More From the Veggie Grow Room...

Here's some mini peppers that I have been pollinating using a tiny paint brush.  Hopefully these flowers will be peppers in a few days...

Here's a 9-pack of mini peppers.  I have no idea where I'm going to put all of them.

Bright lights Rainbow Chard.  Yummy and gorgeous!

The cucumbers on the top shelf need water and pots!  I love the long arm with tendrils reaching out...   Ready for a real environment outside.

Lilu's catnip : )

Basil on the left (I LOVE PESTO!) and carrots on the right.

Tonda Di Parigi carrots in 3 1/2" pots.   They're tiny carrots, so I expect them to develop normally in this tiny environment...  We'll see!

I just love the way this chard looks...   Artwork.

Picklebush cucumbers, ready for larger pots and more room so they can flourish indoors.

Veggies out of Room!

Everyone is so happy, they need much more room to reach their potential.  In front we have a very special tomato plant:  Kmart Tom.  I bought a whole bunch of cherry tomato plants from Kmart last year that were already covered with red ripe cherry tomatoes (right place, right time).  They continued to be incredibly prolific until frost.  So, I found this seed on a summer dress when I was straightening up the closet.  Yes, since we really didn't eat any other tomatoes last year, I'm 99.9% sure it's Kmart Tom.  Here he is, ready to excel another summer.  Behind him on the left is mini peppers, on the right onions.    On the far right, Black Cherry Tomato.

The black cherry tomatos are doing very well...  yes, they need more room!  Tomorrow.....

Hydroponic Peppers Under Fluorescent Light

I have two types of peppers growing:  1) sweet mini peppers, seeds taken from the grocery store sweet mini peppers, and 2) large sweet peppers that I bought for 99 cents at Walmart in a little tiny terrarium for kids.  These are CLEARLY the large ones!  And they LOVE hydroponic.   They are so incredibly happy that they have outgrown their shelf space.  Tomorrow, the shelves get reconstructed with more space for these guys and the other large plants I want to grow indoors:  carrots, Red Robin tomatoes (2' max) and Picklebush cucumbers (2-3').   And basil.  And other herbs.  And....  : )))))))

Rock?

This has nothing to do with veggies or finches, but yeahhhh it rocks : )

Palms Survived!

Mark and I planted palms last summer, and when they died back in the cold of winter, we thought they were goners.   Nope!  They're fine!  Just needed a haircut.  The new fans are deep green, telling me the core of the trunk was fine even in the frigid cold.  These California Fan Palms will be amazing in a few weeks, just watch.

Carrots Doing Great in March

In December, I planted Carnival and Purple Dragon carrots in these 1/2 whiskey barrels.  They hung tight over the cold winter, and are very happily growing now that the weather has warmed.  They love it!  The soil in the barrels is planter mix (I hadn't started mixing my own yet in December), but it's light and moist, and the 75 degree air is creating amazing growth.

Another beautiful view of Carnival and Purple Dragon carrots.

I added more seeds today to fill in the empty spots, so this 2nd whiskey barrel should be just a prolific.

 You must admit, carrots are some of the prettiest greens you'll ever see.

Here's the 1/2 whiskey barrel out front.  These guys were amazing... they germinated in December and stayed green yet dormant even at 12 degrees!  The soil and leaves froze every night, and thawed every day.  I've had so much fun watching them.  It will be fun to see how the carrots turn out.  Yes, filled in the blank spots today with more carrot seeds (Nantes and others).

Indoor Veggie Garden 3/30/13

Hey there veggie fans!  There are gorgeous things happening under the magic shop lights : )

I have learned a lot about onions since last year.  Here at 34 degrees N, you can't grow regular onions!  You have to get special "short day" onions...  so here they are!  I'm starting onion flats under the lights, and they're going outside late April.  They're so cute with their little seed hats!  I understand you can trim the tips and use in cooking between now and late April... I'll do that tomorrow and put the tips in salsa.

This lanky little guy is Strawberry Spinach.  Leaves that taste like spinach and fruit that tastes sweet.... I gotta see this.  I'm watching this cutie closely so he survives until he gets outside.

I LOVE basil.  I love the smell, I love the taste, and one of these I'll learn how to cook with it.  But in the meantime, I plan to grow a plethora of it!

I'm not sure if Chard will continue to excel as the weather warms (it's 85 inside mid day), but I sure love harvesting a gallon bag of NOM every weekend:  chard, spinach, mustard, kale, collards.... all grown by me.  YUM!

The little tonda di parigi carrot so far is doing nicely into a little 3 1/2" pot!  The carrots are no more than an inch long, so this should work great.  They seem happy, right?

More baby basil...  some doing better than others LOL.

Black Cherry Tomato is supposed to excel here in the desert.  We'll see!  All of my indoor cherry tomatoes are really happy.  TOO happy!

 These mini peppers have been doing great, now it's time to bloom and set fruit!  I see buds forming...

There's always an experiment going on here....   Check out these guys growing in water.  They're fine.  And the tall tomato in water has a flower.  OMG.

Pepper, strawberry spinach, cherry tomato... so pretty together.

Basil under fluorescent lights... looking good.

Chard.... YUMMY.

Cherry tomato heaven....  what gorgeous plants.

These kids are the Picklebush cucumber...  and they promise 2' plants... perfect for under lights!  These guys will never see the bright desert sun.  They're going to spend their lights under lights.  We'll see how it goes!  Paint brush, ready for propigation...

Oh no.... more basil?  Yes, more basil : )

Quick look at the hydroponic center.  Basil, happy peppers, yay!

More tomato glamour shots...  love these guys!

My treasures.... indoor carrots.  I sure hope they're making tasty treats!

Another hydroponic experiment...   cucumber in a hydro bucket.

Spacemaster cucumbers, ready to take off!

Hydro jar basil.... these guys are REALLY happy.  Amazing how water makes basil shine.  It's kind of a moist herb, so it really enjoys it.

A great shot of tomatoes, carrots, chard, and other goodies.

Thanks for looking!

Great Spinach Experiment - Update

Remember the Great Spinach Experiment of December 28th, 2013?  They all froze!  I know you needed closure...   

There were too many nights under 20 degrees in January for the potted spinach to survive.

The spinach in the ground were fine... go figure.

But don't worry - there are LOTS more experiments coming in the spring!

More tomato pruning experiments

I am totally fascinated with the way the common tomato plant can be pruned, and recovers quickly.  I'm doing it now just for fun... I know, poor plants, but heck, they're fine!

These guys were lopped off totally, and they are just as happy as can be!

How's the back raised beds doing?

It's been a long, neglected winter, but I'm proud to say there are some delicious treats growing in the harshest of conditions.

Here's the back raised bed...   Collards, carrots, and some pathetic beets.

Aren't the collards lovely?

It's a pretty collection.

Not sure where this bed is going over the next few weeks, but expect good things.  Maybe the watermelon patch...

The other back raised bed has been in the shade all winter... it's time to amend, weed, and PLANT!

Hydoponic update

Hydoponic update!  The basil on the left is very happy and has an amazing root system.  The peppers in the middle are excelling, way better than the ones in dirt.  There's potential here.

The cucumber is doing TOO well.... NOW what am I going to do LOL?