My Square Foot Garden Update 1

My poor little garden is beginning to not be poor any more. It’s growing! I’ve been able to apply some worm tea to one of the boxes but I don’t remember which one it was. I should have noted it for comparison but it’s too late now. Fish emulsion in rainwater is another thing I’ve fed it. I don’t think it had enough goodies in it when I first planted. I may be overdoing it now but it seems to be thriving. Finally.

This is another thing I’m trying—instant compost. I take my table scraps and chuck them in the blender:

I don’t add water to this. It’s juicy enough as it is. Using the tamper, I guide the chunks into the blades until they are all chopped up:

Taking care not to let it touch the plants, I pour it around the base:

According to the people at VitaMix, it will slowly decompose and feed the soil. They also say to use a separate container (an additional purchase) to grind the scraps for compost. Why? I ask. It’s all food and it’s clean. I don’t put anything on the garden or feed Ralphs that hasn’t been washed first.

As you can see, it doesn’t make enough for all the plants so I put it around the ones that seem to need it the most at the time. Besides the one that had the main stem die, something knocked another (maybe a neighborhood cat?) and broke it. It’s coming out from the bottom and I’m rooting the piece I had to take off. I don’t think I’ll remove the suckers this time around.

Since I don’t have a system for a trellis or staking, I’m letting the plants sprawl this season. Next year, I plan to have another box in a sunny location where I can actually either cage the plants or tie them up:

Here’s my Cinnamon Basil that’s beginning to bush out. It tries its best to flower but I keep pinching it back. I put some in my tomatoes this afternoon and it was delish!

And now, TA-DA! (Drum roll, please!) Baby tomatoes!

This variety is Early Girl. I couldn’t resist getting them because they bear much more quickly than anything else and getting a late start is putting me ‘way behind. I should be able to eat one before frost. Watch for more in the Square Food Adventure!