Peri's Garden Blog is Back!

[Peripherie]

I have some free time over the summer and one of the things I want to do is turn my humdrum yard into something just a bit more colorful and mine. Although I don't have a great deal of know-how or money to tackle any big projects, my main goal is just to spend a little bit of what i do have (time) in my yard every day. Here I will chronicle my attempts and triumphs (with pictures!).



Monday 6/16: The vine massacre and some Vinca!

Since I bought my house five years ago most of what I have done is just kill...... kill! My backyard was just an overgrown, shady mess. And my little plot is surrounded by swampy land and a few pockets of trees that my neighbors don't care about. But I care as it all just tries to visit my yard and take root! So my first picture is of the vine pile at the end of the driveway. It shall grow much later until Friday, trash day.



To offset the destruction, I did also plant some Vinca in a cute pot and it is now living on the steps of my front porch. (We shall see how long it lives - I'm not always great at the perfect water ratio.)



That's it for today. More tomorrow!

(Note: Yeah, that banner wasn't made by me nor is any of the pretty growing things in at anywhere near my house.)

[Dovel]

Oh this is a wonderful idea for a Blog!

I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things you can grow. If you have room, and you don't need very much, perhaps use some of those greens you cut down to start a compost pile. They are easy to manage and the soil you get from them is perfect to use for gardening.

[Rhedyn]

Oooo, I'm looking forward to this blog! I'm not great at gardening but I love seeing what other people come up with for theirs <3

[Oniya]

Most of my successful plants are 'accidents' (like the tomato plant that grew out of my compost bucket last year, and re-seeded for this year.)

[Aislinn]

I'm currently in the process of landscaping my backyard. Well, to tell the truth, I've been in the 'process' of landscaping it since the house was built. I decided this year that I'm going to make more of it 'user friendly' instead of having boring grass. I had a concrete pad poured when the house was built and I'm going to do a fire pit nearby. Still poking through books and websites to find ideas I like. I just get tired of mowing the lawn, dealing with crabgrass and whatever weeds pop up and maintenance. Have to keep some for the dogs, obviously, but a good portion of it is going away!

[Peripherie]

Oh this is a wonderful idea for a Blog!

I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things you can grow. If you have room, and you don't need very much, perhaps use some of those greens you cut down to start a compost pile. They are easy to manage and the soil you get from them is perfect to use for gardening.

A compost pile is a great idea, thanks hun! I even found a DIY version that seems pretty cheap, not too extensive, and easy to put together.

[Peripherie]

Friday 6/20: Gnome garden and DIY update:

Where did the week go!?!

I borrowed my mom's drill to start my DIY compost pile in bucket project but the drill battery pack ran low. It is charging and I shall have it finished tomorrow and composting very soon!

Here is my little backyard garden patch:



It currently contains just some Elephant Ears and weeds. But soon I will find some cute flowers to plant in front. There were some pansies but some local critters didn't like my color choice and dug them up. O.o

That was it for today. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow but I think I shall still get my Compost Bucket done. ^_^

[Dovel]

The spot you chose looks great. I have a similar problem with my own local critters. They love to dig up the peas I plant. Nothing else, just the peas.

[Peripherie]

Monday 6/30: No more weeds, just pretty growing things!

Finished with my compost pile in a box! Tada:



There are holes on the bottom and all four sides. It was actually pretty easy to drill the holes. I've put leaves, some wilted salad leaves, tea bags, and some celery in it so far (along with some soil and water).



It may not look TOO much different but I weeded the whole bed and then spent the morning with my mom. She had some extra iris and lantana that she transplanted in the back.
Then I bought some vinca (as the one on my front porch is thriving and looks so pretty) and planted that along the front so it goes:



Back Row:   Three Iris (left side)  and lantana (right side - it's a little wilty right now)
Middle: Three elephant ears all spaced out
Front Row: four different colors of vinca (left to right: pink, white, red, purple).

My next project (besides just trying to keep the things in my flowerbed alive):



It really is my neighbor's fence but the part of their yard that is behind it is very overgrown and they don't care. :( So all their lovely foresty things try and move into my yard. So tomorrow I shall be hacking and cutting, hacking and cutting.

Phew, yay pretty garden!

[Baneare]

Side thought, if it's larger critters that are going for your plants...save some hair from your next haircut, and sprinkle it for a few feet in each direction around what you don't want taken. Deer will avoid the area, and might help with small animals too.

[Peripherie]

Thanks for the tip! :) We don't have deer where I live, as I'm pretty close to the water. It is mostly racoons and squirrels but it can't hurt to try.

[Oniya]

Do you have cats?  I'd have to look it up, but some people use cat litter to 'mark' the territory somehow so that the smaller critters think there's a predator around.  You can also purchase coyote scent, but using cat litter is *ahem* 'recycling'.

[Peripherie]

Do you have cats?  I'd have to look it up, but some people use cat litter to 'mark' the territory somehow so that the smaller critters think there's a predator around.  You can also purchase coyote scent, but using cat litter is *ahem* 'recycling'.

I DO have a cat and boy does he go through some litter. Though of course, it is quite floral scented litter but I'll try anything. Thanks Oniya!

[Oniya]

This is listed as protecting bulbs, but should have some useful tips:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/protect-flower-bulbs.htm

[Peripherie]

This is listed as protecting bulbs, but should have some useful tips:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/protect-flower-bulbs.htm

Oooo...it says I can use cat hair. Man, I brush gobs of it off him everyday. And I've been throwing that away!!! :P Now I shall put his tumbleweeds of hair to use!

[Dovel]

Your garden is looking great, even after only a couple of weeks. You must have a knack for it. ~smiles~

[Peripherie]

Tuesday 7/1: I really need to start taking before pictures. :P



I spent a good hour and a half killing things outside today. (After I watered all the flowers I planted yesterday.)
This is not the section of the fence I took a picture of yesterday, this is to the right of that. And there is still a great deal of vines/ivy, etc to be cleared from the base of the fence.

BUT, below is load two of the limbs, vines, branches, etc that I ripped away. The whole corner is just so much brighter. :)



I'm really enjoying spending time outside this summer (though even with bug spray I'm getting eaten alive. :P)

[Baneare]

Congrats, that's some good work you're doing out there!

[Peripherie]

Thanks Baneare! I am having fun with it! :D

Wednesday 7/2: Just a trim.

So I got out early while it was still cool and breezy and just did some more killing trimming.
Some before and after pictures:

Bush in the front of my house before:



After (it doesn't look like much in the picture but it certainly is more groomed):

(Kind of looks like a heart from this angle. lol)

Middle of the back fence before:


After:

Phew! That was a lot of looping and cutting and cursing. (Most of what I took down were vines that were intertwined through the fence over and over.)

