Wednesday, August 5, 2009

When it Rains, it Pours

It always starts like this. Three seeds must be thrust gently into a narrow opening. One must then cover up to avoid inseedsent exposure. Finally, one waits in eager anticipation for a sign of impending life. One repeats this as many times as stamina allows or until all of the available repositories have been impregnated (so to speak). I, a veritable Don Juan of seeding, have sown all 25 cavities shown below. Though I paid equal attention to all of my little seedlings, some nonetheless are reluctant to come out and show their true colors (a rainbow?). Notice that the lettuce seedlings (top), planted yesterday, have begun their upward adventure with only minimal stimulation. Their close cousins, the swiss chard (lower left), are also indiscriminate shooters. Interestingly, the brussels sprouts are unabashedly oxymoronic... The carrots and columbine also have yet to emerge.If you want to put the seed back in speed, best to avoid avocados. I've been germinating a seed in a plastic bag for about three weeks and it's only produced a skinny root and stumpy head (see below). As an aside, while many websites have indicated that one should place a punctured seed on stilts (e.g., toothpicks) in a half-glass of water, I have found it easier to place the seed in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel. I have a general affinity for wet towels, so maybe it's just me, but I'd recommend this technique for anyone trying to grow an avocado tree from seed.
His brother, for example, was started this way about a month ago, and is now burgeoning from a seedy, glorious hole. In related news, the garden is generally over-productive, which isn't surprising given my complete failure to heed spacing guidelines. Our first broccoli have been harvested, and slightly too late. It's supposed to be harvested when the head is somewhere between four and seven inches in diameter (that's what she said) and the little buds are all the same size (that's what Dre said). Ours have just begun to bolt (go to seed) as indicated by the lovely yellow spots interspersed in the green, though as far as I can tell, it has no effect whatsoever on flavor.
We thus have too many veggies. Moreover, the veggies I'd like to eat move to a different beet. Clearing of redundant greens has begun in anticipation of resplendent reds. Stay tuned. I've got to attend to the Moroccan stew that has claimed most of these as vicstems.

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