Sunday, August 31, 2008

update

I noticed some of the annuals I planted (sunflower, cosmos) have gone ahead and bloomed, even though they didn't reach near their expected height. I guess this is normal.

The beans just keep on producing, which is surprising since they are bush beans. I am thinking they might be getting spent though.

Most of my veggies and flowers are doing well.

On the difficult side of my front flower garden, I dug up the grass today that had crept in and pulled out the dead and dying plants. I have started snapdragons that will go there, as well as in the bed on the other side. The white marigolds seem to be dying off already. It felt very good to pull out all the dead stuff and leave the place looking neat if not a bit bare, and cart it all away in my wheelbarrel. I also clipped off dozens and dozens and dozens of cosmos blooms that were spent.

I enjoy being outdoors and digging and clipping and planting and weeding so much. Makes me glad to be alive.

I've filled the compost bin again. I wonder if it will go down on its own, or if I should turn it again next weekend. It was such good exercise that I might have to. Very satisfying.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Everything Update

Front Yard:
  • The driveway side had some plants die. I let it go too long with out water, and there was no rain for a couple of weeks(?). There are still a few cosmos (not blooming), but I'm not sure if the sunflowers will make it. There is one brave zinnia and a marigold. The seedums continue to do okay, and the grass that crept in thrives. I really must do something about that.
  • The less-hot side is doing great, with the cosmos thriving, the zinnias thriving, and the white marigolds really did turn out pretty, even if I decided they were dumb after I planted them. The dwarf sunflowers are lovely too--I will plant them again for sure!
  • I am going to plant some snapdragons on the dead side and keep them watered!
  • I learned that cosmos may thrive on neglect, but it does have a breaking point!
Front containers:
  • Sage has grown a funny collapsed shape but it otherwise thriving. I moved the container to help it grow better.
  • Peppermint doing fine. Mexican lavendar growing very slowly. Basil fine. Son (age 4) likes to eat leaves but has learned to ask permission.
Backyard:
  • Blueberry plant in container thriving.
  • Marigold in container died. Used container for indoor potted palm.
  • Only one blueberry bush in yard still alive. Think I know where I went wrong. Better luck next year.
  • Decided to start some tomato seeds to grow in containers. Hybrid determinate small plants. Will give it my best shot and bring them inside at night if we have a frost. Hoping we can at least have some fried green tomatoes! (Incidentally, husband bought some heirloom tomatoes at Trader Joe's--tasted divine. Next year!)
  • Beans: see previous post!
  • Squash doing pretty well. Have 2 big squashes that are growing. It's still flowering, but I don't think it liked that hot dry spell. Thank goodness this summer is milder and wetter than last year!
  • Pumpkins doing great and flowering. There is one pumpkin already on one of my miniature pumpkin plants.
  • Gourds--doing okay. Next year I will give them their own bed and take better care of them.
  • Tomatillo plant! One of the many tomatillo seeds I tried to plant emerged. For a while I couldn't figure out what the plant was, but I let it grow since it looked like some sort of vegetable. It is flowering, and I think we will have some delicous tomatillos before too long!
  • Basil--planted 4 basil plants for my 4-year-old basil eater. (Started the seeds indoors of course). Hoping we can get a pesto sauce out of them too!
  • I have 2 red cabbage seeds started and 2 califlowers started to plant outside in, oh, 3 or 4 weeks.
  • My yellow bell peppers are doing pretty well. Some of the leaves did get eaten, but they are growing into their cages.
  • I also am trying to start some chives for my front herb container garden, but they have not emerged. It's weird because I thought chives would be so easy.
  • I have plans to grow carrots, lettuce, and radishes as well this fall.
  • My sunflowers have grown wonderfully! The Russian Mammoths especially. And I like the white and red sunflowers that bloom over and over. However, deshelling the mammoth seeds has been boring. I think I am going to use them to feed birds instead.
  • I've had a few zinnias bloom, although I just sort of let grass grow around them.
  • I did start a "flower garden" behind my beds against the fence. I am growing more sunflowers, some cosmos "double click," and some tall zinnias.

Houseplants
  • doing fine; houseplants are easy

Other:
  • My son planted a tiny garden of 6 zinnias in front of his new playhouse.
  • We are going to plant tall snapdragons behind his playhouse to make a fence. (He has a trapdoor that leads into his backyard.) He has a very cute plastic playhouse.
Thoughts:
  • I like easy-care flowers, vegetables, and herbs!
  • I have really been enjoying the bees, butterflies, and dragonflies that are attracted to my flowers. I keep thinking I hear hummingbirds, but I haven't seen any yet.

green beans

We have had 3 meals with generous portions of homegrown green beans now, and one meal with small portions. I am so happy with this crop! I grew "bean festina" from Park Seeds. I highly recommend this variety!

We had bunnies in the yard, but they did not eat the crop. I suspect it's because of all the clover in our backyard. Supposedly, the bunnies prefer it to anything. But who knows?

The 4 bean plans I have been harvesting from have many more flowers, and then I planted MORE of these beans on the other bed of the garden because the first ones were growing so well. I hope for many more meals of delicous green beans!

compost update

Turned the compost yesterday--a big accomplishment! There were a lot of bugs, but not too scary. I wouldn't have wanted to do it with a baby on my back. It was hard work, and it made me sore. I think it took me maybe an hour or two. I enjoyed the work so much that I lost track of time.

I didn't see much that looked like real compost. Saw some coffee-ground like stuff, but it probably actually was coffee grounds! Anyway, nothing stunk, so that was good. Also, nothing on the bottom third was really recognizable as food, except for a few corncobs.

The reason I turned it was that I had added a lot of kitchen scraps within the past month, and they weren't buried enough and were attracting some flies. I really just needed to turn it and mix everything up. So, now, the freshest stuff is on the bottom and the older stuff is on the top, and it will be much easier to bury fresh scraps well.

I also felt that the bin was getting far too dry. So I added water from the hose at several times while I was shoveling contents back into the bin. I will add more water in the future.

I think at some point I will just stop feeding that bin and leave it to rot for a year--maybe September 21st, the beginning of fall. And start a new hoop bin to add fresh scraps. Athough my compost does get quite warm, I do not think I am making truly "hot" compost since I add stuff so gradually, and my bin may not be big enough.

Friday, August 1, 2008

harvest!


Harvested lots of delicious green beans (Bean Festina). They grew beautifully and were so tasty. I have never had green beans so fresh. There are still many more to come. I am so excited! I honestly didn't expect to harvest much this year at all. And I've been so caught up in the EXPERIENCE of gardening that I haven't thought too much about what the results would bring. I've got squashes that have fruited, and several of my plants have flowers, including a surprise tomatillo that I thought wasn't going to grow.