Here is one of my next projects (after tackling the rest of the ivy on the fence):


My shed is a little house. :P It is in pretty poor shape, both inside and out. I plan to scrub it and paint all the wood the same color as my house (which is a light mocha color) and then paint the trim around the windows and doors the same color as my shutters (a dark burgundy.)

But it is covered with ivy and is pretty dirty. So I first have to figure out how to clean/prep it with killing myself and without destroying any of the wood.

First step to help control the ivy is I have been taking some of the bricks I have found around my property (There are just random bricks and hunks of stone EVERYWHERE! :P) and am lining the base the shed with them to help keep the ivy from coming up from below.


(You can see where I have started on the left and the gap that still needs more bricks on the right.)

It was a productive morning. :) More cutting and brick laying tomorrow!

[Peripherie]

Thursday 7/3: Bricks!

So I finished putting bricks around the base of my shed. It needs a good cleaning inside and out and there are some dead ivy remnants from where it was growing up the side that I need to clear away before I can start painting it.

Question for anyone reading this that may know: Does anyone know what I would need to do to clean/prep/prime the wood before painting it again? (I know I will need some outside/weather resistant paint.) I imagine it will require a great deal of elbow grease.... or a power washer.

The fence is now de-vined (kinda). But I cleared all the stuff growing over the top. WHICH WAS A LOT!

Before:


After:


There is still a great deal of ivy growing at the bottom of the fence with a lot of debris mixed in that needs to be cleared. That till take a great deal more time as every bit of ivy/vine is tangled in and out of the rusty wire fence.

[Baneare]

Depending on the quality of the wood underneath the paint, you can either use a pressure washer to blast off the chips if there are no cracks or breaks in the underlying wood, or you'll need to take a paint scraper and go over the exposed paint to get rid of all the old loose paint. Either way, after cleaning you'll want to sand down the edges of the broken paint to smooth it down with the wood, then take a wood sealer to the exposed wood, and make sure it is weather tight again. After that is dried, it is safe to use an outdoor paint/primer mix or just go straight primer, then coat with your paint afterward. Either way, you'll be spending a good amount of time making sure it is weather tight again. Hope it helps...

[Peripherie]

Depending on the quality of the wood underneath the paint, you can either use a pressure washer to blast off the chips if there are no cracks or breaks in the underlying wood, or you'll need to take a paint scraper and go over the exposed paint to get rid of all the old loose paint. Either way, after cleaning you'll want to sand down the edges of the broken paint to smooth it down with the wood, then take a wood sealer to the exposed wood, and make sure it is weather tight again. After that is dried, it is safe to use an outdoor paint/primer mix or just go straight primer, then coat with your paint afterward. Either way, you'll be spending a good amount of time making sure it is weather tight again. Hope it helps...

Wow, yeah, that is a lot of work to be done. But thank you for sharing your knowledge with me!

[Peripherie]

Wednesday 7/9: Maintaining:

So while I haven't posted in a few days I have been out in my yard doing work (and I have the bug bites to prove it). But mostly what I have been doing is weeding/watering/keeping up with the progress I have made and trying to keep things alive. :D

My vinca that I put in a pot on my porch as exploded in blooms though so I transferred it to a slightly larger pot and put some petunia's in the original red 'flower shaped' pot the vinca had been in.
My phone is on the fritz, which means my camera is also on the fritz so no pictures as of yet. We are also going to have about a week of daily rainstorms so I probably won't be out much.

OH! And the lantana and irises that my mom transplanted are still alive - barely but they are slowly coming back to looking healthy.

Pictures when I get my new phone and the rain stops. :)

[Peripherie]

Thursday 7/10: Picture Update



So I moved the Vinca (originally in the right pot on the right to a larger pot as it has just exploded in blooms). And I planted some Petunias in the red pot. They are currently on my porch near my door to protect them from the deluge of storms we are going to have this week. You can see my kitty kat Orion supervising (which is what he does best)! <3

[Rhedyn]

Wow, you've made great progress so far! It's looking awesome and I love your welcome mat <3

[Dovel]

Orion does seem to be a good supervising feline. Perhaps you should let him help with the planting? ~smiles~

[Peripherie]

Rhedyn - Thank you! I hope to do more than water after this week of storms end. ^_^

Dovel - He would only be helpful if there were things he could chew. I could try to get him to chew the weeds out but I think I would just end up finding them again in the house when he tracked/dragged/threw them up later. :P

[Peripherie]

Saturday 7/12: Flower Sadness.


So not really an update on anything that I did in the yard but a sad result of all the storms we have had recently. Two of my vincas that I planted in the flower bed have lost all their blossoms. :( (Those were some heavy crazy storms.) The plants are fine but they will just not be so colorful for a little while. And we are supposed to have more storms early next week. :P

But the two flower pots on my porch look amazing! :)

We shall see how the flowerbed fairs after the next round of storms. *crosses fingers*

[Peripherie]

Monday 7/14: Hope!

So I went to water the flowerbed this morning (as it has just been insufferably hot) and I saw a few pink buds already opening/opened from the vinca that was a few days ago completely green:



And my little garden hasn't been 'visited' and destroyed by any local critters and I think I have found one reason why. I recently constructed a raccoon deterrent system to keep them away from my trash and without that to draw them in they haven't been digging up my flowers either! Huzzah!


(raccoon deterrent system = bungee cord :D)

[Peripherie]

Sunday 7/14: RIP Peri's Garden?

Dun dun dun.... What suspense!!

The heat wave is on and my little flower garden is dying. My work life has ramped up and so all the living things at my house (cat not included) are lucky if I remember to water them once in a blue moon.

And the weeds have retaken the fence along the back. :P

I will try to water a bit later when the heat has died down for the evening and I'll try to remember for the near future how much of a stress reliever looping/killing vines can be. :P

... to be continued....

[Dovel]

Weeds have a nasty habit of getting into everything. But I think you did rather well for your first year of gardening. Next year you can plant again and perhaps expand a little but more.

[Amazee]

Oh how sad. I hate it when flower gardens start to die off. Could you have done anything to stop it from dying?

[Peripherie]

Oh how sad. I hate it when flower gardens start to die off. Could you have done anything to stop it from dying?

The short answer: I could have actually watered it daily. :P

The long answer is that my summer was a bit more carefree and I had time to go and water/weed/care for my garden. Now that work has ramped up and my life has gotten hectic I really only tend to it when it's on death's door. Fall/Winter is coming soon and much of it will die back so I think I'm okay with my gardening experiment coming to a temporary end for this year!

Weeds have a nasty habit of getting into everything. But I think you did rather well for your first year of gardening. Next year you can plant again and perhaps expand a little but more.

Thanks! *hugs* I think it was a good first try! Next year I want to plant a bit more in front of my little shed as well. :)

[Amazee]

I know that my mother's garden is still alive and kicking but its getting closer to autumn so it will end up dying soon.

[Peripherie]

My garden is officially dead for the winter. RIP

I look forward to tending you again come Spring!

