Down to the wire (still more seeds)

Seed trays at the back, seedlings under mesh, and a little cardboard for sheet mulch, May 2024

Holding my row cover/insect mesh is an old head board and foot board from a child-sized bed the neighbor was throwing out.  The mesh itself is less to protect my kohlrabi against cabbage butterflies and more to protect it from my own birds and the local wood pigeons.  That bed is primarily kohlrabi, but I've just transplanted a couple of red kale into gaps in the rows, and am hoping for a few parsnips to emerge still.  But I have a few more kale at the ready in case they don't.

Can you see the little kohlrabi?  I took this photo at the start of the month, and they've tripled in size, May 2024

Some of the kohlrabi was direct-sown, and some I transplanted;  both look similar in size and growth, but the transplants are better spaced out, with fewer gaps.  

I have a couple of Savoy cabbages also emerging from another bed, under some wire (not fully peck-proof, but at least it's scratch-resistant), but I have since broadcast another pinch of seed onto a large pot for later transplant;  it looks like germination has been patchy.  Or maybe it's the wood pigeons--they've nipped the ends from my lettuces under there.

I'm still suffering from a lack of pots, but have been emptying about a dozen a day this past week by transplanting the snap peas at the allotment--I've also obtained about eight or ten white plastic pots previously holding cream (the husband goes through a lot of coffee).  As soon as they're empty, I fill them with fluffed-up wool, seeds, and a bit of soil.

The tomatoes and first sowing of cucumbers have graduated to the patio after a week and a half of acclimatizing during the day (and back indoors at night);  I hope to get these planted at the allotment by the end of the week.  So now I have squash (two kinds), zuc and pickling cucumbers in in my kitchen window:  a few cucs are even poking up.  And on the patio I have started some trays of green beans.  I still have not got any corn started or the purple beans--I need to sow these imminently!  But due to the acute pot shortage I've had to prioritize and those two ended up at the bottom of the list;  I probably won't even get to them until I've done all the green beans.

Not done yet (with seeds)

 So happy we've had a full week of 14C and above temps;  my seedlings have finally been able to grow a bit.  I've planted out the first tray of snap peas at the allotment, and the first tray of beet seedlings too.  I have many more peas coming up (though still a little small to transplant), and the next tray of beets just emerging (and to keep up the succession, another tray has been sown).  I will try to keep the beets going this way:  as soon as I plant out a tray, immediately resow with more seed.

Snap peas sprouting, May 2024

A few older packets of seed I just broadcast into larger pots, hoping a few would sprout;  it seems that the purple sprouting broccoli wasn't as old as I thought, as pretty much all of it looks to be growing.  Not so much for a packet of cabbage, however, though I a do have kale, parsley (I think) and French marigolds too.

An old packet of seed: "maybe a couple will sprout!" May 2024

Under my insect mesh at home, the kohlrabi is getting on, and I interplanted the cauliflower with lettuce.  The cauliflower seems to have stalled in the cold spring, but the lettuces look better, though I've seen the wood pigeons skulking around them (they are under wire, but not completely peck-proof).  

I've also got a few directly-sown Savoy cabbages coming up nearby, but I plan on growing a couple transplants of these too as the other (older) packet of cabbages didn't sprout.  One of my garden goals is to grow my own kimchi this year, which means I need some cabbage (yes, technically not Savoy, but I couldn't find any Napa cabbage seed).

And in my situation with the pots (i.e. 100+ pots is not enough), I've been getting creative.  I got another 18 out of a pot exchange bin at a garden center--we only stopped on the way past as the daughter was desperate for the toilet:  a lucky find.  And I've told the family not to throw out any small plastic pots from the refrigerator when they're empty (the husband goes through a lot of cream with his coffee);  at least five have been repurposed so far.  I went on a seed spree over the weekend, and any I had emptied got filled again.  And I'm not done yet.