More On Corn

Ok, more about the corn plants.  The largest one has been growing at amazing speed, and it seems the plant grows remarkably on hot days.

In this picture, the plant is close to 4-ft-tall.

Look!  This must be the female flower bud(?)!

The corn baby looks like Bert from Sesame Street!

The silk is still soft and fuzzy.

Now, they are looking more like the corns I see in stores.  When I touched it, I didn't feel there were any kernels inside.  It was not firm, and it was kind of spongey.

I have only 2 ears of corn so far.  I will wait until they are firm, but I can't wait!

Will They Really Provide?

Besides tomatoes and cucumbers, I am growing green beans, too!  I chose a "Bush" type beans (not the kind in cans!) because they don't require supports.  Actually, I was drawn by the name, PROVIDER.  The package describes the beans are "old time very prolific," but I don't know if this is a heirloom kind.

The seeds look just like regular dry beans.  I planted 3 of these in a cell pack and  used Miracle Gro(R) Potting Soil. Cell packs are placed at a sunny spot that receives full sun.

Just in 19 days after seeding, large seedlings started to emerge.  Isn't it amazing that true leaves already grew underground?

And look how fast they grew!  Within a couple days after germination, they already look this big.  What's more, long roots were growing out of the bottom of the cell packs by this time!

I procrastinated (what's new, right?), but finally, I transplanted the seedlings to a planter.  I used Miracle Gro(R) Potting Soil and placed the planter at the spot that receives full sun through the day.  This picture was taken about a month after seeding.

About 2 weeks after I transplanted the seedlings, growth seemed to be slowing down.  Hmm...do they not like the soil or the size of the planter?  I continue to give lots of water in the morning.

All 3 of them have more new leaves, but they are not much taller than 10 days ago.  Although, supposedly, plants don't need support, I put some poles in case they were looking for something to cling.

2 more weeks have passed, but the plants are not much taller.  However, I found soft lavender colored buds!  Can you see them??

This is how the plants look in 2 months.  Not tall, but bushier, and leaves are much larger.  Will they grow more, or will they just stop at this height?  I hope they really 'provide' many beans!

In a couple of days, flowers started to open.  I tried to smell the flowers to see if they smell similar to Sweet Peas but no scent.  BORING!

Baby beans, baby beans!  They are about toothpick size in this picture, but they look just like the beans I see in supermarkets; they are just micro.

Then, I noticed some curly, browned leaves.  It's been very hot in San Diego, so maybe they dried out?

More beans are visible on each plant, and they are growing :) 

SEED INFORMATION:

Seeds I bought: Pinetree Garden Seeds' PROVIDER GREEN BUSH BEAN

Seeds bought from: Pinetree Garden Seeds

Origination of the seeds: N/A

According to the package:

*  Days to germination: N/A - Mine took about 19 days to germinate

*  Days to fruit: 50 days - Mine took 87 days to fruit

*  Plant height: N/A - Mine were about 12" high

*  Grows best: N/A

*  Recommended planting season for San Diego: Unknown - I planted in February.

Poona Keera Update

3 weeks after germination, Poona Keera showed its first true leaf, and roots started to grow out of the bottom of the cell packs, so I transplanted 2 survived seedlings into larger pots.  I read somewhere that a cucumber plant needs at least 12 inches across for the roots, but all I had were 9-inch pots :(  I hope my cucumbers grow in these pots without any problem!

I used Miracle Gro(R) Potting Soil and used some compost from my composter.

In a few days after being transplanted into a larger pot, the true leaf grew this much.

I can't believe it!  I didn't take any picture for one whole month - gah!  Anyway, one month has passed since the above picture, and both plants already have many buds.  Look at the base of the flowers - can  you see baby cucumbers?!  I thought they would fruit after flowers bloom, but I guess, it's not the case for cucumbers.

Cucumber flower which is about to open.

Witnessing the Vogue Apple Blossom

Geraniums seeds germinated in 5 days, so I thought this plant was a fast grower.  I was WRONG! These, in fact, grow so slowly that I eventually stopped paying attention, but if I see the pictures in the last entry from January, it sure has grown bigger.  Even better, I found buds!

Can you see the buds?

Close-up.  Can you see the buds?

Single petaled pale pink flowers opened on the 181st day after seeding.  By the way, according to the seed package, the color is indicated as "Vogue Apple Blossom" - so I was expecting to see darker color.

Cosmos - Day Dream Update

I procrastinated - again - to make entries, but I've been taking pictures of my plants :)  (Thank goodness!)

Here, I am showing the progress that my Cosmos has made in the last several weeks.  But then, I wonder if this is better than frequent updates so you can see more pictures in one entry?