[Cassandra LeMay]

Hey, at least you have learned a lot from this year's experience.  :-)

These things come and go and laid some solid groundwork for next years spring.

I'm looking forward to a few new garden pictures, come next year.

[Peripherie]

Thanks Cass! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. :)

[metallliclimbs]

It's a pretty neat Idea! I hope you keep up with it.

[Peripherie]

Saturday 6/16: Resurrection!

So Spring has past and Summer is here. And there is a lot of rebirth and new things in the Peri Garden. The least of which is my new partner in crime, my fella farmer. :D He loves to garden, grow veggies, recycle, compost, and take care of outside-y things (including mowing my lawn. *dances*)!

We have had a fun spring trying new things and pretty much just experimenting with things we know little about.

Pictures!


My backyard garden plot one year later. The iris, lantana, and elephant ears have come back and are doing well. I haven't planted any new vinca but I may still. We may also use the front of the garden plot to replant some of our thriving veggies.


Our new composter! Well, it was my mother's but she wasn't using it much so new it lives at my house. We still use my old compost bucket that I DIYed last year to hold the dirt that is already fully composted. We are doing a lot of yummy, healthy cooking and all the ends and tops and extra pieces of veggies go into the compost. Fella also LOVES coffee so all the grounds go in there as well.


Not really a garden project but we have been keeping and collecting cans from various places and houses of friends/families. Fella loves crushing them and we are probably almost ready to turn them in for a tiny refund.


One corner of my/our porch. Fella loves the idea of bucket/planter gardening and using throw-away things to plant in. (We rescued some drawers from off the side of the road to plant things in but haven't gotten to them yet. Soon!)


Basil! :) We bought some starter herb plants and this is one of them. It was originally with the other herbs in the tray but started to bully and overgrow. So we repotted it and it is thriving. What I have learned from mom, who grows her own herbs as well, is that when herbs start to flower you have to pluck them off or it will turn the leaves bitter. We have already used some of the leaves in a yummy stir fry the other day.


More herbs! Thyme, parsley, stevia, and oregano. We haven't used them yet but we have plans.... so many plants. ^_^


Pepper plants and baby kale. The pepper was used in a yummy stir-fry this past weekend. Not sure if we will get more peppers from this plant. It had flowered earlier in the summer but now it is only leaves. The kale may need to be re-potted but we used some of it with the chard we planted on some burgers and it so yummy!


Eggplant! This plant has really taken off. We ate the eggplant in a stir fry that was just amazing. The most spectacular thing is that once we took the big one off the plant another smaller eggplant has tripled in size in just a few days. (You can see the little one that is now not so little in the upper middle of the picture.)


Gerber daisies! :) It was a gift that wasn't doing so well for a while. Fella cut it back a great deal and now it is doing so well. I guess it was just overcrowded. I will say that while it is pretty it is SUCH a thirsty thirsty plant.

We have more plans/plants in the works but right now it is fun to come home and play gardener. (Also I don't think I could have met a better man to help me take my little hobby last summer and turn it into something much more rewarding. <3)

[Wistful Dream]

It's gorgeous!

[Cassandra LeMay]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how things will develop this year. Looks like you are off to a very good start.  :-)

And congrats on finding someone to share your gardening with. That's awesome.  :-)

[Peripherie]

Update:

My backyard garden... did not fare well this year. It has been SO hot and without lots of mulch and multiple waterings... everything withered. Also, when you are taking care of veggies on the front porch that you can eat... and flowers are waaaay in the backyard that you can't eat. Well, I've been lazy and just never went back there.

We had about 5 eggplants growing but it was only ever one at a time and although the plant is tall and healthy, no more eggplants lately.

However our Cowhorn pepper plant has exploded! We have like 6 peppers growing on that thing right now.

And my guy has added a few pots - radishes, beets, and a bucket containing cat nip.

Pictures when I am not so lazy!

[Peripherie]

Summer is turning into fall but my porch garden is still going strong.

Cowhorn peppers


Ichiban eggplant


Catnip


Variety of radishes, beets, and herbs


We really don't know how to use them all or use them well just yet. But all and all it has been a fun and tasty experiment. However we have plans, glorious plans, for a full on garden next year!

[Oniya]

I've never been particularly good with beets, but radishes can either be added raw to salads, or pickled.

[Peripherie]

Thanks for the tip Oniya!

I am not sure I really like either but my boyfriend bought the seeds and just went ahead and planted them. He is also much more adventurous with recipes and food in general. I just get to eat the yummy stuff he makes! :D

(I doubt he has ever tried his hand at pickling things though.)

[Oniya]

This recipe has some good reviews and doesn't require any fancy equipment (it's a 'refrigerator pickle', as opposed to a 'canning pickle', which would require special jars and techniques)

[Peripherie]

This recipe has some good reviews and doesn't require any fancy equipment (it's a 'refrigerator pickle', as opposed to a 'canning pickle', which would require special jars and techniques)

But.... do I like pickled radishes? :P (I only share things with him that I actually think I want to eat.) *is teasing* I will show him but he is all about not wasting food so I have to be careful or I'll be 5 again trying to get rid of things I don't like down the toilet when I excuse myself to go to the bathroom.

[Peripherie]

So the catnip plant is flourishing and I have to figure out how to make it drive Orion crazy! :) My boyfriend says he has gone wild just smelling a leaf but when I stick it in his face he just sniffs at it and walks away.

So I wonder if you have to dry it and make it crumbled like the stuff at the store for it to be effective as kitty crack.


Added:

After looking online I think you have to wait till it flowers before it is effective. Our potted plant just has a lot of leaves. (Annnd reading further you have to dry it for 4-8 weeks before using. :P)

[Oniya]

Try bruising the leaf before waving it at him.  There's an old saying that if you grow 'nip from seed, the local cats won't care, but if you transplant it, they'll tear it up.  My theory on this is that seeing a plant grow is nothing special, but seeing a big plant suddenly there needs Investigating.  This leads to lots of physical contact with the plant, which bruises the leaves, resulting in the oils being released.

[Peripherie]

Thanks I will try that. He currently has a stash of the dried stuff to keep him nipped up for many months but the next time I let him out on the porch I will test it. :)

[Peripherie]

So I revive this dead thread, like so many of my plants from last spring/summer, and begin again!

Actually I probably should rename this blog "Peri's (and her SO's) Garden Blog!"

He has already kicked off the growing season with planting a few potatoes in pots as well as trying to trim and save some of our herbs. We had planned on a plot of land in my side yard on a much grander scale but I think pots on the porch will suffice for our gardening needs for one more year.

For Easter his mom gave us six pepper seedlings (4 hot and two sweet) and he planted them today, with my our cat Ori supervising and generally getting in trouble. Pictures to follow. We had planned to do a lot of cutting back before spring really sprung but life seems to have marched on without telling us.

