Harvesting of Spinach Leaves Has Begun

If you thought that I forget about my spinach plants, then you though wrong because I have been keeping an eye on them for the right time for harvesting.  I took a look at them recently and I saw that many of the outer leaves have stopped growing.  This is the first sign that I look for when it is time to cut them as soon as possible.

I love eating larger spinach leaves rather than cutting them when they are small.  I think they are more healthier when they are at their peak size and color.  This is just my own opinion, but this is exactly what I do when it comes to picking spinach leaves.

Now that I have picked my first spinach leaves I find that it is a good idea to weed around the plants and get the soil loosened.  This provides the plant with air that it had been restricted from due to the dirt becoming compacted.

I also wanted to give them some lime that I thought would be necessary to facilitate delicious foliage for the rest of the season.  I also decided on using some wood ash I had collected this year and give it to five of my plants.  This is used by most gardeners and I thought that it might be a good way to help them stay healthy and strong throughout the rest of the season.

Here is what the soil should look like if you have weeded them properly.

The Sprouting of an Onion

It has been a couple of weeks since I last discussed the exact way that I plant onions using totes.  They take some time before they will show any type of sign of growth or progress.  A couple of days ago I checked them to see if I could see the stems that should be beginning to grow and I happened to like what I saw.

The stems were finally coming in clearly and healthy.  They are small at the moment but they will continuously grow and they can reach over a foot or more in height.  Once they start producing these stems it will be very easy from now on because they can grow without much maintenance.

Once all the stems grow I like to add a thick layer of mulch mainly to retain water and keep the weeds from stealing the nutrients from the soil.  Do not let the soil dry out too quickly because this may cause them to prematurely go to seed and you will have a very poor harvest.  I may add some manure tea and fertilizer to them periodically, but I will not give them too much.  You can check out the pictures below.

Check Out The Progress of My Plants Here

If you are interested in how my plants are doing, then you have came to the correct blog.  I have taken a few pictures of most of my plants that I started inside and want to share them with you.

Some plants have died in the process which is something that happens in every season and others are doing better than I had hoped.  Every year is different and I want to update you with how the majority of my plants are doing and how they are getting hardened off outside with the current warm weather.

First I want to let you know about some of the new flowers that I started growing this week.  Alyssum is one of those plants that needs to be incorporated into most gardens because of their ability to attract beneficial insects. 

These flowers are rich in nectar which is what these insects feed on including bees that you will need throughout the year for flowers that they pollinate.  Once you attract them they will continue to come back to your yard year after year.  Take in mind that this is not a quick solution to your pest problem and is merely a slow and permanent solution to help lower populations of parasitic insects.

Now on to the updates that you came here to look at.

Cucumbers and a squash plant in the bottom of the picture.

Some alyssum, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, and two pumpkins.

Here are the spinach plants that were transplanted into the garden a couple of weeks ago.  They are looking good and will be picked relatively soon.

Peppers, watermelon, and cucumbers are seated in peat pots in this picture.

 Don't forget about all my squash plants that are crucial to the garden.  Zucchini and pumpkins are my favorite vegetables to grow.  I may not like eating them, but they can be extremely exciting to grow.

There are many more plants that I will be updating you with.  This is just a taste of what is to come in the near future.  Very soon I will be planting them into the garden where they will sit for the remainder of the season.  Stay tuned for that post which will come within the next couple of weeks.

How I Grow Onions In Totes

One of the most unique gardening strategies that I use is growing my onions in totes.  Some people grow them right in their garden soil, but I have been growing onions in totes for many years and has always produced an abundant harvest.  It actually works and you too can use it in your own garden as well once you read this article on how I do it.

Let's first discuss the type of totes that I use.  They are just normal totes that you can purchase in most stores that carry them.  They might be a little bit more durable than your average totes because they were purchased years ago, but any plastic tote should do the trick.  My totes measure 27"x21" with a depth of about a foot.  This will be plenty of room for your onion roots to thrive.  Onion roots probably only go down about a max of 8-10 inches max. 

These are the exact totes that I have used for planting onions for over 15 years.

Once you select the number of totes that you are going to use it is then time to decide what soil you want to place in them.  I just use a mixture of organic humus and top soil.  This will give your onion bulbs a boost in the beginning to get growing as fast as possible.

