The Bok Choi Destiny: Wednesday update

Today we worked with the bok choi and moved it past another milestone.  This is the bok choi and swiss chard that were started from seed back on March 29th.  They sprouted and grew in the aerogarden for two weeks until they were ready to transfer to peat pots under the grow light.

Once in the growing medium, they began the hardening process and after 5 days, the roots had expanded throughout the peat. The leaves had doubled in size and another set had been added.

These plants were eager and were ready to be planted out of their pots and into the garden soil.  With the aerogarden, things definitely grow faster than any other propagation method I've used.  Seeds germinate faster and the intense light and constant moisture makes the plants produce not only true leaves but extensive roots in just a week or so.  This means that they have a huge start when being potted up.

The lower bed had been prepared, and I had designed a dinner kit that consisted of two of these large leafy greens, along with two onions from sets as well as two garlic cloves and a strip of radish or turnip, planted with seed tape.

There are boxes for 12 of these small assemblages, and we filled all but two of them.  These two have all the seeds in place, but are waiting for the straggler chard to make it out of the aerogarden, through the growing -out pots and into the raised bed to complete it.

The final lower bed looks like this:

Of course only the live plants can be seen in this photo.  Note the craft sticks marking the corners of the planting square.

Once again, we've taken another small crop from seed to planting in the garden, completely obviating the need for started plants from Lowes.  Probably saved $16-$20 by starting them ourselves.  Of course, we'll have to see how they do over the next month. 

By May 15th, I will be thinking about beginning the harvest of the greens and radishes, replacing them with peppers.  The onions and garlic might stay in the ground over the summer, but we'll see where they end up.  Bok choi can last as long as 70 days to maturity, but baby bok choy are also delicious and tender after 50 days (less than 2 months). Certainly the radishes will be ready in less than 30 days and we will be ready to thin and replant as needed.

I also began harvesting the outer leaves of the buttercrunch and red romaine in the upper bed.  I picked a few from each plant to keep them from overshading the radishes, and thinned out the radishes as well for some more greens.  In the end, I had enough for a nice salad for two.

The earliest of these was planted-out at the end of March, so these have been growing for about 2-3 weeks.

In the Front Beds  In the front beds the walking onions look like they are ready to dig in and stay the course. There are 5 remaining who look like they will make a good show of it.

On the other side of the stairs, all 12 garlic sets have come up and are showing green fingers above the soil's surface.  Their companions are the sunchokes.  They, too, have been showing the very tips of green foliage.  I had seen 4 of these last Friday, and finally the fifth tuber reached the surface today, so it looks like all of the ones I planted have sprouted.


Looking Ahead
1.  With the bok choi out of the grow lights, it's time to move the rest of the greens into the pots now.  Even the beets and the broccoli, typically slower to develop, are ready to be re-potted. Potting the remaining seedlings will be the next task,

2.  With the propagator clear, it will be time to start a new round of seeds, this time the summer tomatoes, green peppers, green beans, and the rest.