Pictures soon to follow and hopefully a few seasons of crazy antics with some yummy/pretty growing things!

[Wistful Dream]

Glad to see you back at this darling. <3 Can't wait to see those pictures!

[Cassandra LeMay]

Nice to have your blog back.  :-) Looking forward to some pictures. And even without pictures it's good to know that you and the SO are going strong.

[LtRipley]

I might steal this idea from you lol I have a pretty expansive patio garden at my apartment

[Peripherie]

Thanks Cass! Wisti!

And you should Atroxa! We planed herbs and peppers and an eggplant last year. We are pretty novice but we got a few things to eat from it. We started some from seed and some from young plants. (We also planted some radishes and beats and lettuce but those didn't do so well.)

[LtRipley]

I did bell peppers, green beans, and tomatoes last year. This year I added squash (and zucchini), eggplant, and radishes. I also have some herbs like mint, parsley, cilantro, and spinach. Oh and I got a thornless blackberry bush last year and then got a couple small strawberry plants this year too. I started most of them from seed except for the herbs and the strawberries. You did your egg plant from seed? How did that go? My seeds took forever to sprout and now the sprouts are taking forever to grow!

[Peripherie]

I think the eggplant was from a seedling. Oo... he got some some kind of berry seeds. That is great about the green beans. Like I said we are still very new at gardening and have big plans with little time. :)

[LtRipley]

I bought the blackberries and strawberries as sprouts instead of seeds, same with most of my herbs but almost all the vegetables have been grown from seeds

[Blythe]

So I revive this dead thread, like so many of my plants from last spring/summer, and begin again!

Actually I probably should rename this blog "Peri's (and her SO's) Garden Blog!"

He has already kicked off the growing season with planting a few potatoes in pots as well as trying to trim and save some of our herbs. We had planned on a plot of land in my side yard on a much grander scale but I think pots on the porch will suffice for our gardening needs for one more year.

For Easter his mom gave us six pepper seedlings (4 hot and two sweet) and he planted them today, with my our cat Ori supervising and generally getting in trouble. Pictures to follow. We had planned to do a lot of cutting back before spring really sprung but life seems to have marched on without telling us.

Pictures soon to follow and hopefully a few seasons of crazy antics with some yummy/pretty growing things!

Oooh sweet peppers? Those sound like they'd be really good!

[Oniya]

Oooh sweet peppers? Those sound like they'd be really good!

I may be wrong, but I believe that green peppers are one of those plants that you can start from grocery store produce.  Pull out the seed cone in the middle, and brush the seeds onto a paper towel.  Allow to dry, then plant in seedling pots (you can use empty eggshells instead - they'll break down when you transplant the baby plants outside.)

[Peripherie]

I may be wrong, but I believe that green peppers are one of those plants that you can start from grocery store produce.  Pull out the seed cone in the middle, and brush the seeds onto a paper towel.  Allow to dry, then plant in seedling pots (you can use empty eggshells instead - they'll break down when you transplant the baby plants outside.)

That's a great idea. I shouldn't tell my SO about that trick though... he will be too excited about it. *shows him anyway* ^_^

[Peripherie]

I have a pretty purple iris blooming!!!

*is still too bogged down for pictures* It was a beautiful surprise when I went out back to take the trash out today! ^_^

[Oreo]

I was really excited to get my 'sort of' garden going this year. We were able to move a bunch of grow bags up next to the house, making the plants close enough that I can manage to tend to the garden. Next year we have a spot clears right behind the house where I will be able to grow directly in the ground instead of pots and bags.

We got some new varieties of tomatoes to try, Indigo Rose. I thought having black tomatoes would be really cool then came to the realization that I had no idea what the tomato was supposed to look like once it was ripe. Thankfully Google let me know the bottom turns red when they ripen. (They are hard to spot in the picture, but there are little black and green tomatoes in there.)

I've already been nomming on my zucchini foe a couple of weeks, and gone through the bulk of sugar snap peas. We ended up buying seven different types of tomatoes, and I got seeds to start in a mini greenhouse for next year.

There is a nearly endless supply of kale, chard and collards already growing behind the house. I gathered a few semi truck tire rings to plant my herbs in and have become quite spoiled with their fresh taste in almost everything I cooked for the past month. (Above picture the herbs have now totally filled the rim with tarragon, lemon thyme, thyme, and basil.) Purple basil, sage, and chocolate mint, in a cauldron. The parsley and chives are in another container behind the house.

It doesn't look like much, but the outer wild herb garden is massive. There is marjoram, oregano, bergamot, lemon balm, wild mint, lime and French thyme, and feverfew, plus a few aromatic herbs I have forgotten the names of.

Next year I hope to add string beans back to the garden. It seems like forever since I had fresh Romano pole beans.

In other areas of the property the berries are going crazy. The blackberries are especially proliferous this year because of all the rain, and covered in masses of berries. There is a section about 7' high and 25' long of those growing on the fence-line.

I need to get a picture of the grape arbor now that it is filling in and the grapes are starting to grow.

So enthused about everything. ;D I adore cooking food that comes straight from the garden to the table. >_> Even the roving wild venison plant.

[Peripherie]

Wow Oreo, that sounds like a fantastic garden! (And I've never even heard of black tomatoes.)

My SO has been leading the charge on our garden this year (as I am cultivating my grad school work). We have lots of little things growing but the coolest thing is:

CORN!!


I didn't even really think we would be able to grow corn but we have about 6 stalks that seem to be doing well. They all have corn husks on them in various stages. Anyone else out there familiar with growing corn? I'm not sure we even know when we should try to harvest the husks ... so I would love some advice!

I will post more about our other projects in the coming days!

(I'm still super jealous with your wild herb garden cookie!)

[Oniya]

I didn't even really think we would be able to grow corn but we have about 6 stalks that seem to be doing well. They all have corn husks on them in various stages. Anyone else out there familiar with growing corn? I'm not sure we even know when we should try to harvest the husks ... so I would love some advice!

Basically, it's when the ears have filled out.  If you pinch the end of the ear lightly and it's rounded instead of pointy, it's ready.

Since corn does work in your area, a neat thing to do is something called a 'Three Sisters' arrangement.  You plant some kind of climbing bean next to the corn stalks, and some kind of squash in the bed as well.  The exact types don't matter.  The bean plants use the corn stalk for support, and also put nitrogen back in the soil.  The squash leaves spread out over the ground and keep weeds from growing.

And remember:  August 8 is 'Sneak a Bag of Zucchini onto your Neighbor's Porch' Day. Really.

[Oreo]

*feelz bad* I dehydrate my extra zucchini so I have it for winter soup. ;D

I tried growing corn once, but it was really hard to get any decent ears from it. I think our soil is too clay based. Although I have heard you need to grow a fairly large crop to get them to pollinate properly I had 10 plants per row for 6 rows. I got about 3 ears per plant, but they were only about 5" ears.

