Pink Thumb

July 2011

2011-07-29T13:31:00.001-04:00

We've had some icky weather the last couple of weeks. It went from 112F at one point to just soaking swampy wet rain. It's been making yard work quite unbearable. I haven't set foot in the garden except to snag a few things and run.

Pear tomatoes - I read great reviews on these, but next year I'm going to go back to the grape tomatoes. The pear tomatoes just weren't impressive to me. They were less prolific and weren't very crack resistant.

My husband likes them though because they are less "goopey" (Yes, he made up a word.) inside.

There's lots of basil, some cucumbers and more tomatoes.

My heirloom tomatoes are beginning to ripen. This was an "extra" plant I had that I just couldn't bear to thin when I was starting my seeds. I planted it on the side our house that doesn't get much water or rain and yet look at it!

Another harvest.

Flowers

2011-06-27T20:38:00.003-04:00

Things are in bloom! There is so much to see that I'm enjoying being outside with them and haven't been blogging much. Enjoy! What's blooming in your garden?

Roses

Stargazer lilies

Hollyhock (from seed)

Oriental lilies

Our blooming cactus!

Peonies

Perenniel Sweet Peas

Achilles

Hydrangea

Harvest 5.22.11

2011-05-22T17:57:00.001-04:00

There's lot in my veggie garden. I harvested spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula and cilantro.

Kale, lettuce, spinach

Arugula, cilantro, spinach

Kale and radish tops

In the bed, I planted all my heirloom tomatoes and trimmed my herbs and kale back.

I cleared all the spinach out today to make room for my peppers. My cilantro is really tall. The peas are coming in and my Swiss chard is about 6" tall now (back).

Cucumbers (back row) and celery plants. In front is thyme basil n dill.

To-Do

2011-05-18T21:32:00.001-04:00

My flower beds have really filled in this year. Irises are toppling over and my roses are smothering my lilies and sedum below it.

Some things I need to do next year:

- divide my burgundy colored Irises.
- move a peony suffocating from the irises.
- move two knockout rose bushes to a sunnier place.
- prune one other knockout rose and move the day lilies and sedum below it.
- divide Siberian irises
- move irises being suffocated by red leafy stuff.

Other things I would like is to plant another tea rose and possibly a vining rose. I'm just not sure where I would put the vining rose. it would be great if we could lay a paved patio down but I don't see that happening very soon.

Bloomin' Garden

2011-05-17T20:13:00.001-04:00

The yard is looking beautiful.

Pretty pretty Peony

2011-05-17T20:08:00.001-04:00

I'm surprised my peonies bloomed this year. Last fall I dug them up and divided them. I really hacked away at them too! There are lots of little plants with no flowers but maybe in a few years they will produce flowers.

Spring progress

2011-05-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

I didn't think my spring crops had made much progress but I guess it's because I look at them each day. Looking back at this before photo I can see the difference.

March 2011

May 2011

I harvested some kale for soup last night. I harvested a lot of salad, cilantro, tarragon, and spinach.

Bright lights Swiss chard

2011-05-13T21:49:00.001-04:00

You can see the different colored stalks. There's neon pink, yellow and orange.

A warm week full of blooms

2011-05-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Yard Work

2011-05-08T21:44:00.001-04:00

Spring Salad

2011-05-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

I have been picking salad from my garden every other day for dinner. It feels soo good to be able to go into my own yard for some veggies for dinner. Honestly I'm just too lazy to go to the market so I'm glad I can just go out back. ;)

I added some artichoke hearts to my salad of arugula, baby spinach, and red leaf lettuce. Yummy!

There's too much already so I have been bringing some to work n my coworkers are grabbing everything up. I have been snipping the spinach and freezing it. I love putting it in pastas n soups later on. I freeze cilantro as well.

Bleeding Hearts

2011-05-02T20:53:00.001-04:00

I love how prolific the are. Once they find a spot they like you can really see them flourish.

Like my new garden gnome?

Spring is here

2011-03-21T07:22:00.001-04:00

We had a beautiful weekend here . We threw a party for Guinness to celebrate his birthday and all the dogs played outside.

How cute are they?

The next day, the boys were helping me in the garden. I love it. They just keep me company everywhere I go.

I turned my soil over, cleaned up the debris and planted some seeds. My spinach has germinated already. Some lettuce and cilantro seem to be coming back from the fall. I directly sowed some green beans, sugar snap peas, radishes, and Swiss chard.

Spring 2011

2011-03-08T17:03:00.003-05:00

I have already sowed spinach and swiss chard seeds from Burpee in my raised garden bed. Swiss chard was unsuccessful for me last year, so I hope to see something this year. Spinach is easy to grow and it was great in the freezer. I was able to put spinach in soups and pasta dishes throughout the fall. When you buy spinach in the supermarket, it's often full of dirt and you have to triple wash it. When I went to harvest my spinach from the garden, I left off the first 2" to compost and only picked the leaves. It made cleaning a cinch.

I seem to have lost my seeds from last year, so I ordered new seeds from Renee's Garden Seeds.

English Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumbers

Sugar Snap Peas

Heirloom Tomatoes

In a container, I started some yellow pear seeds in seed starting mix.

Like last year, I'm going to buy nursery started kale, celery, escarole, and parsley. Kale was so prolific and was great sautee and in soups. It's incredibly good for you too. The reason I buy nursery started parsley is because it does take weeks for it to grow and when I need it, it's not ready yet and then later in the summer I don't need it when it is ready.

2011 Tomatoes

2010-12-15T19:57:00.004-05:00

I'm very happy with last year's yield. Next year, I would like to branch out even further and try new varieties. I'm pretty confident with my garden skills now, so I don't make taking some risks.

From Renee's Garden Seeds:

"Mini Pear"

"Garden Candy"

From Baker Creek Rare Seeds:

"Copia"

"Green Zebra"

"Pink Accordian"

Front Yard

2010-09-26T20:49:00.003-04:00

I'm getting ready for the winter and preparing for next spring. With the back yard being close to complete, I'm focusing on the front yard.

I moved 4 boxwoods that were in the back yard up to this corner. This corner is a trap for leaves and wasn't looking too appealing. These were crowding my peonies in the backyard so I didn't feel so bad about moving them. In the spring, I would like to plant a bunch of lilies here and get a large pedestal planter where I can change out annuals. Boxwoods are also evergreen.

On the right, I began carving out the garden bed. This is another thing I wanted to do for a while, but just didn't have the energy in me. The grass is so dry that it's easy to dig up. I'm still deciding what to do with the hydrangea back there. I was thinking about planting some knockout rose bushes along the house, but I don't know if there is enough sun here. Also, I want to plant some shrubs that are evergreen. All this other stuff dies back during the winter.

At the store, I couldn't pass these up. Pink bearded irises.

Also, I cut back the roses, lamb's ear, trees, achillea, siberian iris, peonies, foxglove, lavendar and iries. I did a ton of weeding too.

Basil eats basil

2010-09-15T09:37:00.001-04:00

Basil Eats Arugula

2010-09-06T12:58:00.000-04:00

2010 Harvest

2010-09-06T09:28:00.002-04:00

To see the photos up close, visit my flickr page for the Harvest 2010 Set.

To see progress photos from April through August 2010, visit Le Jardin on Shutterfly.

DIY Bruschetta

2010-08-28T22:51:00.002-04:00

Bruschetta is a crowd pleaser, but I admit that it's been of a pain to prep whether you are hosting or if you're bringing it to a party. How do you keep the bread from getting soggy? Or what if someone doesn't want cheese? Here's how I decided to do it and it saves time.

In a tray, I put sliced fresh mozzerella, toasted italian bread, pesto and tomatoes.

I got the idea from Better Home and Garden to bake the tomatoes in a pan with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs. Roasting/baking them tends to make them sweeter too.

You can dip your bread right into this, but I wanted to chop it up a bit. I spooned it all into a food processor and gave it a quick pulse.

I sliced up some italian bread, drizzled it with olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Serve warm!

Harvests

2010-08-14T22:41:00.000-04:00

8.8.10

8.13.10

Caprese Salad

2010-08-14T22:29:00.002-04:00

Here are two ways I used up some of my tomatoes and basil.

