That's one crazy bean!

Yesterday's actuals: 49/61, 0.08 in rain

I literally watched the bean growing yesterday. I could see it moving. I'm serious.

I thinned the basil this morning. Tough love.

Plants on the roof growing well but it is so windy up there. I might need to see if I can find a way to create a wind guard to protect them without shading them too much.

Going to see about fertilizer today...

Check out this crazy bean:

Outta my way pole bean!

Yesterday's actuals: 52/61, 0.16 inches rain

The indoor pole bean has sprouted! And whoa nelly is it a big boy!

The basil is looking good post-op though I think will definitely require thinning in the next few days to give the remaining plants more space. I was unjustifiably amazed this morning to discover that it smells like...basil. Very neat.

On the roof, Q's Special Blend lettuce sprouted several days before the Prizehead, which is finally sprouting now. The cilantro is looking good and growing new leaves - it may actually be happier in the cooler climate outdoors. Everything seems to be progressing appropriately, though the indoor zucchini is beating the pants off the outdoor zucchini.

Killing spree continues, or not

Yesterday's actuals: a beautiful day! 52/61, no rain

Indoors, everything is rolling nicely along. The basil was starting to look too crowded to me so I decided each of those guys needed a new apartment. I ran out of new potting soil in the process so I had to pilfer some from the only two unseeded squares on the roof in order to repot basil into four new containers. If they are thrive, we will be eating and probably gifting a large amount of basil pesto. Yum! The cilantro is not only not dead but has developed another set of true leaves. Hooray!

Outdoors, all continues thriving! There are a large handful of perky sprouts in each of the squares of the cool box. The spinach, broccoli and bok choy are particularly energetic-looking.

In the warm crop box, the zucchini leaves are starting to grow, if slowly. It may still be irreparably stunted. We'll see. The lettuce that's seat-warming for the tomato plants is sprouting nicely. Still nothing from the beans and the onions.

Another serrano chile sprout

Yesterday's actuals: 53/61, 0.36 in rain

I've got a secondary serrano chile seedling poking its little head up through the soil. It kind of makes me sad, though, since neither of them really has a chance. Sigh.

Yesterday I became obsessed with the bee crisis and briefly considered starting an apiary on the roof to go with my garden. Surely the neighbors wouldn't mind, right?

Indoors, everything else is growing right along. I'm keeping it all watered but haven't done much else. There are too many basil plants (why on earth would I have planted so many basil seeds?!?) but I am going to let them get a little bigger before thinning them. It also is not yet clear which of the two cherokee purple tomato plants will be the stronger, so I am giving them a little more time to fight it out.

Outdoors, everything continues to grow! It's a miracle!

Now I've killed the cilantro, too

Weekend actuals:
Friday: 50/63, 0 precip
Saturday: 51/64, 0 precip
Sunday: 54/58, 1.2 inches rain

Serrano chile seedling is in the game! I'm taking odds on how long it lasts.

Zucchini on the roof appear even more traumatized than people who watched the entire academy awards pre-show and show last night. Pretty much zero growth since I put them out there.

I tried to separate the cilantro seedlings: planted two in with the onions on the roof, replanted the other two in the little pot. In the process of trying to disentangle the roots of the four individual sprouts I got them pretty much completely naked. I suspect they did not like this. They are transplanted in next to the also traumatized zucchini so perhaps they will share their horrific experiences and this plant group therapy will help them all recover and grow. In the mean time, I'm going to plant some new cilantro seeds.

In other news, it is so windy today that as I sit here on the couch I half expect to see the garden go zipping past the window and fly off into the distance. Man, I don't know what but that big bad wolf sure is going after something!

Thinning - it's tough love

Yesterday's actuals: 42/63, no precipitation

The Serrano chile sprout emerged today now that I know that I can't really grow it. Ah well. I'll see how it does growing indoors though I think it might get quite large...

I thinned some of the seedlings today. It felt so mean! I snipped the smaller of the tomato and cabbage seedlings (except for the cherokee purple which are still too small) in the peat pots. My finger bumped the larger cabbage seedling and now it is kind of lying down - I hope it stands back up!

I have four cilantro seedlings growing all tight together. Apparently there are two plants per seed; I planted to two seeds in the same spot and all of them are growing. I will give them a few more days to develop some true leaves and then will move them outdoors where they prefer the cooler temps. Maybe, if I am feeling bold, I will try separating them and planting all four rather than thinning them.

