And I hope they stay that way! I started a little deck garden. I kept hearing about all the plants my coworkers were growing, and I just couldn’t wait any more. I know I’m moving soon, but even still – I miss gardening.
So, I adopted some green kids:
In the photos there are two strawberry plants, a roma tomato, a cherry tomato, sweet pea (since re-potted), and red and green bell and jalapeno peppers. I’ve since also gotten a red chili pepper plant.
And since I couldn’t find pole bean plants, I decided, what the hey! I’ll make my own. I got pole pea seeds, which produce and grow similarly.
So, I probably should have read the back of the pack first before planting – they grow tall and they won’t produce flowers (and therefore no fruit) above 75 degrees – which means I have to grow them indoors! Oops!
I figured that my mom and I grew six plants and got about five pounds of fruit in one harvest. So I thought five plants would be great. I planted a little extra, knowing that I’ve had a track record of killing my poor little sprouts. Into the dirt went half the pack; I watered and closed the lid. In seven to 14 days, I should see sprouts, said the package.
So, on the morning of day three, I saw this:
Five sprouts! Already! I had my plants! So yesterday, day six, I took the cover off the little greenhouse to give the kids some air, and what did I find?
Twenty-seven sprouts. TWENTY FREAKING SEVEN. At the rate they’re growing, as many of them are over an inch tall already, I’ll have to separate them into pots in about two weeks. Good thing I’ve got a bunch of seeding peat pots and extra soil!
Two of my coworkers agreed to take some of them, But that’ll only knock me down to, oh, seventeen plants. So far.
Anybody want some pole pea plants? They grow very fast, and need a good amount of sun, and most importantly, a trellis or support on which to grow (they’re vines). They produce an amazing amount of fruit if cared for well, and the peas can be eaten raw, stir-fried, boiled, canned, and they freeze very well. They’re a hardy plant and can survive frosts, though heat is a problem for blooming. They should bear the first fruit in late august, but if weather is too hot, they could wait until up to October. They’re a great fall-harvest plant. They taste like a cross between snow peas and green beans. (though, truth be told I’ve only ever had the purple variety, which are sweeter.) These are the plant that your typical frozen peas come from, but the hull can be eaten as well. As long as the pods are picked before maturity, the plant will continue to produce.
So, yeah. That’s a lot of plants! Sadly, I still want more…. V-man has expressed interest in my growing pickling cucumbers, but I don’t like pickles. So if the results were disastrous he’d be the only one to know and then we’re out a whole crop. So, some day 
I do want to grow cukes though…
Tags: gardening, general by Kerin
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