Garden Project 2021: Update One

_{My mother got bell pepper seedlings from a friend. These found home in the tiny greenhouse and seem to be enjoying their new place.}

_{In my previous post, I had just built these and sowed some seeds. I am so happy to report that they have grown now! I see green! ^^}

_{What do we have here? Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram, Silybum marianum, dill, asparagus, basil, variety of salad greens, spinach, and kale.}

_{How yummy does this kale look? Great for salads or smoothies!}

_{Asparagus look like tiny trees at this stage.}

_{The only thing about Silybum marianum or otherwise known as Milk Thistle that is a bit unpleasant is the sharp spikes that will even pierce through gloves when weeding. It got me a couple of times already, bugger!}

_{The two buddies - Thyme and marjoram.}

_{Parsley and basil, so tiny still.}

_{So far I am pleased with the progress in my new raised bed boxes. There is still plenty of room in all of them to plant other plants or the already planted ones to fill in. The soil composition seems to be working, but as I mentioned the watering is a bit challenging with no direct access, which means I have to bring the water to the field area all the time or these boxes turn into desert pretty quickly, unfortunately.}

_{The new blueberry bushes are starting to form berries, so are the gooseberry and blackcurrant ones! Delicious jam incoming soon!}

_{The big field, not so big this year. We decided to cut the rows shorter, this way the battle with weeds might actually be manageable. This is where we have onions, beetroots, carrots, cabbages, cucumbers, zucchinis, peas, and beans.}

_{Megaton cabbages are now hiding underneath the frost covers since they are often targeted by caterpillars for food. My hope is that this year they will become Sauerkraut, which would be lovely to nom on in wintertime.}

_{The red Martian cabbages still need to be covered, fingers crossed they make it!}

_{Welcome to the jungle of the big greenhouse! My tomato seedlings found a home here and now are starting to look a little wild. Many of them needed help to stand up with wiring as they grew taller.}

_{I guess this is some sort of English variety of mint, its leaves are more round and the scent is a lot more citrusy than the other mint we have. Makes me crave mojitos!}

_{This looks like a good year for strawberries. So many flowers and berries!}

_{The impossible dream if you know what I mean xD}

_{My other mint. Interesting how this one seems to hold the aroma a lot better even after drying, while the round leaf one almost has no scent after drying unless the leaves are crushed or moisture added.}

_{Peas in their little cage.}

_{My old lavender plants died. I was so sad and for a while, I thought that I would have to go without until my mom surprised me with three new seedlings! It was a pretty lovely surprise! They are Lavender Angustifolia, but unfortunately, I don’t know which particular variety again xD I repotted them in the 30-liter potato grow bags so this time I could just move them during wintertime to warmer space for better chances of survival or just move them if need be. They seem to be liking their new situation. Judging by the blooms, I would say this is their first or second year of living in a nursery before they found their way to me.}

_{Cucumbers soon will turn this whole bed into a cucumber jungle.}

_{Some of my bell pepper seedlings did not have space in the greenhouse, but that is ok too. It will be interesting to compare how they did on the outdoor bed.}

_{My new ducky rubber boots! So comfy and cute too!}

_{Pūciņa the garden inspector kitty comes to check out if I did a good job weeding cucumbers.}

_{Meow, the pickle business is serious!}