I planted one pole bean plant indoors in case the one outdoors doesn't make it, and then I can transplant this guy outside and not be too far behind on the beans.

Pinched a lot of flowers and flower buds off the strawberries. Mean. Very mean.

The cool crops are really starting to get going in the box on the roof! I think I have sorted out what's where now and am a little puzzled that the chard doesn't seem to be growing yet. I am very excited to see more of those plants emerge and grow!

Zucchini-on-the-roof is not doing much though it is still nice and green. I may have stunted the growth by putting it outside too early. We'll see how it goes.

I'm going to water everything tonight before we go away for the weekend and hope that it doesn't dry out while we're gone!

My favorite recent quote from gardening books on pruning your lettuces and herbs: "eat the thinnings."

Planted beans and onions outdoors, and intercropped some lettuces

Yesterday's actuals: 43/57, no precipitation

It's sunny today! (and it was most of yesterday too)

I remain thrilled and amazed that things are sprouting up on the roof. I am a little perplexed matching up what is what since we moved the container and I'm not sure which way it ended up finally. Well...should be clear soon when the veggies are bigger than dippin dots.

Indoors everything continues to grow. The little seedlings are so sensitive to the sun that they will be leaning all the way toward the window but the end of the day. I've been rotating the pots each day so they grow back the other way the next day and don't end up totally skewed, which sometimes feels kind of mean. But I think it is for their own good.

I planted some lettuce in the warm crop box where the tomatoes will eventually go. As I get organized, I am getting more clever about staggering the timing and what can go where when. The lettuce should be grown and well-harvested by the time the tomato transplants are ready to move into their outdoors home.

Planted outdoors in warm crop box:
Prizehead lettuce
Mesclun lettuce - Q's special medley
Pole beans
Bunching onions

The soil was pretty dried out so I had to water it a lot to get it looking thoroughly moist.

The zucchinis are growing much faster indoors than they are out of doors. It will be neat to compare the progress over the next few months and see who wins.

I also (finally) read the full instructions for serrano chiles and it seems that if their nighttime temperature gets below 60 degrees then they will not produce chiles. So, assuming that little guy ever even sprouts, he will not be allowed to play on the roof and will instead lead a life of isolation indoors on the windowsill. Sorry, man. This just ain't your climate.

I'm setting up a master plan for the garden in excel and in my calendar so that when I start work I don't miss critical milestones. Yesterday I also build a more durable frame and cover so that it isn't just plastic haphazardly draped over the box. The only remaining "structural" work is setting up the trellis but I'm going to wait until there is something that requires it before putting it up.

They're good swimmers!

Yesterday's actuals: 48/55, 0.28 inches rain (and a little more hail!)

Today is sunny and beautiful. I'll enjoy it guilt-free because there is more rain on the way.

I ventured up to see how the soggy box on the roof was doing and discovered that if I looked really really carefully and used my imagination I could see signs of life in the cool crop box!


Seedlings indoors are thriving and almost all of them are starting to grow their first true leaves. The zucchinis are going gangbusters. It is fun to see how fast they grow!

All hail the garden

Yesterday's actuals: 46/54, 0.74 inches rain and a sprinkling of hail

Um, it hailed yesterday. This I did not expect. I have now almost completely lost hope than anything is going to grow in the cool crop box on the roof which I have been leaving exposed. It has been 8 days since I seeded it and ain't nothing happening in there that I can see.

Indoors, the hail was just good entertainment on a slow afternoon. Everything's growing a little bit every day though the serrano chiles are still deciding if they want to play or not. And the spearmint is growing pretty slowly - the little green specks are still just speck-sized.*

I'm not sure how aggressively to pinch the flowers off the strawberries. As soon as it is obvious that it is a flower and not just more leaves? Or should I wait until it is fully opened and then pinch it off?

Zucchinis indoors and outdoors not dead yet and appear to even be growing.


*Writing the word "speck" just brought back a vivid memory of Pee Wee's Big Adventure where his dog is named Speck. Yes, definitely haven't thought about that in a while.

All tomato seedings accounted for!

Yesterday's actuals: 47/51, 2.69 inches of rain (!!!)