The bags on the side are what I fill the totes up with.  It takes only four bags to fill them up to the top and will give your onions the space and nutrients they need.  Adding some bone meal is another element that I add to the soil because this will give the roots of your onions an even bigger boost which is great especially in the beginning of them growing.

Now it is time to place the onions into the soil.  I place them down with the large area first and the stem part sticking out of the ground.  Do not cover the stem otherwise your plant may fail to sprout.  You just want to cover the base of the onion which will grow larger to become the onion that you consume during mid summer when they are ready to pick.

You can fit about 20 to 30 onions per tote if you space them out correctly.

If you are worried about birds or other pests eating your onions or somehow disturbing them, then you can place some old screens on them which will provide them protection from birds and water and air can still get through to your plants.

Moving Spinach Into The Garden Took Place This Week

After a month and a half it was about time to finally get these plants into the last spot they will grow.  At this time it will be too late to start growing them from seed inside pots, but you might be able to grow them from seed directly in the soil.  I would not recommend this because spinach has a somewhat short season that will not allow for this late of a planting.

Although if you live in a cold climate you will have a much longer season which will allow for this type of growing season.  I live in a temperate climate that limits the amount of time I have to use for these plants.  Let's get into the details of properly transplanting spinach.

I want to first discuss what types of organic materials I used to feed these plants.  I like to use manure or organic humus along with some bone meal.  These two items are perfect for transplants and allow a much smoother transition into the garden.

I also like to add some lime and pulverized eggshells into the mix.  I have found that spinach tastes much better when lime is added into the soil prior to planting them.  I also like to use eggshells as a testing agent with my plants.  They contain trace elements that will help in the production of delicious fruit.

Here are the two products I would recommend using if you are going to transplant anything into the garden.  They give your plants a boost and make sure that the roots stay strong with a spoonful of bone meal as shown below.

Once you get them into the holes that you prepared it is time to fill it up with water.  This is a technique that I use which allows water to get to the roots quickly and you won't have to water them for the next couple of days.  This will easily assimilate them into the soil quickly.

Then place the plant into the water once you remove it from the pot.

Fill it in with the extra soil that was removed when you dug the holes and that is all to it.  It doesn't have to be difficult once you acquire the appropriate information and directions.

An Update on My Gardening Progress

It has been a couple of days since I last wrote a post about how my gardening is coming along.  The last two days were quite busy and I wanted to let you know what I have done. 

Cleaning up the garden was the very first thing I accomplished because it is time to start planting the spinach into the ground.  If you leave them in the container too long they might begin to bolt and this is not something that you want to happen because this means the end of the harvest.  Not only that but temperatures are begin to rise and they need to get in the ground right away so that we can take advantage of them.  This will all be happening tomorrow.

Since weather is getting warmer it is now time to start placing plants outside for the daytime sunlight.  They are in the windowsill getting some sunlight, but if you put them outside they will receive more sunlight and they will start to harden off.  This process is very important and all your plants will have to go through and why not do it as early as possible. 

So far my plants are doing pretty good (knock on wood) and they seem to be enjoying the containers that they are placed in.  Here are a few pictures that I took that I think you would enjoy.

The pumpkins that sprout very quickly have began to surface.

Here is how the flowers I first grew are doing.

This is just a simple update on the progress of most of my plants.  I will bring more updates in the future so make certain that you keep in touch with this blog.

The Last Vegetables That are to be Planted Indoors

One of the last vegetables that needs to be planted include the pumpkin and zucchini.  These are part of the squash family and are sometimes referred by this name.  I like to do them last because as soon as they start sprouting they will grow considerably fast.  You don't want to have a plant on your windowsill that is taking up too much room.  This is one reason why I grow them last.

Another reason to grow them later than your other plants is that you need to put them into larger pots in order to accompany all the roots that will be needed in supporting these vegetables.  Root bound plants never end up doing good and will most likely not succeed as you had hoped. 

One container that you can use for this task are ones that can hold up to 32 oz of soil.  I happen to collect these types of containers and I reuse them for all my gardening needs.  Don't forget to insert holes on the bottom to allow for proper drainage and air circulation.  Hurry up and start growing your squash plants today.