[Peripherie]

Basically, it's when the ears have filled out.  If you pinch the end of the ear lightly and it's rounded instead of pointy, it's ready.

Since corn does work in your area, a neat thing to do is something called a 'Three Sisters' arrangement.  You plant some kind of climbing bean next to the corn stalks, and some kind of squash in the bed as well.  The exact types don't matter.  The bean plants use the corn stalk for support, and also put nitrogen back in the soil.  The squash leaves spread out over the ground and keep weeds from growing.

And remember:  August 8 is 'Sneak a Bag of Zucchini onto your Neighbor's Porch' Day. Really.

Thank you, that's good to know! My SO did plant beans in the same spot as the corn but I don't think they are climbing beans. I'll have to go start 'pinching' my corn stalks every so often.  :D

[Ket]

I didn't even really think we would be able to grow corn but we have about 6 stalks that seem to be doing well. They all have corn husks on them in various stages. Anyone else out there familiar with growing corn? I'm not sure we even know when we should try to harvest the husks ... so I would love some advice!

When the outer silks turn brown and flop over, the corn is ready! I have some feed corn growing, for the heck of it, because the squirrels buried hundreds of kernels in my mom's front and back yard. That's what she gets for feeding them corn on the regular all last summer! :D

I've got three different tomato plants, gold and green zucchini, green and wax beans, and lettuce mix that are growing this year. I've also got some herbs up on my porch along with all my little flowers and sunflowers.

I have to container plant everything because the soil here sucks, and I rent. But I've come to find that as long as the container is the right size and has good drainage, anything will grow!

My little garden

[Oniya]

I found an itty bitty praying mantis on my porch today - maybe two finger-joints long at most.  Being me, I picked it up and moved it back to the lawn - green is a much safer place with more food.

[Ket]

First lettuce harvest today! So crisp and tasty.



Which led to this amazeballs salad (sadly the other produce was store bought because the rest of my plants aren't producing yet)



Of course, herbs are growing nicely too...



Which meant fresh seasoning on the steaks!



I need a bigger garden!

[Oreo]

Is that fennel or dill?

The salad looks yummy. I miss being able to eat them, but I have gotten used to the heartier texture of kale, collards and chard which I can eat.

I have been harvesting the heck out of my herbs and zucchini. Waiting patiently on the tomatoes too.

[Ket]

Is that fennel or dill?

The salad looks yummy. I miss being able to eat them, but I have gotten used to the heartier texture of kale, collards and chard which I can eat.

I have been harvesting the heck out of my herbs and zucchini. Waiting patiently on the tomatoes too.

It's a dill, I forget which kind exactly. And parsley and italian sage.

You can't have a mesclun mix? That's what that is. I don't like iceberg, and wasn't quite sure about trying my hand at any of the other head lettuces yet.

My zucchini plants are gargantuan, had to separate them yesterday, and are full of buds. Soon!

[Oreo]

I can't eat any lettuce at all. Is sad, but there are the other greens, and napa cabbage.

[Ket]

Can you so spinach? What about things like dandelion greens? *feel horrid that you can't has lettuce*

[Oreo]

* Oreo is odd

I only like spinach on pizza or creamed. I like beet greens though and plan to grow beets again next year. It's been about 10 years since I last grew my own beets.

[Ket]

*gives Oreo alllll the beets* That is just not a flavor I've been able to find enjoyment in. Turnips either.

Speaking of turnips, when I was in my late teens, me, my mom, and my dad went to dinner at my grandmother's one night. There was a small bowl of what looked like mashed potatoes on the table, and we were slightly perplexed because my Gramz always made big bowls of potatoes. So my dad takes this huge spoonful, and I happen to notice a smirk on my Gramz's face when he does it, so I pass on the potatoes.

Dad takes a big bite, barely chokes it down. It's mashed turnips. Sneaky grandma is sneaky.

[Oreo]

I love all my root veggies, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, and celeriac. ;D I just don't have room to grow them all anymore. I like the beets because the leaves are more tender and sweet than chard.

[Peripherie]

First lettuce harvest today! So crisp and tasty.



Which led to this amazeballs salad (sadly the other produce was store bought because the rest of my plants aren't producing yet)



Of course, herbs are growing nicely too...



Which meant fresh seasoning on the steaks!



I need a bigger garden!

That steak and salad looks amazing *wants dinner at Ket's house*

I'll bring some Eggplant! Lookie:



What types of lettuce do you grow? My SO has some type of greens growing but I think he chooses what to plant based on what has a cool sounding name and not what would taste the best. :P

[Ket]

I planted mesclun mix, which was super duper easy because all I had to do was lay down the seed tapes and cover with a tiny bit of dirt, then keep watered.

[Peripherie]

Seed tape? Genuis!

[Ket]

Mesclun mix grows back fast! I harvested it all just 5 days ago, and today I had enough to make another whole salad. Only took what I needed for sammiches though. I enjoy lettuce and salads, but I've always shied away from buying it in the store because it goes bad so darn quick and is never as crisp as I like it to be (except romaine). Having fresh lettuces available though...OMG the yum!

[Lynnie]

I plan on the new place since I will have a lovely fenced in patio to make a small little garden. I long for the day that I can buy a house and get a nice garden going.

I am hoping I can plant, lettuce, potatoes, herbs, green beans, and peas.

[Ket]

Green beans and tomatoes will begin harvesting this week! Oddly enough, I have found more sunflowers that have taken over other pots. My squash plants are vining out and hugging each other, and the bean plant that I thought was pole beans are evidently bush beans, and is huge. Click for larger images

   

[Oreo]

Yay yummy! I am getting about one tomato a day and all the herbs I could want. ;D The cucumbers are coming along but not as fast as I would like.

[Oniya]

There are at least two people between my house and the market that 'forget' to clean up the pumpkins that they put out (painted, not carved) for Halloween.  I know this because every year these thick vines with huge leaves come up in the tree-boxes along the sidewalk, and eventually get removed.

[Ket]

That particular tomato plant is the cherry tomatoes. There are about four or five good clumps like that. Add in that my lettuce has grown back completely, and I'll be picking fresh salads for myself for lunch all next week!.

My zukes still haven't started, they have all flowered and wilted, so I should be getting fruit soon. Heck, one of the plants still has buds forming. I'm going to be doing a lot of blanching and freezing of squash in a few weeks.

Oni - it's a shame they don't just let them grow and harvest the pumpkins. Such a waste.

[Oniya]

To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the family or the city that's cutting it back.  I'll see if I can get a photo of one of the 'tree boxes' that I'm talking about tomorrow to show why it might not be a great idea to have gourds growing there.

[Ket]

Fresh green beans with dinner tonight? Yes, please!

