Little Garden loving Summer in the Sun!

In the months of July, August and September, the vegetables, fruits and flowers loved the outdoors and the sun!! I made sure to water the plants daily in the evenings to reduce water evaporation. With companion planting, I did not face any problems with the pests and diseases. Unfortunately, the cucumber plant flowered, but we did not get any fruits (quite a mystery).

The vertical shelf allowed me to grow more plants with less space (an excellent investment). I has so much plants that I shared some with friends and family! It was certainly a success story! My family could enjoy the fresh vegetable steps from the kitchen and save us money.

Small pepper plants, tomatoes and flowers thriving in the balcony!

Transplanting Seedlings to Containers

Sooner or later your seedlings overgrow their little containers. My Tumbling Tom seedlings were already outgrowing their starter containers and they were moved to large container to ensure that they had space to grow. I used a trellis from the Dollar Store with twines to hold the seedlings in place. I mixed sheep manure and potting soil (1:1) prior to transplanting, then watered the seedlings thereafter.  Basil and Nasturtium flower seedlings were added to the planter to act as companion plants for the tomatoes to deter pests and diseases and keep the plants healthy.

Spinach, coriander, small peppers, Mescuin salad mix and all the other seedlings were moved into larger containers. Herbs such as basil, thyme and oregano requires smaller containers.

Garden Centres open...feels like Christmas in May!

I remember going to a hardware store and garden centre in March to inquire on planter holders and strawberry seedlings! Got some strange looks from floor staff who mentioned how early it was in the season for the stores to stock up on garden supplies. Over-enthusiastic much?! Probably had a nasty case of the "green itchy fingers."

Later in the month, I was so thrilled to visit Plant World, a nearby large garden centre in the West end of Toronto, and see all those plants out on display. My partner and I picked up June bearing strawberries and annual flowers (Calendula, Celosia, Petunia, Geranium) that make great companion plants for fruits and vegetable seedlings. 

Photo Credit: Plant World (They have some amazing displays and plant varieties)

.

Hand in the cookie jar?!

Ok, I will admit…I have not been patient enough to wait for my rosemary seedlings to grow! I just cannot roast beef and chicken without the delicious aroma of fresh rosemary. I was at Kensington Market in downtown Toronto and I saw rosemary and Spanish lavender potted plants on display outside a fruit and vegetable grocer. Price was good and I could use the rosemary plants much faster :) At home I transplanted the rosemary plants to a bigger container and so far they are loving their new home!

I only realized after reaching home that the lovely lavender plant I had was for ornamental use only! My fellow gardeners, should you desire a lavender for aromatic reasons, DO NOT (emphasis) get the Spanish lavender!!

Lavender with bloom at the back and rosemary plants at the front

Seed Starting Pots and Kits

There are a variety of seed starter kits, from cowpots that are biodegradable to greenhouse kits that are suitable for growing seedlings indoors. I bought a seed starting tray from Canadian Tire, filled it up with potting soil (with a sprinkle of sheep manure)  and sowed the seeds. To avoid confusion, I labelled each row with a label on a toothpick. 

After sowing, I watered and covered the kit with its lid and put it in a warm and sunny place (window sill). I watered every day, and made sure that I used a spritz bottle to avoid disturbing the seeds and water logging the soil. I also re-used containers around the house including yogurt container, tins, disposable food containers; it's cheaper and reduces waste. 

Seed starter kit with a variety of vegetables

Egg carton used to sprout vegetables

Wondering what cowpots look like? Here's a picture from gardeners.com (a gardeners dream shop)

Photo Credit: Gardeners.com

Update on Rosemary

I promised to keep you updated on the progress the rosemary seedling. It has been growing for sure. Many gardeners suggest using cuttings or more mature seedlings from the garden store. I wanted to experiment and track the growth the rosemary. Here's a picture:

Tiny rosemary growing..avoid overwatering it

Growing Garden!!

The warm May weather has really helped the container vegetables to grow! I had to take the plants indoors on only one night when the temperature was 4 degrees centigrade.  I used the cell phone camera to photograph the plants (not the best resolution).

Cucumber growing fast, with green bean on the trellis and flower seedlings compatible with the vegetables