Caprese salad - layers of tomatoes, fresh mozz and basil which I then topped with homemade pesto.

I did something similar here except I laid it on a bed of lettuce. Instead of pesto, I just did lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. There's a little thinly sliced red onion and black berries.

Tomato & Pickle Tasting today!

2010-08-01T14:46:00.002-04:00

Today, we tried some of my different tomatoes and cucumbers. It was a huge hit! Everyone gobbled it all up and took some home.

7.31.10

2010-08-01T09:52:00.003-04:00

I planted a lemon cucumber plant near this persimmon tomato plant in order to use it as a trellis to support the cucumber vine. It seems to be working well - the cucumber is climbing up the tomato plant and the tomato plant provides shade in the hot afternoons. The vine is already reaching up over the fence.

There are lots of jalepenos. I picked some for friends, but I don't know if they are hot yet.

Ever wonder how dill seeds are formed? I'm going to harvest these seeds for use.

Loads of tomatoes..I lost count of how many.

1-1/2 pound tomater!

2010-08-01T09:47:00.001-04:00

Pizza made with heirloom tomatoes

2010-07-31T09:02:00.005-04:00

While we were in Milan last year, my friend Elisa made us a pizza using phyllo or puff pastry dough. It was so delicious that I wondered why I never thought of doing it before. What could be better than flaky, buttery, crisp dough in the pizza!? Especially if you like thin crust pizza. She made hers with just plum tomatoes and cheese, but I jazzed my recipe up a bit.

Ingredients:

a package of Pilsbury puff pastry
1/2 cup of crushed tomato (not sauce)
8 oz (one ball) of fresh mozzerella
fresh basil and oregano leaves
2 medium or 1 large ripe tomato (in the picture, I used 2 grape tomatoes, 1 small plum tomato and 1 medium Black Krim tomato)

Thinly slice the cheese and thinly slice the tomatoes. It's important the tomatoes are very ripe. If you buy them from the supermarket, leave them out on the counter for 2-3 days.

Follow the directions of the package of the puff pastry in order to defrost the dough. Generously, flour the surface of a large baking sheet and lay the defrosted pastry dough out.

Season and spread a thin layer of crushed tomato on the dough. I season the dough now rather than on top of the ingredients because I think it tastes better that way.

Arrange your ingredients on top of your dough. I spread the larger slices of tomatoes and cheese around the edges and leave the smaller ones towards the center since pizza tends to pool to the middle.

Bake for 40 minutes or until brown and bubbly. The fresh mozzerella made these yummy brown bubbles and the deep red of the Black Krim tomatos made pretty looking "flowers" when baked. It was so yummy!!!

Squash "Pasta" Ribbons with Pesto

2010-07-24T21:50:00.003-04:00

Here's a low calorie option and a creative way to use up your summer squash or zucchini. It's that time now where the plants are bursting with fruit. So much so that you can't find enough ways to eat it. Tired of ratatouille and grilled veggies?

Scrumptious and satisfying. The ribbons of squash replace pasta and offer more fiber, vitamens and low in calories.

With the heat wave, the squash increase in size very rapidly. These two were hiding under the leaves. In general, these are a tad too large for good eating. The smaller you pick your squash, the more tender and sweet they are. Squashes that are 1.5" in diameter are perfect.

Using a carrot peeler, I gently sliced the ribbons of squash. Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Top with pesto or your favorite marinara.

Bon Appetit!

7.20.10

2010-07-24T13:33:00.001-04:00

7.24.10

2010-07-24T13:26:00.004-04:00

7.19.10

2010-07-19T20:58:00.003-04:00

A One Pounder!

2010-07-19T19:13:00.002-04:00

I weighed my big tomato and to my surprise it was 1 pound! Wow!

Proof

Basil was licking it. He knows the good stuff.

Basil, "My mom is so strange."

Le Jardin on Shutterfly

2010-07-18T21:13:00.002-04:00

To consolidate and back up my photos, I uploaded all my garden photos to a share site on Shutterfly. If you want to see all my garden photos that don't make the cut here on the blog just visit lejarden.shutterfly.com

7.16.10 Tomatoes

2010-07-16T18:24:00.006-04:00

Harvested my first handful of grape tomatoes of the season!

They are bigger than any grapes I have ever eaten. They made a yummy snack.

My heirloom Persimmon tomatoes were so heavy that the stem broke, so I had to bring them inside. I want to weigh them to see just how much they weigh.

Here they are pre-harvest. On the left is a lemon cucumber plant that I planted there so it can climb up the tomato plant.

South side of the house - The zinnias have really filled in which look great! They look so nice next to my squash plants.

They are so purty.

7.13.10

2010-07-16T17:54:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, the tomatoes began to ripen.

The tomato plants are clearly over 6' tall. They are getting taller than the stakes.

This is one of the summer squash plants. It's the most healthy one and it's extremely big! It's maybe 4'-5' now and it's crushing everything in its path.

The jalepenos were the first to emerge and there are so many of them.

These must be the poblano peppers! They are just beginning to show their shape.

The bell peppers just began emerging. They are oh so cute.

7.11.10

2010-07-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

Things are slowing down and now I'm just sittin' pretty waiting for the tomatoes to ripen.

Plump Persimmon Tomatoes

The squash was getting so overwhelming that I had to stake them up. This isn't going to last long. I already see some kind of bug infestation at the base of the plant. If more patty pan squash do not develop soon, I'm going to yank out the plants to make room for some herbs.

Zinnia Centerpiece

2010-07-11T12:01:00.003-04:00

We hosted a dinner party last night and made a beautiful centerpiece for the dinner table. What bright colors!

These zinnias from Renee's Garden Seeds (Berry Basket). I was surprised how tall and bushy they were. I googled some images of 'berry basket zinnia' and pictured a much shorter mature plant. As you can see, each one is different. Different color, size, and petal count. My favorite is the deep fuschia one (lower left). It reminds me of one of the talking flowers from Alice in Wonderland.

7.08.10 Cucumber Bed

2010-07-08T20:56:00.002-04:00

Planted in this bed are 2 tomato plants (back), pickling cucumbers, zinnias and patty pan squash (front). The cucumbers have been so profilic. I will definitely grow these again next year.

The squash is overflowing out of the bed. I knew this would happen, but next year I won't plant them in the raised bed.

The zinnias are awesome! They come in various sizes and petal count.

7.8.10 Tomatoes

2010-07-08T20:35:00.004-04:00

I'm sure you're all tired of hearing how BIG my tomatoes are, but um yeah. They are BIG!

Me taking a photo of myself and my precious tomato plants. One of them is nearly 6' tall. I had to tie it up higher.

Lots of tomatoes! In the very front of the photo are my Roma (plum) tomatoes just on one plant. I'm going to have a lot of tomato salad and sauce to make this summer.

The grape tomatoes are larger than the average grape. I like them a lot because they are great for snacking or cooking with.

Close up of my Persimmon tomatoes. The photo doesn't do justice as to just how plump they are. I can't wait to sink my teeth into one of these. They are so sweet and meaty.

Here's a recipe from Cooking Light using Persimmon tomatoes with halibut. Sounds like the perfect summer dish although I would love to gobble it up just with a sprinkling of salt.

And here's another for a salad with prawns, avocado and persimmon tomatoes. I love avocado too. This sounds like a great combination.

7.6.10 Harvest

2010-07-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

Bunnies

2010-07-05T15:41:00.003-04:00

My neighbors made a home for some turtles of theirs. Instead of turtles, some local bunny made her nest and nursed her little baby bunnies there. It looks like they have finally flown the coup because as I was watering the garden, the bunnies came running. I guess they like my garden.

Bunny 1 in my flower bed

Bunny 2 hiding against the raised bed.

3 other bunnies hopped back over to the turtle coup.

Tomatoes 6.30.10

2010-07-05T10:40:00.003-04:00

I thought it was about time to do a post on the tomatoes since afterall most people think "tomatoes" when they think of veggie gardens.

Because I only wanted a few plants this year, I took care in tending to them from seed to fruit. I started them indoors early in March. I repotted them 3 times before planting them in the ground. When I planted them, I planted them deeply and mixed in a lot of compost to build strong roots. Now it's all paid off!

