Sowing the Seeds

We've made some strides in the garden and are on our way to the point where we can just water and wait.

I've sown my herb seeds in the front yard. The light is really filtered so I'm hoping that they fair well. I also did a pot each of cilantro and basil in the back where there is a lot of full sun. I think the challenge out here is just going to be keeping the duff off them. Our front yard vegetation is dropping leaves pretty rapidly lately.



The upper herb box (if I can remember what I planted where correctly) has parsley, basil, thyme, and chives. The lower box on the left has leeks, basil, parsley, and oregano. I planted chives and dill in those little pots. I don't know if it will work but it was worth the try. The lower right box is all lettuce. I think it might explode with lettuce, the way I put seeds in, so we'll have a lot of thinning to do. The lettuce box usually gets less light than the others, but this is the small window where the sun filters through right there.

Erin also used the bamboo in the yard to make a trellace. This will be used for our peas and cucumbers to climb on.



He also planted some seeds in small starter pots. I think he did broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, and some native shrubs, which we'll use to vegetate the hillside. They're residing in our living room currently. We get great morning light in there so I think they'll do well.



After nearly falling down the hill yesterday (and believe me, this would have been a sure-fire injury) I decided to put down some stepping stones and woodchips, based on what was lying around the yard. Hopefully we can get this a little more stable over time but it's a good start for now. That soil is really slippery after a rain.


I also planted seeds straight into the bed. I planted our root vegetables, which are red onions, beets, and carrots and I planted eggplant, cucumber, and peas (asian and shelling). The rest of the planter is reserved for the squash and broccoli.



Erin's going to clear some more of the hillside and plant the tomatoes out there. That means all that's left is to put the chicken-wire fence up around the planter and bird netting over the top.
Speaking of birds, we had a good sighting today. A pair of adult nutmeg mannikins. They are an introduced species of finch native to Southeast Asia, with established populations in southern California. They were really pretty. ...I hope they don't go near the bird nets.


photo taken from livingonearth.org