I also saw sprouts.  I read that they require soaking and heat.  So I started some today after soaking with 2 changes of water, for several hours.  I also read Okra doesn't respond well to transplanting.  The seeds I planted today I planted in newspaper-lined containers to reduce transplant shock.

Swiss Chard - in empty squares of the iris bed I set up last weekend.  It will be mid to late summer before I add the irises in those spaces.  I don't want to leave it with bare soil.  Space is at a premium.

Petite Yellow Watermelon ( 65-80 days) and Blacktail Mountain Watermelon (65-75 days) - Haven't tried watermelons here.  Starting in containers, today.  Then into raised bed.  Cleared some space in the raised bed, from winter vegetables.  Some of those didn't do well, others have been harvested - radishes, greens.

Minnesota Midget Canteloupe (60-75 days).  Haven't tried these either.  These are a small melon, 4 inches, and the vines are 3 feet long.  May plant them in containers, not sure yet.  Also starting in containers, today.

Japanese Soyu Burpless Cucumber (65 days).  Starting in containers today.  Will find a place for them.

Asparagus Pea (60-75 days).  Starting in containers.  Will need to fine a place for them too.

Parisian Carrot (55 days) and Red Cored Chantenay Carrot.  (70 Days).  Also in the new iris bed, for the same reason.

Also some cleome seeds for Ning's meadow.

Also the last of the sweet potatoes.  One week ago, I discovered what looked like near dead sweet potato starts in the mailbox.  They were there for the weekend.  I cleaned them up and planted the best looking ones in a half barrel.  These sweet potatoes were described as an early variety, good for the North.  The remaining set I placed in a glass of water, with daily water changes.  They also look better, grew new roots, so I planted them today.