The plants are over 5' tall.

Grape Tomatoes

Black Krim Tomatoes

Roma Tomatoes

Persimmon Tomatoes

Harvests

2010-07-05T09:29:00.005-04:00

6.30.10

7.2.10

7.5.10

Here's the current tally:

62 pickling cucumbers
11 pattypan squashes
16 fairytale eggplants
30 summer squashes
9 handfuls of pole beans

I've cut the kale out entirely to make room for my eggplant. Also, they were getting eaten by some pests which I didn't want to infest the rest of my crops. I've also cut the pole beans back. They were getting so tall that it was shading some of my other plants. Next year, I will make a tall teepee for them.

6.28.10 Harvest

2010-06-28T20:29:00.004-04:00

Hi all! We just came back from New Orleans! It was a real blast, but I'm happy to be home. While we were there we tasted all the delights of Nola and I look forward to making some of my very own gumbo and seafood boil.

Although I harvested as much as I could before we left, we still came home to all this! None of these cucumbers or squashes were there before we left, so I was surprised to see many of them. I pickled the smaller of the cucumbers and made salad with the larger ones which had gotten a bit more tough.

The zinnias are really blooming now and I'm seeing more and more patty pan squashes. I pick the squash even if they are on the small side because it's supposed to encourage the growth of more squash. They taste better when they are small too.

This squash looks like one of those trolls from the 80s.

The raised bed is overflowing. I cut my tomato plants back a lot! They are really tall too and I see lots of tomatos developing. The pepper plants are also starting to develop more. The cucumber vines have climbed over and through my neighbors fence. I hope I will still be able to harvest them.

6.22.10

2010-06-22T19:04:00.004-04:00

Today there was lots in the garden to harvest!

The tomato plants are surprisingly tall and beginnin to fall over. They are taller than the supports, so they will be needing some extra tall stakes.

Basil and I were checking out the summer squash plants.

Here's the raw harvest. I harvested the summer squash while it was still small (which is recommended) for several reasons. They taste better and will encourage growth of new squashes.

Washed and trimmed. I cooked the pole beans and packed them up for lunch. I used the squash and eggplant in a pasta dish. Then I made pickles with the little cucumbers.

6.20.10

2010-06-21T21:19:00.006-04:00

Things are emerging each and every day. I can't keep up!

The fairy tale eggplant is starting to emerge. These are great drizzled with olive oil on the grill.

19 pickling type cucumbers! These will make a variety of pickles.

6.19.10

2010-06-21T21:13:00.003-04:00

Seeing signs of tomatoes

Bright lights swiss chard

Garden bed. I had to tie string from my crab apple tree to the pole bean supports to allow them to continue climbing. They won't cling to the fence because it's aluminum and gets really hot.

6.18.10

2010-06-19T18:19:00.003-04:00

6.15.10

2010-06-15T20:27:00.002-04:00

6.14.10

2010-06-14T19:05:00.003-04:00

Mr. Toad paid me a visit

2010-06-13T21:12:00.002-04:00

Someone paid me a surprise visit yesterday. As I was checking on the cucumbers, I looked over and here is this toad just sittin' pretty on my voilas and squash. I hope he's eating the pests that have been making holes in my zinnias.

If frogs say ribbit, what do toads say?

Of all the patty pan squash I started from seed, only a few germinated successfully for some reason. This is the 'green apple'. It looks so cute!

Here's the bed it's in. I tied some string from the garden bed to my neighbor's fence. I hope they don't mind! Shhhh! There are lots of little cucumbers, so I had to make sure they were fully supported. I can't wait to eat my first cucumber this season.

'Bright Lights' swiss chard. Sadly, none of the reds or pinks germinated...the yellows are really prolific. It seems like that's all I get. Some of the leaves were burned and I noticed birds made a nest nearby and their poop were burning my swiss chard, so I transplanted them elsewhere. They look a little sad right now, but I hope they come back.

The summer squash flowers are very prominant now.

Basil's birthday 2010-06-12

2010-06-12T15:48:00.002-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

2nd Week of June, 2010

2010-06-12T11:26:00.008-04:00

It's been a cool week with temperatures around 59F. That made it really easy for me to go around and do some garden maintenance. Everything is growing in beautifully now. Once the zinnias bloom the bed will look so colorful.

Raised bed - Things are really taking off. The tomatoes have flowers, but I haven't seen any fruit set yet. There are lots of pole beans which are delicious. The pickling cucumber vines are really taking off and could use a few more supports.

Upclose with one pickling cuc.

There are lots of little cucs. They are going to make great pickles!

My herb garden on the side of the house is looking so beautiful with the mix of salad greens, chamomile with their daisy-like flowers and the flirty red nasturtiums. As I have been harvesting the salad, I have been tucking in some basil I started from seed. I'm going to let everything go to seed this year, so it comes back next year.

The squash bed is overflowing with squash bushes. There are grape tomato and hollyhock seedlings that have emerged which I'll transplant over to the right of the squash bed. Along the edge, I tucked in a giant apricot cutting zinnia to give the area some color later in the summer.

Each plant has lots of little summer squash. They are so profilic!

In the flower garden, the asiatic lilies, day lilies and field lilies are blooming. So are the Achilles and the Phlox look like they are beginning to develop their flower heads.

Squash and Pole Beans

2010-06-07T20:25:00.002-04:00

The south bed with my extra squash and tomato plants are doing really well. The lavender is blooming and attracting some big bees.

I took a closer look and each summer squash plant has about 3-4 baby squash forming. I'm going to have a lot of squash pretty soon. I can't wait. I'm so happy that each plant has squash forming. I have to start looking up some new recipes, so that I'm ready for them.

Pole beans. For the first time, I noticed we had quite a few filet pole beans. The more I pick, the more it will produce. Whatever I can't eat, I will freeze for the future.

In other news, the fairytale eggplant are forming clusters of flowers. I hope this means clusters of eggplant soon. I've harvested a lot of lettuce, parsley, and dill. I can't wait to have tomato soup with dill.

The other day..

2010-06-06T21:22:00.001-04:00

Cucumbers have begun to form.

The lilies are blooming. This one is from my mother's garden and they are really multiplying this year. They are really stunning.

Hollyhock mallow

June

2010-06-06T20:51:00.005-04:00

Wow, is it June already? Things are taking off so fast that I can't even post about it in time. I took these pictures today. The ones I took a few days ago are already outdated and I have yet to post them.

Here's the bed with the cucumbers, zinnias and squash. I'm having a bug problem eating away at my zinnia leaves. I don't know what it is, but at least it's the zinnias they are eating and not my vegetables. Although it's a shame that there are holes in leaves for such a beautiful flower.

I staked the tomato plants, pruned the leaves back, harvested the remaining two heads of celery and planted the rest of my pepper plants. I'm tempted to purchase a pepper plant from the nursery. They seem to do better than the ones I started at home. The pole beans have really taken off too. I trimmed the side shoots back to promote vertical growth. It's good for air circulation too.

Last year, I talked about how I extended this garden bed to put shade plants in the back and sun in the front. It has grown in so beautifully that it's my best looking bed. It's the most settled in. I don't need to do anything to it. I could definitely divide the hostas a little and spread it out more, but it's so much work so why ruin a good thing, right?

Another view: The purple flowers are hollyhock mallow. It was a great buy. I purchased one the first year and each year I'm getting new plants from the seeds that fell from the previous year. It's one of my husband's favorite and it's quite the show stopper in the garden.

This weekend, I trimmed the spent Iris stems back. They get all brown and they die back, so I might as well cut them. The balls of Irises look better once the brown parts are trimmed back. I've also been doing a ton of weeding and hopefully my husband is going to mulch this week.

Memorial Day weekend

2010-05-27T18:37:00.002-04:00

It's only been 5 days and my plants have really taken to the raised bed. Between the heat and rain, everything has really taken off.

My cucumber plants are so tall and so are the zinnias. I noticed some holes in the leaves today so I made a garlic mixture to spray the leaves. I also placed cardboard (toilet paper rolls) around the base of my squash which is suppose to prevent some kinda of worm.

