Hello VEGheads,
A New Year is here! The holidays are behind us and it's time to start prepping beds for spring planting in Zone 9 January is pretty much our only month for prepping and its the only month that "nothing grows" Note that's in quotes because I'm about to tell you everything that I've got growing.
NEWEST ADDITION: AeroGarden: Guys. I'm am SO EXCITED! I have wanted to start an indoor garden, I have been looking into hydroponics and my wonderful mother-in-law (not sarcastic, she is my best friend) got me an AeroGarden which is an excellent addition and a beginner step. My AeroGarden has 3 pods of herb plants. Basil, Parsley and Dill. I will be dedicating an entire blog to this as soon as I get it 100% figured out. If you would like to start growing with me you can pick one up here -> https://amzn.to/2RxTe7q​*
Little Finger Carrots: Carrots have now surpassed their harvest time by 50 days and will likely harvest shortly after warmer weather.
Algerian Mandarin tree: All the fruits have been plucked off. It's still in it's original bucket, I'm planning to transplant it this month. We are protecting it from frost because it's a young tree along with our pomegranate tree.
Albion Strawberries: Still green and managing the cold well so far. We're not covering them from frost.
Herb Bed: The stevia has finished dying out. Overall the herb bed has seen better days. My Rosemary has a white power look to it. The purple sage over the last couple months has gone from a green plant with purple hues to a PURPLE plant. The cilantro which I planted a while ago has not only sprouted but is very happy with the cold weather.
Garlic: Has not changed since last month and I am not covering to prevent freeze. If anything we want them to feel the freezes.
Carrots: Will need further thinning and will likely continue to grow very slowly until spring. These are not getting covered.
Unknown Pepper: I am protecting this guy from frost. I am determined to have him fruit this year by over wintering him. This is the farthest I've ever gotten with a pepper of any kind (I don't know what kind this one is). If your asking why he didn't fruit last year, I think he may have been smothered both in roots and from sunlight by my unkempt tomato plants.
Leeks: Last month I wasn't sure if they had sprouted... They had not, it was just grass. Now they have sprouted. I'm anxious to see how these will do since I think they were planted MUCH too late.
Nasturtium: We still have new growth but the once strong wax like leaves now look a bit more frail and limp. think it may be the cold. This plant is being protected from frost. No flowers will be seen until Spring.
Spinach: Spinach is doing well and I will continue to harvest. We are covering this one from frost as well.
Lettuce: My lettuce looks impressive if I do say so myself. Harvests will be happening. I like harvesting my lettuce as leafy lettuce while Buttercrunch is a heading lettuce. I may decide to let one try to form a head. Just to see what happens.
Peas: I need to replace my old trellis system with a more sturdy one and try to clean up the mess of peas before they start producing. I'm expecting them to begin to producing in the warmer days of January. I have a handful of flowers and some 2 small pods that have formed. They will continue to grow.
Brassicas: I have some mixture of Broccoli, Cauliflower and/or Cabbage in transplant containers and they are root bound. I would like to find room to plant them and see if they will produce from there. For now only one of them has found it's place into the bed.
Volunteer Tomato Plant: The leaves are turning yellow and as it is a volunteer I have decided not to protect it from the frost.
Dirt pots: Only last week I planted my Montserrat tomatoes and Jalapeno, sweet and bell peppers. I'll have to watch closely because I did plant them outside. They likely will not make it. If they haven't sprouted in 3 weeks I'll plant a new set.
What I'll be doing:
We never got around to doing our yard clean up, so that's still in order. I would like to put in a second bed it'll be approximately half the size of my current bed. I'll also be doubling the amount of containers going from 5 to 10! Bed prep is the major thing I'll be doing this month, which includes finishing the compost pile and starting the second one. Also need to acquire the soil blend for the second bed and the new containers.
*Some of the link above are affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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