[Ket]

Greens grow so fast! Getting about one large salad a week out of this one pot of lettuce. Guessing next year I'll plant some rows in stages so that I can harvest nearly every day. OMG fresh salad for lunch everyday...nomnomnom.



Also, sunflowers will be blooming soon! These are my escapee sunflowers that somehow managed up in my beans and greens. Guess my veggies needed some decoration!

   

Click for bigger images

[TheAnonymousBook]

Wow I love this thread! It's so fun seeing your gardening adventures. I am a sucker for gardening, especially herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Though I love me my flowers too. You're plants are looking lovely I hop the rest of the summer goes well!!

[Lynnie]

Wow this has gotten quiet, did everyone's garden's die or something? I have been taking so many notes from this thread to start my own small patio garden in the spring.

[Oniya]

My camera did - the feral tomatoes did reasonably well this year, so I'm hoping they return.

[Ket]

It's almost planting time! Hopefully third winter disappears quickly and I can get my greenhouse set up soon. My mom gave me this for christmas, and I can't wait to fill it up with seedlings. If the wind and the snow ever die down...

My other project for this year will be a hanging garden made with plastic bottles. I drink a ton of flavored seltzer water, and gather probably two dozen bottles a week (omg I'm such an addict!). I wanted to find something cool to do with them, instead of just recycling, and I came across this nifty idea! I'm going to spray paint the outside of the bottles first to give them a bit of color, but I think they'll look cool as heck hanging on one side of my porch.

I also got some heirloom cotton seeds from Mr. Ket's mom that I am going to try and plant this year. Plus my mom's surprise sunflower seeds. Now to just make sure Mr. Ket waters everything while I'm gone for two weeks this summer.

What is everyone else getting ready to plant?

[Oniya]

I have a bunch of little tomato seedlings that I'll be moving to a big pot this weekend.  Going to keep it all indoors, though, so I have a chance to keep it hydrated.  The original tomato that I scavenged them from was 'Greenhouse Grown', so I'm betting the plant will be fine as a container garden.

[Oreo]

That looks amazing Ket. I am excited to see actual pictures of yours once they are finished.

I just got my garden in the ground last week. If everything grows I have TOMATOES, radishes, all kinds of greens (kale, collards, chard), garden onions, beets, Italian sweet peppers, yellow wax beans, Roma flat beans, sugar peas, herbs, melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, and summer squash. I do still need to plant my basil.

[Lynnie]

I am hoping to plant herbs this year

[Peripherie]

It's almost planting time! Hopefully third winter disappears quickly and I can get my greenhouse set up soon. My mom gave me this for christmas, and I can't wait to fill it up with seedlings. If the wind and the snow ever die down...

My other project for this year will be a hanging garden made with plastic bottles. I drink a ton of flavored seltzer water, and gather probably two dozen bottles a week (omg I'm such an addict!). I wanted to find something cool to do with them, instead of just recycling, and I came across this nifty idea! I'm going to spray paint the outside of the bottles first to give them a bit of color, but I think they'll look cool as heck hanging on one side of my porch.

I also got some heirloom cotton seeds from Mr. Ket's mom that I am going to try and plant this year. Plus my mom's surprise sunflower seeds. Now to just make sure Mr. Ket waters everything while I'm gone for two weeks this summer.

What is everyone else getting ready to plant?

I love that bottle idea Ket. My SO planted a few things planted in the backyard - luckily he waited until after the crazy late chill we had. Not exactly sure what all he has planted. I'll have to ask him.

[vysethethird]

I love all my root veggies, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, and celeriac. ;D I just don't have room to grow them all anymore. I like the beets because the leaves are more tender and sweet than chard.

Heh, I grow a good amount of beets, though am curious if you save the top leaves?

[Ket]

Finally got the greenhouse set up today. Tomorrow I fill it with seeds! We went from the 40's to the 70's pretty much overnight. We don't ease into spring here, it just appears. And you know it came late when on May 1st the hyacinths are just now peeking out. Don't mind all the empty pots, they'll be filled tomorrow!

   

[Oreo]

Heh, I grow a good amount of beets, though am curious if you save the top leaves?

I go out and kind of graze the garden, a few leaves here and a few there, then add it to whatever I am making for dinner. Sometimes it is beet leaves and collards (I like the sweetness of them.) Chard is earthier as are all the different kale varieties I grow. I would get a picture, but nothing is big enough yet to show up...except the sugar peas. They are almost 3' tall now.

The beans are just starting to pop. The chives are blooming. The parsley is sending up their tall stalks getting ready to flower and seed. The sage is covered in purple buds.

The one unusual tree we have grew from a fallen seed. Not sure what we are going to get. The leaves of the tree are deep maroon/plum colored like a cherry plum tree, but the fruit that is popping is fuzzy like an apricot or peach O.o Some bees did something kinky to mah fruit trees.

[Ket]

Seeds are planted! Along with some other flowers. I've got a few more seeds that need to be planted, but they are ones I just can't do yet. Corn will go in the ground later this month, I've still got to pick out tomato plants, and since the mesclun mix grows so fast I won't be starting it until later. I decided not to do beans this year as I had a difficult time harvesting them. I need a whole trellis set up in order to do them.

In the greenhouse:

• parsely in small black pots for the butterflies
• morning glories in the big pots
• cucumber
• yellow and green squash
• my mom's magic sunflowers
• cantaloupe and watermelon
• regular and garlic chives
• dill, rosemary, cilantro, sage, basil, thyme

Yes I used egg cartons to start my seeds. Why buy something plastic when I don't need to?

On the porch are violas, hyacinth, and marigold. please don't mind the icky pots, those are for veggies and I still need to clean them out

   

[Ket]

I'm crying.

[Wistful Dream]

Aw no, what happened!?

[Ket]

Wind, I guess. Even though it was weighted down with 20 pounds of birdseed, those three pots, probably 10 pounds of dirt.

I lost all the seeds I just planted. They are all now in a pile just off the side of my porch. And I can't replant today because it's raining.

[Oreo]

Noooooo, *hugs Ket* The sow bugs are killing my seedlings almost as fast as they try to sprout. This also seems to be a heavy aphid year. I got them off my older plants by harvesting them, but even the new little seedlings are getting aphids. : (

[Ket]

Oh no, not aphids! You need ladybugs, stat!

[Lynnie]

I managed to plant some flowers in a little hanging pot next to my front door. I will have to send some pictures. I think when I move again in the fall I will have to invest in some stuff to plant on a patio/front porch  XD

[Oreo]

I think I managed to get the aphids eradicated, finally after a month of carefully washing leaves and squishing bugs.

Sharing the garden growth pictures, the difference from mid April till yesterday.

   

This one is a very special MysTree. ;D We accidentally got a seed that sprouted from our cherry plum tree. Hubby dug it up a few years back when it was about 6" tall. This was the first year it bore fruit. To our surprise the fruit that should look like a very tiny cherry-plum has fuzzy fruit. It must have cross pollinated with one of our peach trees. We are really excited to see what the fruit is like when ripe. (click for enlarged pic.)