The tomatoes look like they are a couple inches taller than last weekend when I first put them in. I'm thinking about buying a couple of longer stakes for some more support.

We're going away for a couple of days, so I watered everything thoroughly. I look forward to seeing how tall things are after we get back.

Arugula and Spinach

2010-05-23T12:56:00.003-04:00

In the garden today: It's been raining off and on. I weeded and started some English cucumber and Lemon cucumber seeds. I also directly seeded some Hollyhock seeds in front of the Dahlias and some Cosmos seeds with the Kale.

Harvested some arugula for a salad.

Harvested the outer leaves off all my spinach plants as well. I will either make a salad or freeze it for future use. It's nice that it rained today because all my greens are mostly clean when I pick them.

In addition, I chopped and frooze my broccoli. I chopped and frooze some parsley along with celery to use as a soup starter.

Summer Garden Beds

2010-05-22T16:17:00.003-04:00

It was a warm, overcast day today which made it perfect for some garden maintenance. It seems consistantly warm enough to put all the summer plants out.

In the right raised bed where I was growing escarole, I have from back to front: Persimmon (left) and Grape (right) tomato plant, a sunflower, 4 Pickling cucumber plants, Dill and Cilantro, purple and pink Zinnias, 2 Pattypan squash plants, and Nasturtium seeds tucked in the corners of the front.

I put a "trellis" between the cucumber and tomato plants. I thought they could both benefit from the use of the support. Obviously, I planted the dill near the cucumbers for ease in harvesting both for salads. The zinnias are for color and attracting beneficial insects for pollination. The pattpan squash are going to explode out of the area I planted them, but I just wanted them there anyway. Hopefully, the zinnias will get tall enough before the squash stalks crush them.

Here is the "middle" bed where I planted my broccoli. Broccoli are really heavy feeders, so I added more humus before I planted the tomatoes to make sure there would be enough nutrients for the tomatoes. From back to front: 2 Persimmon, 2 Grape, 1 Black Krim, 1 Roma tomato plant. In between the tomato plants are Genovese and Bush basil, Arugula, Parsley and Nasturtium seeds tucked in the corners again. On the other side are the Pole Beans, more Swiss Chard (trying to get a pink one), 1 Broccoli and 2 Celery.

When the broccoli and celery are done, I'm going to plant more herbs and lettuce in their place. the tomato plants will provide shade as they get taller.

This is our newest addition. I dug this space to plant a Dogwood tree, but since I didn't find one I liked yet I am using it to plant my Yellow squash (which need 36"), and 2 extra tomato plants (Black Krim and Roma). There is a bald spot on the right of this (not shown) that I was thinking of planting a cutting garden bed (flowers that are good for arrangements).

Against the wall, I planted all my Dahlias that I brought in for the winter. There are maybe 6 "plants" with tons of tubers. I forgot to put the tubers in a paper bag with peat moss, so who knows if they will come back. Also, I found a bag of bulbs. I can't remember what they are, but I planted them too. They probably won't bloom this year.

Since I ran out of room in the raised beds, I'm going to start some English Cucumbers and plant them here instead. I will put in a trellis that can support both the dahlias and the cucumbers. Since this is the south facing side of the house, I'm going to plant my nursery bought Biance eggplant here too. They are always so yummy on the grill.

I started some big Apricot Zinnias which are great for cutting. I will plant those here after they get started. I could direct seed, but I prefer starting them in pots first.

Garden Blooms

2010-05-21T12:34:00.002-04:00

My First Harvest

2010-05-21T12:32:00.004-04:00

After 3 days of rain and a spike in heat this weekend, it was time to harvest the cold weather crops. I didn't want the heat to cause the heads to flower.

Kale, 6 brocolli heads, parsley - You can harvest the outer pieces of parsley and as long as you leave the baby growth in the center of the parsley (the heart), it will keep producing. This is awesome because parsley takes weeks to germinate and then it grows all at once when the heat spikes up. Buying nursery started parsley allows me to use it in recipes for a longer period of time. Truthfully I don't use a lot of parsley in the summer because we're grilling. My mom freezes it, so I'll try that too and reserve my parsley for when I make our special Seafood Sauce.

I read that broccoli is harvested at 4-6". On the plant, the head didn't look that big but once I cut it from the plant, the head was quite large as you see in the supermarket. I took this same picture 5 days ago and you can see the difference in growth in as little as 5 days.

Celery - I'm going to make soup with this! I read that you can havest the outer stalks and leave the center for a longer harvest. I thought the celery was very leafy. I think I was suppose to "blanch" them by burying them in a trench as it grew.

One last look at the garden bed before I harvested my broccoli and kale. I moved things around and planted my tomatoes finally. Broccoli really sucks the nutrients out of the soil, so I'm going to pick up some more organic humus to side dress my tomatoes. I moved my Kale and Eggplant around, because the kale was blocking the sunlight and shadowing my eggplants.

Bright Lights swiss chard - I have gotten a bunch of yellow colored ones so far and 1 red one that didn't make it. I really want to get a pink or fuschia one in the mix to brighten up the garden bed. I'm going to sow some more seeds and see if I can get some pink ones.

Since we are now safely out of danger of frost or really bitter cold weather, I am going to transplant all my squashes, peppers, watermelon and sunflowers. I also need to harvest my spinach and other greens and replace them with my herbs. I'm going to plop some Nasturtium seeds and marigold seeds into the garden bed as well. I'm going to start some more Dill near my cucumbers. I hope they reseed for next year too. The zinnias are doing fantastic! I'm looking forward to this summer!

2010-05-17T20:24:00.001-04:00

Broccoli

2010-05-17T18:14:00.008-04:00

Each day I am amazed by the growth of these plants. They are huge. The cool rainy weather is helping them too by buying more time for them to develop. Now I know why people were at the nursery so early when the weather was only 45F or so. Next year, I'll start these even earlier. Fortunately, my tomatoes aren't complaining in their pots.

Broccoli head from below. Side shoots with smaller heads of broccoli are beginning to develop too. After I harvest the main head, the smaller heads will develop further for more broccoli goodness.

The heads are measuring 3-4" in diameter now. Some are bigger than others.

I hope we can harvest them soon.

Flower Arrangements

2010-05-16T20:35:00.004-04:00

We had some friends over this weekend who were new to our house, so I got everything all spiffy looking. To brighten up the place, I took flowers from my garden and made arrangements that I placed in each room of our house. Here are just a few that I made.

This one was by far my favorite. Yellow roses, Lilac Siberian Irises, Lamb's ear and branches of mint leaves.

Knockout Roses in the main dining room.

Yellow roses and lavendar.

Spiderwort and Lamb's ear for the guest bath.

Also, I arranged a cup of Dianthus in the guest bedroom and red roses and irises for the master bedroom. They were so beautiful that my friends took them home. It's so nice to be able to use things from your garden and bring them into your home.

Escarole Soup

2010-05-08T20:12:00.002-04:00

I tried for my first new recipe using Escarole.

Ingredients:

tiny bit of chopped salt pork, 3 chicken drumsticks, 2 mild italian sausages
chopped parsley, oregano
chicken stock and water
1 can of cannelinni beans
3 cloves of garlic thickly sliced
1-2 heads of escarole

Cook the salt pork down till the fat melts and the pieces are brown. In the fat, brown your chicken legs and sausages. When cooked, allow to cool and dice meat up. In the same pot, now cook the garlic, parsley and oregano. Do not let the garlic brown. Put the chopped meat back in. Let it all heat back up. Gently add chicken stock while stirring..I eyeball everything. If I had to guess I think it's about 1-2 cups. Add some water too because stock can be salty. Just enough so that the meat is covered. Simmer for a while. Add the chopped escarole and beans.

I cooked some tiny pasta to eat the soup over. Enjoy!

Broccoli Heads

2010-05-08T11:17:00.003-04:00

I was wondering when the broccoli would start forming heads since I really need to make room for my tomatoes. I stumbled outside today and to my surprise, they have heads!

I have 8 plants. Once I harvest them, I'm going to thin them out to maybe just 1-2 plants. I'm going to keep the 1-2 plants for the side shoots which form more baby heads of broccoli. I'll freeze them for the winter.

