Coleus

Coleus has gorgeous foliage, and I would be happy to have it in my garden.

Seeds are tiny!

18 days after seeding, seedlings started to emerge.

This plant grows very slow.  The seedlings are still small even after 2 weeks after germination.

Still nothing notable has happened in 4 days. :(

Finally, little under 2 months after seeding, true leaves started to show.  I'm glad they are making some progress.  Phew!

...yet not much to notice even 3 more weeks had passed, but I planted the little seedlings into larger pots to give more room for root growth. 

About 2 weeks later, two more new leaves started to show.  I am getting a bit impatient with this plant.

Almost 4 months after seeding, my coleus started looking like one.  However, seriously, how long will it take to grow as big as I would like?

   SEED INFORMATION:

Seeds I bought: Pinetree Garden Seeds COLEUS - Black Dragon

Seeds bought from: http://www.superseeds.com/

Origination of the seeds: Unknown

According to the package:

*  Days to germination: 20-30 days - Mine took about 7 days to germinate

*  Days to bloom: 60-90 days

*  Plant height: 24 inches

*  Grows best: Full Sun

*  Recommended planting season for San Diego: February-May & August - September - I planted in Octobe

Picking the First Poona Keera

Brown cucumbers??  I have been curious about this cucumber ever since I found it in a mail order catalogue.  Yes, indeed; these cucumbers are turning into brown as they are supposed to.

On 5/23, the largest cucumber started to become yellow.

Next day, the color changed to even more brown.

So, I picked it.  Does it look like a cucumber to you?

When I peeled it, inside of it was light green, just like any other cucumbers.  Taste?  It was pretty pleasant.

Grean Beans, Harvest Time!

The time has come!  Some of the beans on the plants are ready to be picked, and I was very excited to harvest my grean beans for the first time.

I boiled these and served them with butter - oh, were they good!  I am looking forward to picking more of these.

Freesia, Level II

Freesia flowers finished, but now I am waiting to harvest the seeds.

I wonder...will these seeds grow Freesia with bulbs?  I have been waiting for these seeds to mature and dry so that I can experiment.  Gardening sure requires patience.

Ready To Be Served?

Some of the green beans seem like they are ready to be harvested.  Click here and see the picture of these beans 4 days before.  Isn't it amazing how fast they have grown in such a short time?

They look just like the ones sold in stores.  I think they will be a part of my dinner tomorrow :)

Amazingly Fast.

I have just posted a picture of this cucumber 3 days ago, and the same cucumber now looks like this.

 The entire plant is prickly!  Cucumbers used to have painful thorns when they were small, but not anymore.

Two cukes from another plant.  They are growing fast, and they will definitely be in my salad!

How Many More Days?

My green beans are growing without a problem so far.  They look healthy, and they haven't been eaten by bugs or birds (do they eat green beans?).

I think I need to wait a few more days until they get as big as the ones sold in stores.  Mmmm... I am excited :)