[Oniya]

Well, apparently peach/nectarine x plum is a thing - although the sites I saw claimed that you needed to do fancy pollination-kit stuff to get them to hybridize.  They don't have a fancy name like plum x apricots do, though.

[Oreo]

I have seen the pluot (plum-apricot cross) and have a pluot tree, but the shape is wrong for the pluot on this tree. We figured a bee had a crazy day and we get the joy of our very own special cross. ;D Also our pluot tree has leaves that are regular green like an apricot tree. You can't tell in the picture, but the leaves on this are a darker purple than they look like up close.

Picture of the tree from about a month ago when we first saw the fuzzy fruit. The fruit was still green in color, but started changing a week ago.

[Wistful Dream]

That is absolutely fascinating, Oreo. Happy little bee.

[Cassandra LeMay]

I thought I might perhaps jump in here to show a few pictures of my own gardening efforts?

For the longest time, our garden had been my father's domain, which he usually used to grow tomatoes. But since he passed away last summer, responsibility for our garden has fallen on my small shoulders. As I approach gardening with more enthusiasm than knowledge or skill, I have given some of it over to mother nature - with a generous helping of various flower seed mixes:


The heliotropium (the violet flowers) I planted because (a) I like them, (b) they smell nice, and (c) because I wanted to provide something for bees and butterflies. We also have a summer lilac that usually attracts a lot of insects, but I cut that down a good bit last fall, and while it is growing well, it hasn't flowered yet.

So, instead of working in the larger garden I have focused this spring on flowering potted plants:




There are also some bellflowers, some carnations, geranium, lavender, petunias, and a few more, but I guess the above should do as an illustration of what I am doing with my gardening this spring/summer.

What I am still fighting against (and probably will be for the rest of my life) is Chelidonium, which grows like crazy in our garden. I would not be adverse to it if it grew only in a few places, but it seems to be an all or nothing deal. I don't mind mother nature taking over some parts of the garden, but I'd like to keep some modicum of control nonetheless.

[Lynnie]

Cassandra LeMay~

If I could have Chelidonium growing like mad in my little patios grass/rocky mess area I would love it! Anything is better than milk weed. Nothing I do keeps the bad stuff away long enough to grow anything good.

[Oreo]

That is beautiful Cassandra. I especially love the wild area (sanctuary for all the birds and critters.) Is that a fruit tree in the background?

I have a couple of areas devoted to that, filled with wildflowers and grasses. This one was specifically created with them in mind. It has been going for close to 20 years seeding itself now. There are at least 20 different grasses and flowers there. I went so far as to toss out oats, barley, rye, and wheat grains to get them growing there too.



This area is a little more formal, but still serves the same purpose. It is also self seeding and what we see from the front porch. The bulb season is past, all that is blooming now are the Canterbury Bells, and mountain daisies.

[Cassandra LeMay]

If I could have Chelidonium growing like mad in my little patios grass/rocky mess area I would love it! Anything is better than milk weed. Nothing I do keeps the bad stuff away long enough to grow anything good.

I recommend a flamethrower followed by an excavator and a ton of new earth.  ;) I would have seriously considered replacing a lot of earth in my garden to get rid of the weeds, but they grow too close to other plants I'd like to keep so I hunt them down one at a time. Bit like playing whack-a-mole, but it just can't be helped.

That is beautiful Cassandra. I especially love the wild area (sanctuary for all the birds and critters.) Is that a fruit tree in the background?

I have a couple of areas devoted to that, filled with wildflowers and grasses. This one was specifically created with them in mind. It has been going for close to 20 years seeding itself now. There are at least 20 different grasses and flowers there. I went so far as to toss out oats, barley, rye, and wheat grains to get them growing there too.

I love your wild areas. Beautiful.  :-) Never thought of tossing some wheat and such into the mix, but it's an interesting idea I'll keep in mind.

And no, that's not a fruit tree in the background. It's a hibiscus. At least I think so. As I said, I am approaching this with far more enthusiasm than knowledge.  ;D I'll try to remember posting a picture or two later in the summer when it blossoms.

And yes, having at least a small place for insects and birds is dear to my heart - and part of why some of that area is just overgrown and not tended to. This year, around Easter when I was starting to plant stuff, a small group of mining bees showed up in our garden. I have lived in this house for 50 years and that has never happened before. I just couldn't dig up the part of the garden where they had built their nests. No idea yet if they are of a species that has two generations in a year or not, but I hope so. I love bees (and bumblebees), and those mining bees are completely harmless. The only bad thing about them is that they don't hold still long enough to be photographed.  ;D

[Oreo]

We get a lot of the big fuzzy black bumble bees. I love watching them. ;D This was one on the pink wisteria last year. It was hard to catch one being still. >_> all I caught was his fuzzy back black end. Whatever this kind is I like them because they never bother me when I am tending to the plants. I think I even tried tossing a handfull of mixed seeds from all the spice and herb bottles I had. Mustard seed, anise, caraway. It's been so long I forgot.

[Cassandra LeMay]

We get a lot of the big fuzzy black bumble bees. I love watching them. ;D This was one on the pink wisteria last year. It was hard to catch one being still. >_> all I caught was his fuzzy back black end. Whatever this kind is I like them because they never bother me when I am tending to the plants.

When it comes to big and black insects like that, my first instinct would be to guess they might not be bumblebees at all, but rather carpenter bees (maybe Xylocopa californica?). I sometimes get one or two in my garden (of a different, European, species obviously) and they really are very docile.

[Oreo]

When it comes to big and black insects like that, my first instinct would be to guess they might not be bumblebees at all, but rather carpenter bees (maybe Xylocopa californica?). I sometimes get one or two in my garden (of a different, European, species obviously) and they really are very docile.

Could very well bee. <_< I just know I get a warm fuzzy feeling when they are around. They are the first bees to arrive on the scene when there are flowers of any sort. If I don't see them because it is still too cold, but the trees are in bloom, I know there will be no fruit that year.

[Cassandra LeMay]

I will have some more photos of my "wilderness" in a day or two, but since then I thought I might as well post a shot of my yard and all the potted plants. And given that this is a gardening thread I wanted to highlight a few plants that have been very kind to me this year. Maybe someone can draw some inspiration from it, come the next spring:



(1) Violets. These I planted around Easter, part of my "first batch", and they have grown very strong. I will certainly plant them again next spring, maybe together with bellflowers for an early planting.

(2) Petunias and Creeping Zinnia. Petunias have done really well in my yard, and the Zinnia are really easy to keep. Keep moist and forget about everything else. If you want to cover a wee bit of ground with a blossoming plant I would recommend looking into Zinnias. At least in my garden they are low maintenance and happy with a few hours of sunlight during the morning (but i think they can also stand a bit more direct sunlight).