Pickling type cucumbers. I thinned them out to 4 plants. I don't know where I'm going to plant the English cucumbers this year. I also have Armenian cucumber seeds too. Oh my!

Pole beans are really developing. I'm not sure if I'm suppose to cut the first two sets of leaves back to promote upper growth. I'll have to look into that.

Here are the Patty pan squash, yellow squash, watermelon and sunflower seedlings. When the squash get a real set of leaves, I'll plant them out into the garden. I'm not sure where yet either. They get so wide that there is never enough room.

Kale and Escarole Recipes

2010-05-06T21:50:00.004-04:00

I have a whole lotta kale and escarole from the garden, so I'm looking up recipes to use it all up. It's a great way to really get me cooking different things and try new recipes.

Using cooks.com, I looked up some recipes using Kale or Escarole. Below are a few that I would like to try.

Kale has a distinct flavor, but it soaks up whatever flavor it's cooked in. I tend to agree with cooking kale in chicken broth and some garlic. It holds up nicely too as a side dish. It's heartier than spinach, but not as tough as collards.

Portuguese Kale Soup
Kale and panchetta

The only way I know how to use escarole is to cook it down in soups. Escarole has the texture of lettuce, but is bitter tasting if you just sauteed it. I always make some variation of escarole-n-chicken soup or escarole-n-sausage soup.

Escarole and Lemon Sauce
Italian Minestra (soup)
Baked Escarole Parmigiana
Escarole Pie

Escarole before I harvested them today.

Basil likes escarole!

Lettuces

2010-05-05T17:51:00.002-04:00

Here's an update on the raised bed along the side of the house. The lettuces and such are growing in nicely.

Wide shot of the bed

Bok choy

Radishes (top) and Lettuce (bottom)

Irises

Basil

Fairytale Eggplant

2010-05-02T20:14:00.003-04:00

It's been a really busy weekend. On Friday, I received 3 Fairytale eggplants that I ordered last year from Burpee. I kept them watered, but they were drying out quick in the little pots they came in. I debated whether I should plant them outside or not since low temperatures at night are still expected. Ultimately, I decided to plant them anyway. It's better than leaving them to dry out and die.

I pulled out the sugar snap pea plants and planted the eggplants there instead. I sacrificed the peas since I know I can plant more in the fall. I buried the pea plants into the soil since they provide nitrogen to the soil when they die. When I dug the hole for the eggplants, I filled it with extra compost. To the left is the kale which I have been harvesting for dinner to make room for the other plants.

Happy Hump Day

2010-04-28T18:04:00.003-04:00

It's rained and it's chilly! It's a good thing I haven't put out the summer seedlings yet. The cold weather crops are doing great!

Kale and peas. I harvested some kale for dinner last night. It was delicious!

Escarole - They are about 8" in diameter now with lots of leaves! The little 4 leaf seedlings next to them are zinnias.

Broccoli is getting really big. I noticed some holes in the leaves. I'm not sure what to do about them. I read I can use row covers. I might do that.

Radishes and lettuce.

Bok choy - They are starting to look like bok choy now.

Spinach

My tomato and pepper plants inside the house are doing well. The tomatoes are really tall. The peppers are still slow, but they seem to be doing better since I gave them a larger pot. I'm sure the heat that we're getting this weekend will help.

FREE Seedlings!

2010-04-25T08:34:00.003-04:00

Basil helped me give away my extra seedlings. Someone almost took Basil having mistaken him for a delicious herb she wanted to use for salads. Just kidding!

I put out all the extra seedlings that I can't use. In 20 mins, the neighbors had divided them amongst themselves and everything was gone!

It was a beautiful day to work outside yesterday. I planted some zinnias into the bed with my cucumbers and escarole. I repotted the pepper plants into large containers and started my squashes and watermelon seeds. I picked up some Verbena, Lantana, and Coleus for my planters on the deck.

The forecast is showing a week of raining which is great for the garden. It's quite chilly so I brought my other seedlings back inside instead of keeping them outside to harden off.

Happy Hump Day

2010-04-21T19:19:00.004-04:00

We had a quick down pour of rain this week which helped move the veggies along in their growth. It looks like they had a growth spurt.

No tour is complete without a cameo by Basil. That's a raspberry plant next to him. They grow like wild fire, so I'm going to keep it in a large pot.

Pole beans are coming around. I staked them with a 6' pole which isn't enough. I just assumed it will go up and across the fence.

Broccoli plants are getting pretty big. They are about 10-12" across now.

My neat line of sugar snap peas. That's garlic in the very front of the photo.

Johnny Jump Up

2010-04-18T18:02:00.009-04:00

It was a little chilly today, but it was the perfect day for some garden maintenance. In the morning, I set up a support for my sugar snap peas. I had something fancier in mind, but this worked last year, so why deviate from a good thing, right?

Basil is so awesome! When I garden, he feels the need to be involved. The peas' support is behind him along with 4 plants of Kale and some Johnny Jump Ups (aka Violas) along the edge.

JJUps are considered edible which is why I wanted to use them in the veggie garden bed. They also come in a variety of purples and yellows which are really pretty. They have such dainty flower petals.

I had an extra one which I potted with my Oregano that I overwintered in the house. Behind it is a Columbine with white flowers that my mom gave me last year.

Columbine 2009 - This is what it looked like last year.

The tomato plants were getting too large for the foam cups that I potted them in, so it was time to upgrade their crib until it's time to move out in mid-May. Of the 4 plants (of each variety), I only kept 2 of each. That's still 8 tomato plants which I'm going to need to find room for. This coming week is suppose to be in the 70s which will help the tomatoes take off. The peppers are still really slow to grow.

In other news, I had to do some damage control and dig up some perennials that my MIL gave me. They were so invasive that they were choking out my other plants. I tried doing it last summer, but the ground was too hard and the roots had really developed. Since it's still early and the soil is really moist from the rain, it was a lot easier to dig up. I hope I got it all. They had wrapped their roots all around my peony and roses.

Mid April Update

2010-04-17T09:59:00.003-04:00

The fruits of my labor! From last summer and fall, I was working on planting flowers throughout the yard. It's really looking good. I wish you could all see it in person to get the overall view of the garden. In photos, it just doesn't do it justice.

Raised veggie bed. The transplants have settled in nicely and are grower now. It's still too early, but I did pop some pole bean and early-type cucumber seeds into the bed. The sugar snap peas have germinated and will need to be trellised soon. The garlic is also beginning to sprout! We'll have some garlic this fall.

Up-close of the escarole. There's lots of new growth from the center (heart). I use escarole in soups like Italian wedding soup or just any chicken & pasta soup. When eaten blanched or stir fry, it's very bitter.

Tomato and zinnia seedlings. The tomatoes took off last weekend when we had that burst of warm weather. It's about time that I repot them into their 3rd set of cups. By mid May, they will be ready to place outdoors. I'm going to mix Zinnias into the raised garden bed so that there is some color throughout.

In other news, the spinach, radishes, lettuce, and bok choy are doing well on the side raised bed. Some of my perennial herbs are coming back too.

Seedlings

2010-04-09T20:54:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy week for me. I had this post saved and since then my seedlings have done a lot of growth so these photos are outdated now, but here they are anyway.

Early Spring Crops

2010-04-05T21:15:00.003-04:00

The radishes, lettuce, spinach and bok choy seeds have germinated in raised bed along the side of the house.

You can start to see the pattern I created with the seeds in order to save space and sow herbs later as it gets warmer.

I cleaned up the back of the yard and look how pretty the tulips and hostas are coming up in their bright green colors. I can't wait to see what the blooms look like.

My husband mowed the lawn and edged along all my garden beds. It looks so nice when it's neat and tidy.

Over the weekend, I also sowed the pole beans, dill, and chard. It's too cold to start them, but I figured they will germinate when temperatures warm up. I just felt like sticking them into the ground so I wouldn't have to think about it later.

Saturday

2010-04-03T22:29:00.004-04:00

Today, I spent some time tidying up the yard and touching up the edges around my flower beds.

I expanded the area around my "island". After I planted so many things around the tree, the area around the plants just wasn't enough to keep it neat. I had to bring it out about 18" to give the island more room to maintain its shape. I rounded out this end and exenuated its curves.

