Garden Update: My First Garden, Part 2

Here’s the long-awaited update on my first garden. I’m sure you anxious to know if I’d killed everything yet.

So far, nothing has died, per se. My tomatoes are looking awfully sad after their transplant into the soil at the far end of the plot. And the sorrel (closest to you in the bottom left corner) has some yellowing leaves. The chard too, come to think of it. My gardening guru says that happens sometimes with a lot of direct heat and transplanting. I went back today (the photos are from a few days ago) and they’re doing a little better, but I had to pull some dead leaves off and hope for more growth.

Next to the sorrel is an epazote plant. It’s used in Mexican cooking, often with beans because it has an anti-gas effect. There’s an official term for that, but we all understand what I mean.

To the right are some flowers that my borough gave out. I’m hoping they attract good things to my garden. I figure variety is good.

In the middle row there are my pepper plants. All sweet peppers this year except one. I know – crazy, right? Me? No hot peppers? It was a whim, I guess. I went for the black beauties (that’s a kind of pepper. See? It’s almost as though I know what I’m talking about). To the right of the chard in the front are some cucumbers and eggplants. I’d say they’ve seen better days but that would be a lie. I’m hoping they perk up. I sprayed them with some kelp fertilizer today. Hopefully that will do more than my love and affection ever could. The Music Man was definitely wrong with the “think method” on this one:

Those white hoops will be for my peas. I hope. Two little pea shoots came up and I planted a few more. So hopefully they’ll brow into their white hoops.

Back with the tomatoes are a few more flowers, some cilantro and parsley. Then I have a row of arugula I planted that came up beautifully. Well, until some little pests got at them and made them holy. The only thing I wanted “holy” was my basil…

I thinned the arugula into three rows and am hoping the little shoots take.

Behind the peas in the empty row are my carrots. They sure aren’t carrots yet, but I hope they one day will be.

On my balcony in self-watering containers are more tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, cilantro and mint. I did some transplanting today and am crossing my fingers everything lives.

Here’s hoping!