Category: outdoors

Garden Week 2: seedlings and pollen bank

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Garden plants update

I started all of these seeds on March 17. On day 5 things started to get exciting! (This post running late)

Day 5: Signs of life for tomatoes, honeynut squash, zucchini, and cucumbers.
Day 8: Honeynut and tomatoes get up-potted

Garden plot update

I’m having trouble committing to a layout, but I do have some early volunteer plants from the plot’s previous owner. My best guess is that the green guys are garlic.

I started laying out a rough grid but didn’t want to go crazy because I assume it will be easier to plant and mulch without working around a grid.

Indecision town
Early volunteers

Premature plants update (started in January)

First cucumber blossom
Cucumber making itself at home

My one remaining cucumber plant popped out it’s first blossom this week. It appears to be a female flower with a teeny cucumber behind it, but I don’t have anything to compare it to. It’s also making itself right at home grabbing onto the shelves for stability.

This is my first season with cucumbers and I am delighted to report that cucumber seedlings and roots really do smell like cucumbers! Unexpected, but I guess of course they do.

This baby was evicted from the shelf for taking up too much space. She can try her luck at climbing.
Butternut squash
The greenest Zucchini plant
Pollen bank

Pollen can be hard to come by as squash blossoms usually bloom for about a day, and there has to be a male and female flower in bloom simultaneously for the fruit to get fertilized. As such, I’m using my indoor plants to bank pollen in the freezer. I’m not sure how effective it will be but it’s my backup plan.