This doesn't look pretty, but it was necessary. Until the seedlings and seeds grow in, I had to gently throw a net around my plants. It's squirrel season and they are doing a number in the garden beds looking for their peanuts. If they don't find their peanut, they keep digging and digging in the same spot. Otherwise, the raised beds are awesome and I love working in them.

I Cheated

2010-04-01T22:03:00.010-04:00

For those of you who thought this was a post about how I had some torrid affair with some young, hot piece on the side, shame on you! Just kidding. Sorry to disappoint.

Yes, I cheated. I bought nursery starts. There is nothing wrong with it. Do you hear me rationalizing this? I think I deserve it after starting my own seeds these last 3 years and caring for them ever so lovingly for weeks on end. Or at least until "the soil temperature has warmed to 50F" as those seed packets tell me (those dictators!). Actually, there's nothing wrong with using nursery started plants. It doesn't make you less of a gardener. The reason you should buy nursery starts is because these are cold weather crops so they need to go in now and you had to have started them 8 weeks ago already.

Okay, how cute is my dog Basil?! I know you're all envious and want a dog named after an herb who licks and poses for his mommy while she's acting like a crazy person at the garden nursery.
He's guarding my kale, brussel sprouts, parsley, cabbage, escarole, celery and broccoli. He even tasted the celery and gives his approval for my choice of lover.

Close up of the broccoli seedlings. See how the roots have wrapped around. That's what is known as being "root bound". The roots are literally bound up which can be a real problem if they were really dense. This is nothing compared to say a Mum you might have bought one year as a drive by gift when you had to go to dinner at someone's house. Do you recall that it dried up and died right away? That's because it's root bound and can't soak up any water you give it. The solution is to cut away at the roots. I didn't have to do that here since the roots are very tender and will easily make it's way through and acclimate to my soil.

Close up of the Kale. I have never grown or eaten Kale before, but I often see it on Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals. I like the sound of the word "Kale". Kaaaaaaaaale. I think I like the way it's going to cook down and make hearty meals. The word even sounds hearty when you say it. Kale is also full of vitamins.

From front to back, I planted Kale with 2 rows of sugar snap peas. I will trellis them as soon as they begin to germinate. In the center bed, I planted the broccoli and celery in a "yin yang" pattern just to change it up. In the very back bed, I planted escarole. This weekend, I will plant more peas and sow some carrots. I am thinking of planting the cabbage and brussel sprouts in the back of the yard since they need a lot of room.

Close up of the broccoli. I am going to plant some 'bright lights' chard in between the broccoli. As the broccoli matures, the kale will fill in. When the broccoli is read to harvest, I will replace them with the eggplant plants. In the back corner, I will plant some pole beans and zinnias. I left room along the front edge of the bed to plant nasturtiums, bush basil and marigolds.

Tulips

2010-03-31T19:09:00.001-04:00

I forgot that I planted new tulips along the entrance of the house. The red is starting to show through which reminded me that I planted red tulips to go with my red door. I can't wait to see them.

it's Spring!

2010-03-29T18:49:00.003-04:00

Some of my daffodils that I planted 2 years ago. My lilac bush is in the background which I pruned last year. It will be blooming soon along with the tulips.

In other news, my basil and chard have germinated. The peppers are doing really well in the picture below. Once the second pair of leaves grow in, I'm going to repot them.

The zinnias are getting huge. They have grown even taller today since I took this photo yesterday. I can't wait to see these. I am going to plant these in between the veggies.

Raised Veggie Bed

2010-03-28T08:43:00.003-04:00

We completed my raised veggie beds on Saturday! It was cold out, but it had to be done. Last week, my husband built the frame for me. It measure 12' long by 4' wide. I also turned the soil over about 10" deep. On Friday night I picked up up the first batch of soil and then went back for more on Saturday morning as soon as the nursery was open.

Here is the finished bed. In the beds are fully mixed humus, peat moss, homemade compost and the original soil that I turned over.

I used two 3.8 cubic ft of peat moss, 20 bags of humus, and 2 wheel borrows full of my compost. My husband was a big help in pouring all the bags into the frame for me. Then he tilled it all together. It helps to do it in small batches because the tiller can only go so deep. I still had to go back and mix it through with a rake and my bare hands.

Compost from my compost pile. This is all grass clippings from the last 2-3 years. It's well decomposed now. My husband said, "Wow, it feels warm!" (Heat is generated from the decomposing process)

The tiller breaks up the grass and other growth enough that you can just smother it by burying it. Since I did it last week, it was still early enough that there wasn't much grass growth. However, if you have sod, you will have to cut it and remove it entirely because it's so thick. But I still had to go back and hand pick through the soil. Get rid of any twigs and rocks which will inhibit root growth. Bag up weeds that you pull out and throw them away entirely so they don't reseed. Remove clumps of grass (like in the picture) and plug them somewhere else. Another use for the clumps of grass is turn them upside down and line your paths with them. The fibers give you footing.

As a last minute decision, we used the leftover wood to divide out the beds. I decided I wanted 2 paths dividing up a larger center bed between two smaller beds. It just makes the bed easier to maintain and organize.

Now, I can plan what I want to plant, where and with what other companion plants. I checked the forecast and it's suppose to rain on Sunday which is perfect. I raked the beds into mounds (as opposed to raking it flat to the edge of the frame) and I'm going to wait until the rain packs it down. After it settles, I'll plant some peas.

Zinnias

2010-03-26T20:13:00.002-04:00

I sowed some zinnias on Sunday and they started to pop up yesterday. I'm looking forward to seeing what these look like. They are supposed to be really big and beautiful with bright colors. I hope I have enough room to place them all in the garden.

Also, the fairytale eggplant seeds have finally germinated and popped up. It only took 4 weeks! They need 80s to germinate. The chard I sowed has also germinated. All the peppers are doing well

Cold Weather Crops

2010-03-24T21:29:00.002-04:00

Today I directly seeded some lettuce, bok choy, radish and spinach seeds into my herb garden bed. The herbs won't be ready until it gets warmer, so I thought I would put the bed into some other use for the time being.

Instead of straight rows of seeds, I drew a curved pattern into the soil and seeded them along the curve. I just thought it would look cool once things begin to grow and I can plant the herbs and space them in between the curves while staggering them.

Let's Talk Dirt

2010-03-21T13:58:00.003-04:00

Today I went to our local nursery and pick up my usual concoction to fill the raised beds with. I was so early that the staff had to rip the bags open from the crates they were delivered in.

8 bags of humus (organic compost) and 1 cubic foot of peat moss.

First I pour in the bags of humus (black colored underneath the brown). It's black in color which tells you that it's really rich. Break up any large clumps. Then when it's 2/3 full add the peat moss and mix it together. Because this is next to the house, I need it to drain really well so I added some vermiculite as well.

The mixture should have a consistency like this where you can make it into a ball but then it breaks up really easily. *Keep in mind the soil type that your plants need. Some herbs and vegetables thrive in poor soil (such as carrots), so a rich soil like this won't work. To make it "more poor", stir in more peat moss and use top soil or dirty from your yard as opposed to organic humus or what stores call garden soil.

Evenly mixed. It's supposed to rain tomorrow so after it rains I'm going to cast some seeds in the bed. This bed is 1.5'x16'. I am going to sketch/note where I want each herb. The left of the bed is really rich and the right is less rich for the different types of herbs.

We also put together a raised garden bed for the main crops which I'll post soon.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-21T08:36:00.003-04:00

It's the end of March and I'm taking advantage of the warmth this weekend.

