Garden Update: 2 Months In

So we started the garden just about two months ago and so far it is going well! At this point, we have not really lost any plants themselves, just some seeding issues.

We have also talked about expanding the garden a bit. More or less probably on the side oft he house when the summer is over and it begins to cool down a bit since summers here in AZ get so hot. But that is a plan for a few more months out! But none the less I am excited!!

The watermelon seeds that we planted, did not sprout. I tried to germinate some more and get those to sprout but those also failed. So there went any hope to grow watermelon at this time. The kids were a bit sad as they love watermelons. The cayenne pepper seeds also did not sprout. But that was alright since we had a few other types of pepper plant already in the garden. 

For the other two seed types, cantaloupe and pumpkin, they have sprouted and been transplanted! We did take one pumpkin casualty of the two I kept. I transplanted it a second time away from the edge. When I transplanted it, I placed some fish fertilizer in as well to help the plant stay healthy. One of the dogs thought it was tasty and dug up the poor pumpkin plant and left it on the concrete to die. I am not sure how long the plant was laying there but by the time I found it, it was wilted terribly. I did plant it back in for a few days before I ended up removing it and placing the cantaloupes there. Three sprouted and all three I transplanted into the garden. 

While the seeds were germinating and sprouting, on the one side I had planted lettuce seeds, carrot seeds and radish seeds. Learned a lesson: do not let toddlers help water. They washed out the wee little sprouts of lettuce and carrots over time. All that was left was the radishes. They did pretty well until recently when they were finally plumping up and something dug at them. Their growing was cut short and they were all plucked out. This is then the time I placed the pumpkins and cantaloupe  in their place. 

The strawberries all are doing well. Some are producing and some are just growing but tats ok. The ones that have given us fruit are just little berries,bite sized for the kids. they have not grow much but I am trying! 

The tomato plant, started looking a bit yellow and like it would die so I ended up getting a second tomato plant . The first one ended up coming back after I watered it a lot more and the second one was wilting from the heat. The second one did not get get planted in the garden, it still is in the big pot it came in. It still has not died and they both have been growing tomatoes! The first one has a few larger tomatoes and a few small ones. One of them i actually turning red!!! The second plant has about 7 large tomatoes on it! But they are still green. Hoping they all change and are ripe before the sun kills them. Hopefully it doesn't but who knows with our heat. I am just glad the plants are all doing well and producing something!

The pepper plants! The three types of start we had and totaling 7 plants, are doing great! We have already gotten one jalapeno off and another is just about ready. There are a bunch of blooms on the jalapenos and one that has just started to grow a pepper! There is finally one habenaro pepper growing! As far as the Tabasco peppers go, they are just growing. They have yet to really do much other then grow. All of them have grown so much!

Lets see, the coriander and the basil grew but we really have not done much with them. At this point, because we are not using them, I am trying to just collect their seeds for the next plant we do with them. 

At one point, we had some bugs and caterpillars eating away at the plants. I used BT spray and insect spray alternating once a week for three weeks. I have also read up and learn that worm castings and fish fertilizer are great for the plants as well! (The hyperlinks will take you straight to which ones I have purchased) The fish fertilizer I use once a week on all the plant, that I am trying to keep alive. 

Steven had to get some thing to cover over the garden since the plants were getting sun burnt. He ordered some 30% shade cloth and made a partially removable cover. Definitely made a HUGE difference. The tomato plants were the main ones that were burning in the sun and a bit after the shade went up, they looked so much better!

I am looking into what else we can grow out here in the desert once it starts to cool down a bit. I am no exactly sure what I want to start yet but most definitely want to figure out how to grow watermelons, keep the peppers, tomatoes and strawberries as well! The kids love berries so I am trying to just grow things they are able to eat straight from the pant but we will see what we can manage here when the time comes!