Cool crop box: now a seed wading pool. Perhaps a break in the rain today will give it a chance to dry out a bit. Or not. No indications of life in the cool box. Yesterday I transplanted half of the zucchini sprouts to the warm box on the roof, which is covered and quite warm. I'm interested to see if that works. They're not dead yet but they, and the ones indoors, have shed a thin film, sort of like a snake-skin layer, off their seed leaves. Not sure if this is a bad sign.

Everything indoors has sprouted except for the serrano chiles! I will let pictures speak louder than words today on the seedling update. Look at them go!

I may have killed the zucchini

Yesterday's weather actuals: 42/54, 0.08 inches of rain

Seedling mania continues indoors as the cool crop box has become a small wading pool on the roof.

I can't explain what I was thinking when I put no fewer than five zucchini seedlings in a 3 inch peat pot. And now, despite the gravest warnings that zucchini is extremely sensitive to transplanting, I have split them into three and two and most likely have killed them all. Stay tuned.

Everything else is going great! Still pinching white blossoms off the strawberry plants which seem to be growing well.

I wouldn't dream of complaining about all the wonderful life-giving and seed-drowning rain we've been getting nonstop for over a week now. It's grand. I will complain that I didn't keep the box covered more and now it is kind of a mess. There's a spot of sunshine now that may be just the thing!

Whoa zucchini!

Yesterday's actuals: 44/53, 0.39 in

Zucchini sprouts going crazy! I am going to have to move some of these to their own peat pots and hope that I don't zap their will to live in the process.

Eric and I moved the cool crop box over near the warm crop box so that it will get some more sun. It is pretty wet, though draining well. I am very curious to see if anything planted there actually sprouts...

Still nothing from the cherokee purple tomatoes, cilantro, spearmint, and serranos.

Strawberries growing well - more flowers to be pinched off soon.

Hooray for sprouts!

Yesterday's weather actuals: 45/52. No precipitation.

Outdoors: need to get help to move the cool weather box out of the satellite dish shade. Perhaps this weekend.

Indoors: Lots of sprouts! Zucchini, yellow pear tomato, and cabbage all sprouting right now! Chives and basil continuing to be sprouty and looking good. Still nothing from the serranos and the other two types of tomato, and the spearmint and cilantro are not due for another couple of days.

I am totally blown away that you (I?) can plant a seed in some dirt and it grows. I find that simply amazing.

Indoor seeds sloooooowly sprouting

Yesterday's weather actuals: 43/54, 0.08 in rain

On the roof, I installed a windguard on the railing for the cool crop box but I am concerned that the satellite dishes are shading the plot too much so I might enlist an able bodied man to help me move it to a sunnier spot. The warm crop box is nice and warm and the plastic cloche seems to be working well. I need to re-make the cold weather cloche to protect against this heavy rain we seem to be about to get more of.

Indoors, the basil continues to be sprouty, and there are a few small chive sprouts poking up as well. The zucchini is visible starting to sprout but hasn't quite emerged yet. The yellow pear tomato also has one itty bitty sprout that came out just today and one of the other tomatoes has a potentially sproutlike thing poking up but it is a little fuzzy. Unclear. Other than that, not much activity. Grow grow grow plants!

Pinched another white flower off the seascape strawberries.

We've got basil sprouts!

Yesterday's weather actuals: 39/53. 0.15 in precip.
Today: rain on and off

This morning I was thrilled to discover that the basil has itty bitty tiny green spouts coming up through the surface of the soil!

Pinched off the white flower blossoms on the seascape strawberries.

That is all.

And then: nothing happened

Weather: Partly sunny. Rain in evening.

Indoor pots:
Nothing happening.

Outdoor cool plot:
Nothing happening.

Seeded outdoors, strawberries repotted indoors

Planted seeds in the cool crop planter on the roof - 8 square feet!

Seeded outdoors:
Spinach
Arugula
Chard - fordhook
Chard - five color
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Bok choy
Lettuce - buttercrunch

Repotted indoors two sets of strawberry seedlings from the garden center:
-Upstarts
-Seascape, a UC Berkeley hybrid
All were quite rootbound so I trimmed off the roots and planted them in potting soil. They sit by the window in full sun.

No sprouts from indoor seedings yet.

On the first day

Garden: built! In place on the roof. Nothing planted in it yet.

Started indoors:

Vegetables
Cherokee purple tomatoes
Yellow pear tomatoes
Early girl tomatoes
Serrano chile peppers
Cabbage
Zucchini

Herbs:
Basil
Cilantro
Chives
Spearmint