[Oreo]

That is a lovely potted garden Cassandra, and really sparks up the patio area. ;D

*cheery me* I pulled the snap peas yesterday, as they had run their course, and planted the grow bag with a variety of radishes. >_> all with my right hand strapped to my chest. While doing so I caught a glimpse of my first mantis of the season. Little 1/2" critter...made my day. I love when they start showing up in the garden.

The tomatoes are growing very well along with all my summer squash plants...rosemary, sage, basil, and parsley. >_> We know who is going to be having a load of zucchini lasagna this year. The Japanese eggplant has blooms. *keeping my fingers crossed* There might be some eggplant parmesan in there too.

[Oniya]

My indoor garden is still alive (yay!)  The plant has now cleared the top of the pot trellis, although there are no signs of flower buds.  This has me slightly worried, and slightly speculating about turning it into a full window-covering.  (Run a couple cords down from the curtain rod...)  Also hoping that the rental inspector knows the difference between Solanum and Cannabis.  (If he doesn't, I sure as heck don't want him preparing edibles.)

[JuliettaRossi]

We live in Florida and just moved into a new place a couple months ago. The biggest draw of the house was the "Florida Room"- what the rest of the US would call a Solarium/sun room with a tropical-esque back yard. The Florida room runs the entire length of the house and is big enough that I have several working tables, a tv (which the morning glory loves the cable on) and some chairs that fit comfortably in the space. The windows all open, but have no screens currently, which makes the room fill with mosquitoes if they are left open too long unfortunately. I'd never really had a back yard anywhere I've lived and never attempted to grow anything in my life (outside of grade school lima beans in the milk carton), but I've always wanted an overgrown tropical backyard and to grow tons of things. I saw this as my opportunity. Not long after we moved in I began pulling out the gardening things I'd accumulated over the years that had never gotten any use and got to work. I had some seed packs that I'd bought - most were moldy from being in the garage of the last house we were in, but I had a pack of chives, roma tomatoes, white moonflower and a couple of other things.The other things didn't grow, but the tomatoes, chives and moonflower did. I started almost obsessively going to Home Depot and Lowes to see what they had as far as seeds and soon had an entire Florida room full of plants.

My fiancee is crafty and has a shop full of woodworking tools. He made me a raised bed garden (high enough I could garden standing up because I have a bad back) and a large trellis that we can walk under for the cucumbers, zucchini and pea plants.  I've got a stack of pallets holding a kiddie pool with multiple buckets growing different types of pumpkins. We also scored a huge haul of free planters, seed starters and buckets one night that someone was getting rid of on craigslist after they cleaned out their greenhouse for summer. I just bought 2 packs of seeds on Amazon - one was of "uncommon vegetables" and another was 40 heirloom vegetables. I'm to almost 150 different plants at this point. We are mixing our own potting soil - vermiculite, top soil, manure and coconut coir. It's better than anything we've found at the big stores (which just seems full of huge sticks and mulch pieces). We have also started a composting bucket.

I've only had problems with the melons, onions and carrots so far - the watermelons grow to a certain point, then thin out and drop over and die. Carrots don't do so well, but I have one type still growing in the raised bed and onions are fickle it seems. The only ones still growing are also the ones in the raised bed where I have two types still growing. I have also noticed my pea plants being eaten by caterpillars of the blue skipper butterfly :( I've been removing the little things by hand and relocating them because they are beneficial when they grow up. They eat their way around the leaves, then curl the leaf up over them like a blanket to keep safe from birds.

Trellis, raised bed, Florida room (about a month ago)


Baby cucumber, beans, morning glory, zuccini flower, green pepper

[Oreo]

OMG I want that Florida room!!

[Cassandra LeMay]

Julietta, I love what you are doing there.  :-)

That aside, what I'd like to ask you all is how much, and at what times you all water your gardens.

Over here we had a very dry and warm spring, and an even hotter and dryer summer. These days the daily high is in the mid to upper 90s (°F) and we are lucky if the night temperature drops to the mid 60s (°F). That is pretty hot for my part of the globe, and there is no end in sight yet. During the spring I watered my potted plants with water drawn from a piston pump in my garden, but recently I bought a garden hose, as I felt I couldn't adequately water the lilac, hibiscus, hortensia, and some other larger plants any other way without working my fingers to the bone.

How do you deal with this? Is watering the garden a problem for any of you? If you water your garden, when do you do it? (I was doing it in the late afternoon, but I am switching to an early morning routine.)

[Oreo]

I water three times a day. Light watering in the morning and again at mid day (when it is the hottest). Then I do my heavy root watering in the evening. The earth dries up too quick to water just once a day here. I am out in the country working with well water. Drives up the electric bill a bit, but so worth it for fresh fruit and veggies.

[Oreo]

The verdict is in on the Mystree we had growing that I shared in an earlier post. The cross of the fuzzy fruit on the cherry-plum tree is: White peach and cherry-plum cross. They look horrible inside, but they taste so good. They are not sugar sweet inside like a white peach, but they are tart like a cherry with a hint of cherry flavor. Rather like the difference between skittles and skittle sours.

Also YAY. I got my first batch of seeds in for my winter garden beets today.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Alrighto, time to post again. Now that summer is over it is time to take stock of what grew well and what I'll plant again next year. Part of this is just a "note to self" reminder post, but perhaps someone else can draw some inspiration from it too.

Bellflowers: A must! My bellflowers have been growing strong since Easter and they are still budding. There were times when some of them looked like they were pretty much finished, but they all recovered rather nicely. Definitely something I'll plant again next spring.

Mandevilla: Lovely blossoms, will climb like crazy if you give them even a little support. Just need to think a bit about where to put them so I can provide them with the best way to climb next year, but they will be part of my planting next year for sure.

Jasmin: My jasmin has been growing up and down and sideways. Perfect to put in a wide open space that you just want to fill with something.

Verbena: See jasmin above. Another great plant to fill some open space. I planted one with two Heliotropium, just to add a little bit of another color to that pot and it has completely outgrown both. Also, just like my jasmin, they don't need much tending. Just let them grow and they'll take care of themselves.

Petunia: Another keeper. Great for a windowsill where they can just grow and hang down. I am not too fond of the smell, but outdoors that doesn't really matter so I'll certainly plant them again next year. Another plant that I found needs very little tending.

Heliotropium: Another plant I'll have in my garden again. They smell nice, I like the typical purple color of them, and they atttract bees and butterflies. Plus they can stand a lot of sun (if they are watered regularly).

Edit: Something I should not forget are Portulacae/Pursley. Another plant that has needed pretty much no tending in my yard, and they come in a whole lot of different, bright colors.

I am sure at least one or two spontaneous buys will be added to the list, come next spring, but all the above are bound to end up in my yard next year.