Cyprus Vegetable - Seeds, Soil, Sun and water ...

With my new found attraction to growing stuff I can eat, i was desperate to get planting. Mid-April whilst out in a general home store i picked up a variety of seeds, but forgot about everything else I may have needed.

Upon returning home and with no soil, no seed trays, and no idea I grabbed two old pots and filled them with some left over dirt from backfilling my garden - its a very rich but clay like mud so I didn't expect much to occur, but I just had to put something in the 'ground' so to speak.

After littering the 2 pots with seeds i had bought (way to many)  I decided to throw a few in the un (astro) turfed garden area before its covered. I let things be and as soon as I saw the smallest of shoots I rushed down to the garden centre to grab some proper soil, seed trays and fertilizer so I could get going properly...

Here are the two pots I filled with Watermelon seeds after around 4 weeks;



And the few seeds I threw in the ground (not so clear i know...) you can see a few non weed looking shoots coming through and looking well



After returning from the garden centre 'kitted up' I got planting (or maybe its sowing??)

Here i have a selection of HERB and Tomato Seeds, Basil, chives and a few others after close to 3 weeks - some are growing well, others not so well, but early days;



I got so excited I grabbed all of the empty and spare pots i cam across and filled them all with soil so i could start planting as much as possible.

In the below i have Lettuce and Onion;



Carrots;



My Tomato and Garlic;




And finally a mixture of Hot Pepper, Corn, Asparagus and Chicory. I have seen many people use platic cups so thought i would give it a try myself. Most of the below have been going for only 2 weeks and all are sprouting;



My only predicament now is learning a swiftly as possible how to transfer, when to transfer, what (if at all) i should be thinning and I'm sure a whole host of other things I will deal with as I get there. Super excited and checking all of their progress before and after work making sure there staying watered.

In case I haven't mentioned I live in Cyprus and its warm to HOT for at least 8 months of the year, i have been informed by a few people this means i should be able to grow most things nearly all year round and some cold leafy vegetables perhaps through the mild winters.

Due to the heat - currently climbing - and at around 27/28degrees my little guys need to stay wet, they are currently located on the side of my garage where they get alot of sun but also shade as the sun passes over the house....

Next up >> Progress snaps and plans for some woodwork.....

Cyprus Vegetables - But not a Vegetable in sight...

I thought I would throw up a few snaps of my actual garden in all of its Spring Glory, a few bushes need a trim but I am waiting for them to fill out a bit more before snipping, it will all eventually stoned white as well..

Corner of the Drive way, you can see the new small bushes ready to be dotted around as well;



Front of the house;



Finally my large Bonsai garden;



I have a few changes to make to the front of the house larger area but will tackle this at another time, my aim for now is to get it looking tidy, trimmed and covered in nice white stones.

Container Vegetable Garden - How I got started

So as I said earlier I stumbled in to Vegetables via a fruit... The Strawberry. I was reading an article about strawberries (I'm not sure why) which was talking about Strawberry Plant Runners, my mind decided to store this information.

The following weekend whilst by the Sea we stumbled across some open farms, I asked the farmer if I could search and cut a runner because I was going to grow it - My wife and the farmer both laughed, but within a few minutes I had found what I thought to be a runner, I took it home and planted it in my hanging basket (after removing all of the beautiful flowers that were growing) and now almost 12 weeks on and being nearly entirely neglected;



I cant believe it, I have now harvested a plant for food!!



Delicious Strawberries, clearly the bug had bitten me and I was now on a mission for as much free food as I could grow with an intention of spending as little as possible whilst knowing next to nothing....

Next up... Seeds, Pots and Mud.

And away we go...

I’m an Englishman in Cyprus and have lived on the Island permanently since 2008. My Wife is Cypriot and my new Son Cyplish J. I aim to grow food in containers by the side of my house in Chirokitia, Cyprus and stumbled into this rather recently and by complete accident.

Having had no previous experience or desire in gardening in any shape or form, upon moving into our house I dedicated a few areas to some flowers and bushes and began planting. However, my interest or imagination was never really pegged down until by complete accident I grew a tomato plant, needless to say – the Vegetable bug has well and truly bitten me.

This blog will follow the progress of a complete beginner with no true knowledge of vegetables or gardening in general take on a Container Vegetable Garden, with the aim of making a decent harvest for my family of 3 throughout nearly the entire year.

The climate in Cyprus is warm to hot from March to September and the winters are generally mild, this should allow me to grow a lot of vegetables almost all year round, I will also investigate cold weather vegetables and indoor Container Gardening if all goes well towards the end of this year.

Through every step I take – right or wrong – I will document my progress, I hope, weekly.  I will be starting almost all of my vegetables from seed and following them through to the end, hopefully learning and disseminating the knowledge I accrue as I go.

As I start in Late April of 2012 I have an armful of pots, some soil, a few seed packets, and a whole lot of ambition. Hopefully this will stand me and my Container Garden in good stead for the future…