Raised Bed #2
I have two artichoke plants I got from a local plant nursery "Green Things" that I was really excited about planting. I know each artichoke plant gets very big so I could not plant them in the raised bed I already had made. I was afraid they would take over and shade all of the other plants. I made a second raised bed out of leftover wood scraps and garden cloth I had and planted them as instructed 14" apart. I planted them on the north side of the bed so as not to shade the other plants I add to the bed.
After adding the artichokes, I planted 5 small rows of Bloomsdale Spinach and 5 small rows of Scarlet Nantes Carrots. I did not start these seeds indoors because both carrots and spinach do well in the colder months and sowed directly into the garden.
Raised Bed #3
I'm really proud of myself for making this raised bed. I saw one similar to this on Pinterest and decided to attempt making one. The height is appealing to me because not only do I not have to bend over but one this tall wont allow my dog to get into it. I have a lot of scrap wood that I used so the only thing I needed to buy were screws. I was surprised at how easily screws screw into pine wood so I did all of this with a screwdriver. The slated bottom allows for aeration and drainage. I plan on planting some of my seed starts in this bed and when I am ready I will be putting down gardening cloth to keep in the soil. I can't wait!
Indoor Seed Starts (Round 3)
I made a trip to my favorite local seed shop "Native Seeds" and bought Beck's Gardenville Okra, Pablano Chile, Tepehuan Tomatillo, Wild Luffa and Anaheim Chili which I planted in the remaining Jiffy Pete Pellets. I am really excited to be growing all of these varieties but especially the wild luffa. I want to use the luffa in handmade soaps I make.
Out of the seeds I planted a week ago in the first half of the peat pellets, the flamenco tomato, Oregon spring tomato, marketmore 76 cucumber and lemon cucumber have sprouted. The only ones that have not sprouted yet are the red flax.
I am impressed! I wonder how things are growing - as I write this it's been a few weeks since you planted and installed your beds.
ReplyDelete-What is your watering schedule?
-Have you seen new growth?
-Things look good :) I like that you researched and placed the places appropriately. Artichokes are truly one of my favorite plants to grow. I often don't harvest ALL of the heads and allow a few to bloom for a few reasons. The blooms bring in pollinators, but also they are just SO stunning. Have you seen an artichoke bloom? It reminds me of a lotus flower. :) They are a perennial, so they will continue to grow and develop large root systems as the tops may die back each year. I chop the leaves off and often new artichoke pups come up at the bottom. You can leave them there or gamble and try to move them to a new place when the time comes :)
I was watering every other day when it was cooler. We also were getting so much rain that I was only needing to water once a week. Now that the temperatures are rising I am watering once a day. I figured that since I love eating artichokes so much that I might as well try growing them so I have them on hand, especially because they are so expensive at the store. I have seen pictures of the bloom. They are so beautiful! It would be hard for me not to harvest all of the heads but I want to see at least one of mine bloom. Thank you for the tips.
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