Early Gardening

I was going to give an update on the potatoes but then it got warm and they exploded and now don't look anything like the pictures I took. Yay for warmer weather. Just about all the bins have active greenery except for one that isn't as far along, its further down the line and I think it gets just enough less sun to cause it to be delayed.

Every day I got out to the bins and run my hands over the surface and feel around for signs of new growth breaking through. Sometimes it makes a big crack where the new growth is and sometimes I have to scrape the soil down to give the tiny sprouts adequate air and sun. I'm operating a tater NICU.

I want to go to the Farmers Market and pick up my watermelons, but I'm not sure they are going to have their full compliment of plants in yet or they have all the plants in and I'm going to be tempted to way, way over buy and I am not ready to get plants in the ground just yet. I'm sure they would be happy in their little containers for a little while but I have at least two weeks before P-Day (Planting Day) and I don't think they can wait quite that long.

Its all really going to depend on when my Burpee plants arrive. I ordered them months ago and now I'm pretty sure I should be watching for them to arrive, their arrival is going to signal go-time. I just ordered three allegedly super awesome sauce variety tomatoe plants, I didn't go over board. This year most of everything edible is coming from the Farmers Market. I am forgiving them for selling me the wrong kind of watermelon last year.

 I also need to go buy more designer dirt for my corn - corn is a "heavy feeder" and the store bought designer enhanced potting soil will be better suited than the city dirt, and for the time cheaper than the city dirt. I almost want to go right now and buy a few bags! But I should probably settle on a  bin for them first. It only says it needs to be 24", but not if it needs to be two feet tall or two feet wide. This is a problem. You only plant nine seeds pretty close together and they need to be close to facilitate pollination, so maybe they mean two feet deep, which isn't hard to come by. Two feet wide is harder to find cheap.

 Burpees own photo seems to show a container two feet deep

 

 

And now on deck- sweet corn! Ever so tasty breakthrough bicolor variety is perfectly sized—4-5' tall—to spend the summer on your deck, patio, or terrace, adding vertical interest as well as producing two to three delicious 7-8" long ears per stalk. This first-ever container-ready corn is a revolution—one you can enjoy from the comfort of your patio. Simply plant 9 seeds per 24" container and get ready to harvest in about 2 months!

Isn't that seductive? So sexy! It sounds so easy and fun to do. They are not mentioning is that you have to hand pollinate the silk or you won't get any corn. It has something to do with the tassels and using a make up brush the spread the pollen.   I don't know where you get the pollen or if it is even or how you get whatever it is on your make up brush and then where you put it to make corn.

I'm going to need to do more research. Not sexy.

To spread or place the seeds in a medium where it can start to germinate.