Going to miss the garden

Mar 19, 2008 | 11:57 AM PST

But guess ya'll will see me hitting the container gardening a lot more soon. *sigh* I gave away the baby self supporting, stringless sugar snap peas I had sown in a winter box a few weeks back this morning...to someone who will be in one location and able to harvest them.

I am going to miss having fresh peas and lettuces and spinach (don't know who will get to enjoy them). Nothing like putting a lot of work into something and finding out it is for naught. That being on MORE than one level. I will be the balcony gardener for awhile, but maybe get at least two tomatoes going as it will still be early enough in the season for me to get some going?

I do have to have a balcony, my bonsai must stay outside so that is a given...wish me luck on the hunt, mourn the lost garden for me. A bit o good will never hurt anyone...

Nice and rainy

Oct 3, 2007 | 11:11 AM PST

So, I have a new cam, so pics will be forthcoming. We have been getting rather a bit of rain (about time) but it is finally the end of the 'real' gardening season. If I can figure out a way to do it with minimal dirt (I know I should use at least a 5 gallon container but am willing to take a risk) I may cold stratify some of the tomato seeds I saved and start them up here in the office. That would be kind of cool, having some fresh tomatoes here. I kept some Black Prince and Brandywine seeds, although who knows what they will end up being as there were a few different varieties of tomatoes out there and I did not bag them so they are no doubt cross pollinated. I really don't mind, as long as they are fresh! I am planning on starting up some of the Jalapeno seeds I saved, I know it will do fine in a relatively smaller pot. I have all this sunshine here at my desk so I might as well take advantage of it, right?

I brought a couple Schefflera's in to the office.

My favorite story about Schefflera's...A pal of mine owned a hotel on the NC coast and the hurricane wall they had put in was coming down after a particularly nasty storm so the hotel had to come down. The people who were hired to take all the furniture and whatnot out and put it in storage really were not all that smart as they put all the plants in the storage unit as well. Three months later we opened up the unit, having already assumed the plants were living in the movers homes (nothing to quibble about, this all had to be done fast so the owner just figured a home is a home) and there they were. No water, no sun, three months...they were fine. They were Schefflera.

Time to get going on some winter gardening. I got seed for Walla Walla sweet onins, Garlic cloves, Purple Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts and Spinach so far. I have cleared the sugar snap pea bed so now all I need to do is take down the trellis (I used screws so it is basically collapsible) and recondition the little plot o'dirt and wait for the maters to finish up, collect the radish seeds from the early radish's that I let bolt and do that soil as well. I want to put in garlic, onions, Brussels Sprouts and Kohlrabi. They are very neat looking plants.

I will plant the spinach and plan on several lettuce varieties for this fall and come early spring in my tomato and radish bed, yum!

Fall goodies

Sep 11, 2007 | 11:28 AM PST

I got excited about doing some cold weather planting, now I just have to figure out what else to put in when the tomato's are done! I know I will be planting some Walla Walla onions in between the maters as they need to be there now, and then get some of the best sweet onions in the world come spring. But for the other spot, there are the sugar snap peas that are done, and I need to go pick the seed off of them and the early radishes I forced to bolt for next spring and clear it out. So, I will clear it, take down the trellis and stir in some compost and manure. I got some broccoli and brussel sprout seed, and there was something else! And I can't remember! OH! YES! PURPLE KOHLRABI! I love this, love tasty stuff that has odd appearances, these will suffice, hehe. As the tomatoes are finishing (I have time) I will probably throw spinach in..fresh spinach, yum! I am on the lookout for some material to make a cold frame as that is move able, I may lease on for the next year but if not I want to be able to move it! That would be great, having fresh lettuce all winter!

Sweet Peas!!

Jun 8, 2007 | 3:25 PM PST

I decided to put some Sweet Peas in the bed that had the Tulips in it, they just do not last long and the bed is SO bare now. The second level is where they are going.

Since there were so many seeds, I figured they would go well next to the sugar snap peas well and bring a bit more bee happiness to that area as well! I have some coming up for the 'Tulip' bed...

Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas and Garlic! YEAH!

Jun 7, 2007 | 2:31 PM PST

My baby Radishes...they are an early variety, harvest in 22 DAYS! So I will plant a second round when it is time for these...I love snacking radishes :D

Then there is the garlic, I went to get some free pots (I love free pots, I use SO many) and she gave me some garlic...and some of what she thought might be volunteer garlic but when I dumped them out of the pot I very carefully separated them and planted them...sweet white onions :D

So there were a few days here that SERIOUSLY baked and I got worried about the sugar snap peas I had sowed so I tossed them epsom salts and watered it in really good and KABAM! Let there be sugar snap peas! I have the material I need so I will be building a nice platform/Japanese style trellis for them this weekend. I was working on the fishtank cover but HAVE to get the trellis done...will try to get them both done as I really want to get that tank going, it is 55 gallon.

Planted in full :D

May 30, 2007 | 12:54 PM PST

So, I don't have a lot of space. I decided to actually LEAVE half of the space unused, I will just cut back the heavy overgrowth. Two reasons, I really don't need a lot of space because I would just plant too much (veggies) and then I would have too much to use! Another reason is due to the fact that there is an ABUNDANCE of Yellow Jackets who are nesting at the far end of this area and I really don't have a problem with them as they can be very beneficial and they are not bothering me so I will leave well enough alone.

I planted the basils, the garlic chives, some radishes and sweetpeas. Put in some sugar snap peas (I checked the dates and this is JUST the right time for me to get them in the ground, I will get a second harvest of the radishes! YAAAY!) and some regular chives (couldn't pass up the price on the seeds!). Now all I need to do is build a trellis, I need some blades and a power cord as I have the wood I want to use. I am planning on a Japanese Style to the trellis...