 About 2 weeks after the seedlings emerged, I transplanted them in the ground, in my backyard flower bed where the soil is sandy.  I divided seedlings and planted them in slightly different conditioned spots of the same flower bed.  (Location 1: more sun)

 (Location 2: more shades)

 About a month after transplant, Cosmos in Location 2 started to show buds.  Location 1 is about the same height as these, but I don't see a bud yet.

I Almost Forgot About You.

It was at the end of September 2010 when I seeded some tiny seeds of Forget Me Not, and this plant surely took a long time to grow.  It was so slow that I almost forgot about it!  However, last week, I noticed little buds at the tips of some stalks, and this week, I finally saw the flowers!

Can you see the buds?  (You can click on the picture to enlarge)

This!  This is it!  I have always wanted to have Forget Me Not in my garden, and now it's official that I do have it!  It surely took a long time to grow(nearly 7 months!) to get to this stage, but I am happy now.

Texas Bluebonnet Has a Bud!

It has been 4 months after I seeded Texas Bluebonnette on 10/29/10, and the largest one now has a bud!  This experience of growing plants from seeds has been teaching me lots of things, but beyond anything else, I enjoy seeing changes each plant shows every day.

7 seedlings survived, and this one is the largest Texas Bluebonnet plants in my yard.  At this time, I didn't notice a bud.  There is a tiny plant one right next to it; can you see it?  

2 days after I took the above picture, I noticed a bud.  It's amazing how fast a plant can grow when it's happy.

No, I Didn't Forget.

Freesia, freesia, freesia...
Besides from the bulbs I planted, very similar (or should I say the same) leaves started appear here and there, everywhere in my back yard.  The previous homeowner must've planted freesia bulbs long ago, and it seems the original ones have grown underground and spread in my backyard.  My mom told me Freesia is somewhat invasive, so I will dig them up next spring and share the bulbs with friends.

Anyway, here's the progress of 'my' freesia. 

So, this is how the first sprout looked like back in October.

 18 days later (one month after planting), they kind of looked like bunny ears.

 Two weeks later (44 days after planting), the bulbs I planted in my front yard looked like these...

 ...and the ones in the backyard.  Backyard receives more sun, so that maybe why these bulbs are doing better than the ones in the front yard?

 Freesia tilted and grew out of control.  But wait, I think I see some flower buds already!

Close-up picture of the buds.

These are a part of the 'stray' freesias in my backyard.  They, too, have buds.  I think the smell in the backyard will be wonderful once they all bloom.

Leucojum - Summer Snowflakes

I bought Summer Snowflakes bulbs; it was sort of a compulsive buy.  My mother, who loves to plant, had this plant by the front door of our house.  I like the refreshing color contrast of white and green, and I wanted it in my yard, too.  Commonly called "Summer Snowflakes" has rather not-so-cute official name: Leucojum. 

 A bulb of Leucojum.  I planted this on November 8, 2010 in a clay container.  Later, I read that they should've been planted in the ground. Ah well.

33 days later, I found a little tip in the soil.  I started to get worried since I thought "plant immediately" meant speedy growth.  It was a long wait!

61 days after planting, all 5 bulbs sprouted.  I placed the container at a very sunny spot.  Maybe that helped?

67 days after planting.  I see a bud!  This picture was taken in the morning.

Same day, in the afternoon - can you see the  change?

In the later afternoon - I didn't get to see the first flower, but I know I can see it very soon!

Next morning (68 days after planting the bulbs), the first flower finally opened!!

 This is from this morning.  It is hard to see in this picture, but three flowers opened.

Also, I see another bud at the bottom of the plant, and another from a different bulb.  I am very excited!!  Stay tuned for more pictures with more flowers~

BULB INFORMATION:

Bulbs I bought: Leucojum Gravetye Giant

Bulbs bought from: Easy to Grow Bulbs.com

Origination of the seeds: USA

According to the package:

*  Days to germination: Unknown - Mine took 33 days to sprout

*  Days to bloom: Unknown - Mine took 68 days

*  Plant height: 16-20 inches

*  Grows best: Full Sun to Light or Dappled Shade

*  Recommended planting season for San Diego: Immediately upon delivery - I planted in November

Calla, Calla!

Calla Lilies are one of my favorite flowers, and I have always wanted to have them in my yard.  Now, my dream is getting closer to come true!

I planted 2 bulbs in my front yard.  They spouted out and grew fairly quickly.  This is about 3 weeks after I planted the bulbs.  Big leaves!

Another month past, and this is about 2-months after I planted the bulbs.  Unfortunately, one of them was ruined by a heavy rain we had in San Diego.  I procrastinated to put up the rain gutters, so all the water from the roofs dripped on the very spot these were planted.  I am glad one survived, though!

 Thanks to my wonderful boyfriend who helped putting up the rain gutters, the survived Calla wasn't hit too hard by the rain fall last week.  Look!  A flower is about to open!! 

Maybe tomorrow??  Can't wait to see the flower!!!!!