Author Topic: Peri's Garden Blog is Back! (Read 33008 times)

Ket · « **Reply #100 on:** May 02, 2018, 11:45:32 AM »

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 · « **Reply #101 on:** May 03, 2018, 11:38:32 AM »

I'm crying.

Wistful Dream · « **Reply #102 on:** May 03, 2018, 11:41:31 AM »

Aw no, what happened!?

Ket · « **Reply #103 on:** May 03, 2018, 11:52:01 AM »

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 · « **Reply #104 on:** May 03, 2018, 12:26:56 PM »

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 · « **Reply #105 on:** May 03, 2018, 12:39:36 PM »

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

Lynnie · « **Reply #106 on:** May 31, 2018, 09:44:11 AM »

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

Oreo · « **Reply #107 on:** May 31, 2018, 11:28:37 PM »

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.

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 · « **Reply #108 on:** June 01, 2018, 01:42:10 AM »

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 · « **Reply #109 on:** June 01, 2018, 01:47:34 AM »

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.

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 · « **Reply #110 on:** June 01, 2018, 08:35:11 AM »

That is absolutely fascinating, Oreo. Happy little bee.

Cassandra LeMay · « **Reply #111 on:** June 10, 2018, 04:50:27 AM »

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 · « **Reply #112 on:** June 10, 2018, 08:28:47 AM »

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 · « **Reply #113 on:** June 10, 2018, 10:14:23 AM »

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 · « **Reply #114 on:** June 10, 2018, 11:47:51 AM »

Quote from: Lynnie on June 10, 2018, 08:28:47 AM

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.

Quote from: Oreo on June 10, 2018, 10:14:23 AM

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.

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.

Oreo · « **Reply #115 on:** June 10, 2018, 12:03:11 PM »

We get a lot of the big fuzzy black bumble bees. I love watching them.

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 · « **Reply #116 on:** June 11, 2018, 04:22:44 AM »

Quote from: Oreo on June 10, 2018, 12:03:11 PM

We get a lot of the big fuzzy black bumble bees. I love watching them. 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 · « **Reply #117 on:** June 11, 2018, 10:36:32 AM »

Quote from: Cassandra LeMay on June 11, 2018, 04:22:44 AM

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 · « **Reply #118 on:** June 18, 2018, 11:51:13 AM »

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 · « **Reply #119 on:** June 18, 2018, 01:15:05 PM »

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

*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 · « **Reply #120 on:** June 18, 2018, 08:01:22 PM »

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 · « **Reply #121 on:** July 02, 2018, 01:16:52 AM »

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 · « **Reply #122 on:** July 02, 2018, 03:31:16 PM »

OMG I want that Florida room!!

Cassandra LeMay · « **Reply #123 on:** July 25, 2018, 09:54:42 AM »

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 · « **Reply #124 on:** July 25, 2018, 02:17:44 PM »

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.