Phaedra's 2023 Adventure

[Branching Out]

These greens are really beautiful Phaedra. I have never grown micro-greens before; looks to me like arugula might be a good place to start. Do the micro-greens taste mild, or is there a bitter edge as with mature arugula? I am thinking that I should run out right now and sow a big patch in a container, so I can collect seed from it come April or May.

 

[Phaedra]

These greens are really beautiful Phaedra. I have never grown micro-greens before; looks to me like arugula might be a good place to start. Do the micro-greens taste mild, or is there a bitter edge as with mature arugula? I am thinking that I should run out right now and sow a big patch in a container, so I can collect seed from it come April or May.

Different seeds would taste differently, so I will suggest you to try and find what you like the most. Rocket is one of my favorites - the new sprouts already have that charming and unique fragrance but taste relatively mild. About one week, they are ready to be harvested today, very quick.

I like all kinds of brassica microgreens and mix the seeds all the time.

One tray rocket, one tray mixed brassicas - it's a routine element in our sandwich now.

 

[Phaedra]

Finally, I finished this 60-cell tray with all kinds of cuttings. Nothing to lose, as they should have reported to the compost heap.

Oak-leaf lettuce 'Bijella' - they are ready to be transplanted anytime. I will move our quail house out these few days and transplant some lettuces and brassicas into the hoop tunnel this weekend.

Overwintered chili plants
A Geranium that I propagated from cuttings last year - already showing off her flowers!

 

[Phaedra]

The weather was bad again - rain, snow, and wind gusts, so I spent some hours in the greenhouse.

I took some boxwood cuttings for propagation.

They are in the bottle domes now.

I also prepared some Dahlia tubers for pre-sprouting.

The black elderberry cuttings stayed in the hoop tunnel for the whole winter but turned into seven lovely new plants. They will be transplanted soon.

The Daylilies divided on Feb-18th - they look totally fine. I also saw some tiny new roots are growing, so satisfied.

The bleeding heart I directly transplanted in the ground last year, wow, I am happy to see them coming back!

Tulips are on the way.

I also kept tidying up the greenhouse corner by corner. Hopefully, we can again enjoy tea time or meals in the bigger compartment soon.

 

[baymule]

Spring is coming!

 

[Phaedra]

Yes, spring is coming!

I used today to clean up the kitchen - everything is shiny and ready for the new season.

 

[digitS']

@Phaedra ,

how do you like your air fryer?

DW seems to prefer everything that comes out of ours.

 

[baymule]

Wow! So bright and clean!

 

[Phaedra]

@Phaedra ,

how do you like your air fryer?

DW seems to prefer everything that comes out of ours.

Hi Steve, we don't have an air fryer now, because it's difficult to clean. Hopefully, a model which allows easy cleaning will be available soon.

When I still lived in Taiwan, some companies offered services for cleaning all kinds of house appliances like wash machines, air conditioners, and air fryers. It's difficult to find such service providers here in Germany (especially since we are in a small town).

 

[Phaedra]

Outdoor (facing west) shelves for the propagated plants - maybe I should have a small backyard sale in late spring.

I dug out some foxgloves that I grew from seeds last year. As they will only blossom from the second year, I didn't pay attention to them after transplanting them in a raised bed the previous autumn. Well, they are hardy plants. Earlier in February, I already removed some old leaves.

I trimmed the old and sick leaves again, shortened the roots, and then repotted them in the 9cm pots.

Looks much better! I still have more than 30 plants in the raised beds and will do the same - digging out and repotting. Some will be transplanted to the right locations (I still need to decide) later, and some can be the products to sell.