New garden bed - I finally made the decision to put a small (4'x12') raised bed along the North fence. It gets 6-8 hours of morning sun and then it's all shade. I was hesitant about this, but I don't like working on the South side (my neighbor's dog poos and pees all over the fence). 6-8 hours is just enough and if my plants aren't AS successful as previous years it would still be fine with me since I feel confident that I will still get veggies out of it. Also, it's shade by the time I get home from work which would actually be better for me so that I don't have to work in the blazing heat. My dream would be to have a large round bed in the middle of the yard. Basically I would take up the whole yard and lay flagstone paths and such. Some day.
Raised herb bed - I'm looking forward to this! I'm going to start a variety of herbs and lots of basil!
Added bone meal to the soil around my Irises.
Added Epsom salt around my roses.
Added ashes (from my neighbor's fire pit) around my Peonies.
Raked up all the leaves and sticks from the fall and winter. I broke them up with my hands and sprinkled them along the back garden bed as mulch to keep the weeds at bay. Every bit helps.
Repotted my tomato seedlings to the next level up. I used some store bought garden soil this time and mixed in a tiny bit of the seed starting mix that I had leftover to make a loose soil. I have 4 grape tomatoes, 4 black krim, 6 persimmon, and 4 roma tomatoes. The roma tomatoes fruit all at once so I'm going to scale it back to 2 roma tomato plants and then start 2 more later in the season.

Project Raised Garden Bed has begun!

2010-03-20T19:39:00.003-04:00

Last year I started an herb garden on the side of the house. It was wonderful! All I had to do was go from my kitchen to the side of the house to snip some herbs to throw into my cooking. I made delicious batches of pesto every week. In order to keep it going, I decided a raised bed would be perfect. A raised bed keeps the edge tidy and would help the plants reach the sunlight better.

I have browsed a few different raised bed tutorials, but this one from The Pioneer Woman was the most useful in my opinion. From her step by step guide, I think it's important to point out a few things that are helpful if you should decide to do this. Pre-drilling pilot holes seem tedious, but well worth the time and effort. Also, driving the stakes into the ground on the inside of the frame BEFORE screwing them to the frame will also save you a lot of trouble later.

The goods. Long galvanized screws, stakes, and 8"x8' pieces of untreated wood (fir).

Basil and I supervised while my husband assembled the first bed. Measure your dimensions before going to the store. Decide what height and lengths you need. Make sure you use untreated wood.

After he assembled it, we lifted it up and I drove the corner stakes and frame into the ground with a hammer. It was surprisingly really difficult. It could be that the ground was still too hard from the cold winter we had. Be careful not to split the wood. Use another scrap piece of wood between the hammer and the frame to keep the frame from splitting.

Then drive the remaining stakes into the ground pushing them up against the frame to keep it sturdy. THEN put screws into them.

Tadaa! In time, the wood will weather and blend into the surroundings. Tomorrow, I will fill it with garden soil, peat moss and compost. On each end, I'm going to lay some rocks down or plant a skinny tree of some kind.

This is where my herbs will go and hopefully I won't have to replant them every year. Now that I have a permanent bed, I am going to let the herbs self sow or just rake in a packet of seeds rather than starting seeds indoors.

Seedling Update

2010-03-12T17:36:00.001-05:00

So far, all the tomatoes, the bell and chili peppers have germinated. So has the artichokes. I really don't like the seed starting mix I use. As soon as the seedlings grow their first set of leaves, I'm going to repot them.

Seedlings Day 1

2010-02-28T20:18:00.002-05:00

My seeds have sprung the coup! These are the Roma tomatoes. I bought a clamp lamp today to provide more light to the seedlings. It's been so overcast outside that they aren't getting enough natural light. I also raised the temperature of our thermostat.

Seed Sowing 2010

2010-02-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

Bring it on! It's that time of year again.

Based on my last spring frost date of 4/25/2010, it's time to start some of my veggie seeds. We're about 8 weeks out. Using several online sources like Victory Garden and Farmer's Almanac, I guesstimate a date because we live near the water and I think that can really alter our immediate outdoor climate. The Cheap Gardener summed it up here in this post. I found different dates so I'm going to give myself a few extra weeks in case we get frost again.

Using this personalized calendar from Skippy's Garden, you can sow your seeds according this schedule. I group certain seeds together and sow them all at the same time give or take a week because it's easier for me to keep track. Certain plants are okay if left crowded in their container for another week or two like tomatoes. (Tomatoes also get transplanted into individual cups or containers 2 more times before they are planted outdoors anyway.) However, certain plants like squash and cucumbers CAN'T wait much later to be placed outside; otherwise, they won't transplant well. If you doubt your frost date, then just wait. Later = warmer = better.

Seeds, tag markers, seed starting mix, clean containers. I bought seed starting mix, but normally I mix my own. I prefer to mix my own because seed starting mix is a rip off because it's just peat moss and I don't feel like it holds up as the plants get larger. Seed starting mix dries out very quickly too.

Last year, I bought a seed starting kit that came with 3 trays with cells in them. I don't like using them because each cell isn't large enough and it's difficult pulling the tender seedlings out of the cell. You don't want to handle the young seedlings very much because they ARE so tender. You want to make the transition as seamless as possible. Instead, I filled a large tray that I cleaned with hot water and detergent with mix. Then I divided my plants with a bamboo stick to keep it neat. I started a lot of seeds, but this year I am going to thin them like crazy because I only want 2-3 of each plant. Normally, it breaks my heart to thin them, but it must be done. (Thinning is when you when you pull the weak looking ones and trash them. so sad. )

Spray the top of the soil with water using a spray bottle. I use room temperature water or warmer because they need to stay warm in order to germinate. Why make it any harder on them? Keep the tray covered with saran wrap if you don't have a plastic clear cover. Used cookie containers from the supermarket work great also! Keep the soil moist all the time. The top shouldn't be dry. Keep it in the bright warm area or use lamps and electric seedling mats to keep the temperature up.

Basil insisted I grow some of this. I have no idea why he wants me to grow this, do you?

Let the games begin!

Companion Planting

2010-02-16T19:30:00.005-05:00

For the last few days, I have been sketching and doodling how I would like to set up my garden bed this year. It's been more difficult than I thought. The more I looked into each plant, the more difficult it was for me to decide where each plant would go and who it would with. Also, I had to consider spacing and direction of the sun.

After I drew a preliminary plan, I went back to check that none of the plants would "clash" or better yet, what plants would make good companions. This website has a great breakdown on companion planting.

From north to south:

Bed 1: Radishes > Cucumbers + Dill
Bed 2: Spinach > Eggplant + Chili peppers + Nasturtiums
Bed 3: Dahlias + Chard > Patty pan squash > Winter Kale
Bed 4: Bok choy + Carrots > Sweet peppers + Onions + Chamomile + Petunias + Parsley
Bed 5: Lettuce + Sugar snap peas + Snow peas > Roma, Persimmon, Black Krim, Grape Tomatoes + Basil + Cilantro + Zinnias + Marigolds

What do you think? Any suggestions? What are you doing? What works for you?

Spring. Please kick Winter's butt!

2010-02-11T21:05:00.002-05:00

I popped into Lowe's a few days ago for some items for our bathroom when a green shimmer caught my eye. Oh yes! What was it you ask? The staff was setting up the stands for all the seeds, bulbs, pots and seed starting kits! Oh my!

There may be 32" of snow outside, but I can feel spring coming.

I couldn't help but look. I told myself I would only look, but I walked away with a few packets of scallions, chamomile, grape tomatoes, and bok choy.

Antique Tin Signs

2010-01-20T21:44:00.002-05:00

from Seed Saver Org.

Burpee on Flickr

2010-01-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

http://flickr.com/photos/60269990@N00/167768344

See their beautiful vintage illustrations. I ordered their calendar on their website.

Rose

2009-12-27T10:27:00.002-05:00

In September, I took some cuttings from my Knockout Rose and tried to root them. I read about it on Gardener's Net and just thought I would try it since my rose bush seems to be doing so well. It seems to be working because I noticed these new red buds! This spring I will transplant them.

Roll Call 2010

2009-12-24T09:26:00.004-05:00

I've got my list of seeds ready to go. From each company, I've done my research as to what I want to try and what works. John Scheeper's is my first choice because everything there is tested and selected. For heirlooms or anything specialty, I would stick to JS. Prices between 2.79 to 4.95 per pack.

Same with Renee but their seeds are cheaper (2.79 for all but you have to check the number of seeds you are getting). I like Renee because of all the flower choices and they have beautiful illustrations and how to's on the back of the seed packet.

