Passion: Growing food plants in apartment garden (1).....

Arugula.........the mustard family plant is good as salad or cooked...
Sown some seeds in pots in early  June...in barely few days the seeds sprouted....
In two months they should be ready to consume....

Mustard.............the seeds have thinner wall......and expected to germinate anytime, now they are a week into sowing.....
Well, they germinated and now more than a inch..........

Spinach..........
Shown in early June..........took a couple of days to germinate...

Chard........
It has bigger seeds, thick wall and likely to take longer for germination......
Well, they germinated in less than a week....seasoned gardeners recommend to soak the seen 10-15 minute before sowing to facilitate germination...
Oh! How delightful it is to see the tiny reddish radicle....now, my seedlings are two-leafed...wish, all of the seeds to have germinated....got only 3 out of 10-15 seeds I had sown....

Most of they germinated....but my ignorance of sowing them in South California harsh sun killed most of the fragile saplings...
As temperature dropped, some of them are looking good..

Mint......I thought its invasive and very easy to grow..must past attempts were futile.........all the planted stalks got rotten....have planted some yet again........to be seen, if they survive.........

Finally one survived...already started sending suckers...hope it proliferates..

Purslane.......

I know its richness in nutrients......though this edible weed grows anywhere, everywhere, they are tainted by roadside pollutants...so, I wanted to plant some purslane...

While shopping some fresh produce in the local open air farmer's market, I came across this impressive, luscious bunch of the greens at $2.......got one and planted the thick stems....

To ensure at least a few survives, planted in 3-4 different pots...excited to pluck the tender twigs in weeks and use in stir-fry..

Its's nice to see all of the survive and develop stalks of their own.......in a week, they can be harvested.....

Also I have sown some parsley, chives, oregano and thyme seeds........except parsley, all are sown directly to he soil.........parsley seed has thick wall, so it needed soaking for 12h........In a pot, I have made quadrants and I have sprinkled the seeds in their designated areas........waiting to see how they will do........

From past experience, I know, most herbs start well...but, then turn lanky and and get ravaged by bugs...I have to be careful.......
And failure is part of gardening journey, like life itself....
Rule is to keep trying...and learning from mistakes... Other plants that can be grown in planters......pea, cress, mache........ Other foraged plants: Cattail, lambsquarter, purslane, nasturtiums leaf, knotweed, dandelion......except purslane, I have not tried the others.. Alos tender shoots of fava bean and sweet pea can be used in salad.....