Galaxy Garden Mid August Update

You can see from the photo that there doesn’t seem to be much happening yet. I can tell you it is not because I don’t wander past it fifteen times a day willing it all to take off…. There are seedlings everywhere, but you need a magnifying glass to see them. The recent wind doesn’t help – something our garden gets a lot of exposure to despite the trees and cliffs.

However, there are signs Spring is just about to spring. The weeds are really ramping up and I’m mindful to keep on top of that situation each fortnight. Potatoes have continued to sprout and the Peas are looking somewhat more lively. The Asparagus has a couple of spears poking their heads out too which is great after I buried them in about 200mm of new soil when I landscaped the veggie patch.

On the flip side the Lettuce in the seed trays is still terrible. What few cells sprouted, I have put in my wicking beds to fill a few gaps. In contrast to the Galaxy Garden the wicking beds are looking like I know what I’m doing. Not sure whether that has anything to do with slug patrol or the longer days, or both.

Parsnips which were sown in Uranus a month ago are hardly visible. Not even sure whether the tiny plants are Parsnips or weeds yet. I sowed some more seeds this week just to the north.

The Kale I sowed in a seed tray back at the beginning of July finally looked like it was good enough to be let out, so that is in Saturn. Pak Choi seedlings looked great and I’ve put them in the triangle beds around the edges. Also in a triangle bed are some mystery brassicas from the community garden. Another reason to join your local garden if you needed one, free excess veggie seedlings…

Also put some more Kohlrabi seeds in Neptune and sowed Carrots where there are gaps in the row in Jupiter. It doesn’t half sound like I get around – visiting all the planets in one afternoon!

Two weeks ago I sowed Peas in seed pots in the greenhouse. They have shot up and were ready to set free. The photo shows one of the pots with a white root coming out of the bottom – this is a sure fire sign you need to transplant – particularly with crops that don’t like having roots disturbed such as peas. I always water seedlings about an hour before transplanting as it helps to keep the soil together when you pop them out. Dry soil just crumbles to bits and is a nightmare. I filled some gaps in Neptune and put the others anywhere I have a fence or trellis looking like it needs some greenery.

As far as new plants go, I’ve sown another load of Beetroot in seed pots together with some cabbage. The Beetroot from last fortnight look great so far, much better in the pots than the smaller seed tray cells. Also filled another eight cells each of Lettuce, Leek and Pak Choi in the seed tray.

As I said Spring is looking ominous. All the fruit trees are showing new leaves now and soon it will look like the jungle. Next month is when the plan has me starting on summer crops and it all gets hectic for six months.

When things get going I will try and remember to sow extra seedlings to put in the shop if anyone is interested.