I've got a lot of variety beneath my seed racks - about 2 dozen tomato varieties, 6 heirloom onion varieties, 6 cucumbers, 4 gourds, some herbs and flowers, and even quinoa! I bought my Cherry Vanilla quinoa seed from Baker Creek in the US, but they don't have a photo of the plants on their website, so I found this one if you're curious. I don't expect to actually get a huge quinoa harvest (or even a modest one) from my 2 dozen plants, but I am excited about how ornamental they are. Spectacular spires of cream and pink flowers.. Can't wait!
If you're in Halifax, join me tomorrow night at 7 pm at the Keshen Goodman Library in Clayton Park for my free talk on growing veggies and herbs in pots/pallets/and more! Plenty of easy ways to grow some of your own edible plants this year.
And, this Thursday at 3 pm ET (or 4 pm Atlantic time), you can join me for a fun and visual webinar at Horticulture Magazine on growing food year round. Space is limited to 1000 and you can sign up here!
Here's a sampling of what's under the lights..
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| Quinoa.. my first attempt.. The plants were spindly at first (my fault), but have thickened up nicely. |
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| Can't wait to follow the progress of the quinoa. I may even try to grow some in containers.. anyone tried that? |
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| Some of my beloved tomatoes.. Sungold, Costoluto Genovese, Persimmon and more! |
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| The low position of the light helps keep the plants compact and well branched. |
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| Zaatar.. a staple in our house. I make manouchie (a Lebanese flatbread spread with olive oil and spice) for breakfast at least 3 times a week. I grew this about 5 or 6 years ago, but it was time again to grow some of our own. The flavour is outstanding when compared to store-bought zaatar spice mix. See the tiny plants.. Potential! |
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| Giant Kossak Kohlrabi from Halifax Seed. A new offering from our local seed company with huge stems - up to 8-inches in diameter and perfect for fresh eating, stir-fries or whatever! The seedlings are nice and stocky and I'm going to replant again in early July for an autumn/winter crop. |
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| Zinnias! C'mon, who doesn't love old fashioned annuals. Last summer our garden welcomed dozens of Red Admiral butterflies on a daily basis and they loved our zinnias. |
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| Purple kohlrabi - a smaller version than Kossak and a family favourite. Quick growing too - ready in about 4 weeks from transplanting. |
