Nervous Mom Watches as Edibles Grow

Like any delicate thing you choose to nurture, seeds are also prone to their own unpredictable outcomes. Sowing them gently, with care, into fertile mother earth, I watched my little babies sprout into seedlings, one by one, not knowing exactly which ones will go the full course, which ones will  be stunted. And, then, of course, the horrific act of "thinning" the seedlings.....having to choose the healthiest ones over the others so as not to overcrowd them....
The excitement, the nervousness, the awe!  This is the best part of all...

So far, so good. Immediately after planting these seeds 4 weeks ago, blessings of rain came for many days on end, mitigating the need for much water. But I still wonder if my lettuce, chard, arugula and broccoli will grow as fast as they should...right now they are about 1.5-2 inch high seedlings.  Guess we'll have to wait and see :)

Here is a technique I learned from our meetup at the Santa Monica community garden. A plastic water bottle, cut in half, acts as a  mini greenhouse. Very smart(whoever came up with that, proper credit is due)! Loved it so much I wanted to try for myself. It's also a great way to recycle. 

Note to self: More important than the amount of water is the amount of sunlight a plant receives.  Example below: these spinach plants that receive at most a couple hours of (semi--obstructed) afternoon sun have barely budged in the last 4 weeks. Will continue to follow to see how long and to what extent they will grow.

And Finally............these guys below (broccoli and 2 varieties of Cabbage) are doing alright.....steadily growing. I'm hoping to use the cabbage leaves in an Armenian dish called "Dolma", where we stuff and roll cooked cabbage leaves with a rice and meat mixture...Something I enjoy doing with Grandma.

Tips from the Experts

Even though I consider myself a totally novice gardener, I enjoy consulting a good guide book now and again. One of the recent recommendations I received from a fellow gardener whom I met through "Foodforward.org" is a book titled, "From Seed to Skillet", by Jimmy Williams and Susan Heeger. I like the pictorials and the family history connected with this book. I also like the practical, useful tips on when and how to plant edibles...

And, as you can see, Noel, my tabby is also fond of the book...

Transforming Winter "Blues" to Winter "Greens"

This time of year is usually associated with cozy, indoor activities like cooking hearty dishes, curling up with a good book, or snuggling with a partner over classic movies. But it can also be the season of the blues, the "winter blues", those feelings that are so famously sung about, and that discourage one from getting out and doing those things we left behind in the summer.  Yet, during these shorter, colder days, with a little bit of work and creativity, the winter blues can be transformed into winter greens!  All you need is a little inspiration, a planting guide to winter edibles, and the curiosity of a kid.

This is the first year I try my hand at winter gardening, and there was nothing terribly detailed about my plan. I simply pulled out my dried out summer plants, amended those spots with organic compost mix, and reassessed the sunniest spaces where I  can maximize growth. I cheated a bit by buying a few seedlings from my favorite nursery (like the cabbages, spinach, broccoli), just because I had a late start this season. However I decided that my root veggies (carrots, onions, beets), as well as my lettuces,  will be started from seed.  This is still a work  in progress as the planting will be in various stages.

Next to the bell peppers, some space for 2 spinach plants

Where the tomatoes once occupied; Broccoli, and two kinds of cabbage

A spot with amended soil, where carrots will soon befriend hot peppers

There's something invigorating about putting your hands in soil, no matter the season.  Here I built a 4x4 planting box, leaving the bottom open to concrete, and filled it with premium organic potting soil. I laid down 4 rows of organic and non-organic seeds: arugula, swiss chard, broccoli raab, and leafy lettuce. Can't wait to see what grows!

Finally, who said you even need any horizontal ground space to grow edibles?
Thanks to innovators and "outside the box" thinkers like this guy who posted a video on how to plant 'vertically', nothing is impossible. For those who have smaller spaces and resources to contend with, here is a fantastically creative way to grow an edible plant.