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| Monday, June 30, 2008 |
| Update from around Boston Gal's HQ |
 This is a good news, bad news update edition, just in case you were wondering. Since I am a glass-is-half-full kind of Gal, we will kick off with the good... My self-watering planters are finally all planted and appear to be doing their job. Since planting these a couple of weeks ago and filling the reservoirs, I have not had to re-water. Mostly that is due to the soaking rains we have been enjoying around here. The metal straps around the barrels have rusted up quite nicely which gives the plastic containers a more authentic look.
 This close-up shot is of one of the radish seedlings I planted. This is the first time I have tried to grow radishes (I read somewhere that these are a fairly idiot-proof vegetable to grow - hence my willingness to give them a try) but now I am a bit worried about when I will be able to tell they are ready to be harvested. With tomatoes or zucchinis you can see them grow, how can you tell when an underground veggie is ready to be plucked? Am I now disproving the whole idiot proof thing here?!
In the more good news front, this is my staycation week in beautiful Boston. The bad news is this is a very foggy and rainy week which has put a crimp in some of my outdoor plans. Also in the bad news column, this week (tomorrow in fact) is when my condo tenant moves out - so I will be spending some quality time at the condo preparing for some projects. This is the first time in six years that the unit will be vacant - I decided to give myself some time to tackle these upgrades which are hard to do when the unit is occupied. Good news that I am getting some long planned work done, the bad news is I will lose some income while it is vacant.
Finally, to leave on a good news note, some family is in town visiting and I am enjoying all of the together time.
Self-Watering Whiskey Barrel
Gardener's Supply Company - 15% off orders of $25 or more! |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 8:45 AM *
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| 5 Comments: |
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Radishes aren't entirely idiot-proof. I entirely failed at growing them on my porch last summer; I think the container was too small. We had great leaves, but no radishes. This year, however, I've had overwhelming success with them in my new community garden. They are incredibly quick-growing and delicious!
Yours look good. I can't quite tell from the picture whether this is the case, but they should picked when they are at least half an inch in diameter. How big they'll get kind of depends on the variety and your taste. I'd personally wait at this point. Worse comes to worse and you wait a little too long, radishes and their greens can be cooked. Cooking makes them much more mellow and sweet.
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Looking good! I had the same 'underground' problem with carrots years ago. I guess I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, and at harvest I pulled up little carrot balls. Never tried em again.
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Hey, it's looking good. I planted some dwarf citrus trees in containers but it only looks like I'll be getting 1-2 limes. BTW, we bought some of those CD organizers and they look great.
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Radishes are the only thing I've had constant success with - the cats haven't taken agin them yet which has been the kiss of death for most other things I grow.
Anyway, radishes sort of pop up when they're ready - well mine do anyway! At the moment you can see all the nice greenery and the top of the radish, as it grows the tops swells out of the ground.
Honestly, reading that it sounds far more complex than it really is!
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Hey Boston Gal, we are on vacation the same time. Statistically the first two weeks of July are 'el primo' for this area. I always use a week to paint and re-decorate a room in my house - this year it is my bedroom. And then onto yard stuff -splitting hostas and lilies, replanting them. Isn't home ownership great?
Good luck with the rental condo tasks.
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Radishes aren't entirely idiot-proof. I entirely failed at growing them on my porch last summer; I think the container was too small. We had great leaves, but no radishes. This year, however, I've had overwhelming success with them in my new community garden. They are incredibly quick-growing and delicious!
Yours look good. I can't quite tell from the picture whether this is the case, but they should picked when they are at least half an inch in diameter. How big they'll get kind of depends on the variety and your taste. I'd personally wait at this point. Worse comes to worse and you wait a little too long, radishes and their greens can be cooked. Cooking makes them much more mellow and sweet.