My least favorite is Burpee. I really don't care for them at all, but they were the only ones selling plants. I already put in my order. Last year I bought the seeds and they don't tell you this on the website but included a note in my order that these seeds have very low success rate if started at home.

The annual herbs I just go to Lowe's or Home Depot or even Target. It's all $1.29 or so. Now that I have a designated area for herbs, I'm hoping they will reseed themselves and I won't have to buy seeds anymore.

John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds
4265 Persimmon Tomatoes
4240 Black Russian Tomatoes
4345 Juliet Grape Tomatoes
8130 Horse Radish (roots)
8080 Sweet Potatoes (tubers)
1010 Artichokes
2942 Bok Choy
2935 Chinese Brocolli

Renee’s Garden
5078 Squash, Scallop
5364 Squash, Yellow Crockneck
5933 Beans, Emerite Filet Pole Beans
5198 Beans, Edamame Soy
5845 Chard, Neon Glow
5620 Cucumber, Chelsea Prize (English)
5834 Cucumber, Endeavor (pickling)
5372 Lettuce, Garden babies (butter lettuce)
5459 Basil, Window box (bush type)
5926 Celery, Amsterdam Seasoning (thin cutting celery)
5225 Chamomile
5105 Runner bean, Magic bean stalk
5407 Zinnia, Berry Basket
5298 Sweet Pea, Mary Lou Heard
5414 Poppy, Native Orange
5363 Poppy, Tropical Sunset
5922 Poppy, Falling in Love

Burpee’s
15792T Garlic, Early Italian (bulbs)
23039 Eggplant, Fairytales (3 plants)

Park Seed Co.
5675 Squash, Small Wonder (spaghetti squash)

Local Stores
Lemon Basil
Genovese Basil
Parsley
Cilantro/Coriander
Dukat Dill
Carrots (5” variety)
Watermelon, Ruby Hybrid Seedless
Cantaloupe
Peppers (nursery starts)

I forgot to mention Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They do nothing but heirloom vegetables. They seem very genuine, but I haven't had much luck with the few seeds I ordered from them. I don't think it's their fault. I think it's because they ARE heirlooms and their success rate is just lower simply because they are more delicate. I love perusing their catalog at all the "strange" looking vegetables.

My Gantt Chart

2009-12-23T13:22:00.005-05:00

With so many veggies and flowers, I find it hard to keep up with their needs once the summer progresses. I often simply forget that eggplant needs side dressing and what bugs to look out for, etc. Typically, I make lots of lists, but for next year I made this gantt chart just to give me an overall view of things. It acts as a reminder of how long each plant takes before harvest, co-planting (or planting the tomatoes where the peas were), balance out the harvest and a side note for any special needs.

Planting spring bulbs

2009-10-31T12:06:00.003-04:00

I've been naughty. I bought all these bulbs and hid them from my husband. Then, I forgot all about them. It's cutting it a little slim to plant them now. Fortunately, we've had some warmer temperatures since there needs to be enough time for them to get acclimated before it gets to freezing temperatures.

I love sorbet colored tulips. I planted those in "bunches" around the yard. The peach colored double daffodil, I planted around the crab apple tree and kansas peony. The red tulips, I planted around the rhododendron in the front to go with our red door.

The yellow mixed daffodils, I planted around the japanese maple and around the azalea in front. Rake the mulch off the surface, dig a 6" hole, plop your bulb in right side up, cover back up and firm. Rake mulch back over it. Hopefully, the squirrels will leave them alone.

I cut back the chilli peppers and cleaned up the herb garden. It's a mess. I'm thinking about putting some stones down and raising the garden bed. It will give the herbs more sunlight if they are elevated and keep the herbs from getting all dirty.

The oregano is doing really well here so I"m going to keep it here. The sage needs a lot more sun so I think elevating it will do some good. Can you believe this plant started out like this? If it stays warm enough, I might raise the bed soon.

Happily waiting for spring to come.

Fall Shape Up

2009-09-16T19:56:00.006-04:00

Since it's September, this is the time to begin dividing your perennials and transplanting them. Don't forget to water them regularly after you've moved them. It's also a great time to cut your garden beds now too.

What's new?

I transplanted 2 trees that my neighbor was getting rid of. I placed on against the fence and another in front of our condensing unit to conceal it from the front of the house. I was afraid they wouldn't survive, but I've been watering them and they seem to be doing ok.
I divided & transplanted a ton of mature Hosta given to me by my neighbor. I made a border of them along the back of the yard. They are solid green.
Also from a neighbor, I transplanted a small leaf Azalea to the very back garden bed. It has really pretty tiny leaves with a little bit of reddish on the tips. The branches also have that japanese maple look where it looks tiered.
Then I transplanted some red leaf little tree or shrub that has white flowers in the spring. I don't know the name of this yet.
I divided and transplanted a ton of Irises in Purple, White and Burgundy. I must have moved 40 bulbs.
I cleaned up the weeds, brush and worn veggie plants.
I cut a new garden bed along the back and side of the shed. It still needs some more work, but it's getting there.
I planted a little Crepe Myrtle.

'Cause breakin' up is hard to do

2009-09-02T19:31:00.003-04:00

After spending 2 wonderful weeks with Tego, it's back to gardening. I miss him dearly. He even had a special fondness for my heirloom tomatoes.

So it's September already! Time to clean up the garden. I cut all my spent veggie plants back and worked the soil a bit. My next project is the very back of the yard. I started breaking up some Irises that I had on the side of the house and making new homes for them along the back garden bed. I plan on reworking this whole area and planting some low maintenance perennials back here. It's about 8' deep from the fence and will need a lot of mulching. I will lay down some of that plastic landscaping material as well.

Shown above: Evergreen, lilac, pepper plants, sedum, dianthus, knockout rose, basil, black eyed susans.

So maybe next year, the garden bed will look like this one! I'm really proud of how this area turned out. It took a lot of time and many mistakes, but it was well worth the effort.

August already?

2009-08-19T19:23:00.005-04:00

There's a lot happening in the garden. So much so, that I can't seem to keep up with posting. Last weekend, I suited up and weeded the back of the yard. There must have been 150 SF of weeds; some of them the size of trees. This fall, I'm going to set the perennials in motion, so that they will be on auto pilot next summer. I just don't think I can do much of this anymore. Life is so busy!

I shaped up the circle around the dogwood tree and built it back up. I reorganized the plants around the base as well. To the left of the photo are Irises that I moved about 1' away from the deck. Last year I transplanted some in that relative location, but they sprouted right up against the fence which is a waste because you can't see them from the yard and it's difficult to weed back there. I literally just moved the entire plant and root ball along with it. It hasn't wilted so I think I did good.

Do you remember this?

Well, here's a hint.

For the 3rd year in a row, my dahlia made it! I was a little nervous this year because I put the bulbs that I dug up in the basement without a bag or any peat moss. I just left them in a container and I was afraid they dried out. But she made it!

As for the veggie garden, I'm seriously going to do a raised garden bed next year and pots. They were so much more rewarding in terms of harvest and far cleaner to deal with. I'll make a patch for corn and cucumbers in the back, but as for the other veggies I'm going to plant in a raised bed. I've been observing the sun's movement across the yard to see where is the best place to locate the raised bed. We'll wait and see.

Last year, my carrots were a wash. The soil has to be really soft and even (no rocks or hard soil), so I did them in a container this year. It was perfect! I'll do this again next year.

As you can see I have lots of red chili peppers. I don't know why I grow this since we can't use them much. They are pretty spicy and only need 1 or 2 at most. I'd like to think that they keep the animals away. In the lower right hand corner, you'll see a little pumpkin. These were cute, but I am not sure I will plant the large pumpkins again. They take over the yard.

I've been using my bell peppers for salsa and stir fry, but here are a few that are starting to turn red! The plant could use a larger container as well, but this will do for the year.

I have this one lemon cucumber vine that is a monster! And there are tons of cucumbers! It seems that the afternoon shade prolongs the life of the vine.

A House Guest

2009-08-19T19:18:00.002-04:00

We have a house guest for two weeks. Meet Tego everyone! His mommy and daddy are getting married in Punta Cana this weekend, so he's taking a vacay himself and staying with us. He's been such a good dog and companion to me. He's even helpful in the garden!