Adventures in Gardening

Credit: urbanhomstead.org

As I've continued to read and learn about Whole / Real Foods I've thought more and more about having a real kitchen garden this summer.  Not just a pot or two like years before that I neglected after the first harvest ... but a real garden.  We have been saving a long time to do our back yard and this spring it will be done.  It isn't a huge yard.  We used to have a wood porch off the back and the old owner had several cement slabs and walkways.  We decided we didn't need a parking pad in the back - we'd rather have more yard so when we had the retaining walls and fence put in we went all the way to the alley.  Here's a picture after we took off the porch but before we ripped up all the cement:

Last summer we literally gutted it and it is now just one big flat mulch pile so the dogs don't track in mud this winter.  The only thing we kept was the lilacs - I'd never get rid of those!  (And yes we kept all the puritan pavers and will be reusing them!) We are getting close to finalizing the plans and just in time I had the designer put in a small fenced area for a garden.  It will be right between the garage and the lilacs in the sunniest part of the yard.

 From searching on-line I decided to try and start some seeds.  My attic office is a very sunny spot and I'm up there Monday - Friday so I knew if I set things up there I wouldn't neglect them.  I'm actually kind of excited so I find I even check on 'my babies' on the weekend.

We have a Craftsman Foursquare house so there are windows right near the floor to the front.  I have an ivy there that has been happy now for a while and my neighbors all told me whenever they had a sick houseplant the old lady that used to live here would take it to her 'hospital' and then return it later big and healthy... turned out this is exactly where she kept them.  I lined up some storage shelves so that they create a waist high wall between this area and the rest of my office ...simply so the dogs don't mess with anything.  I bought two basic black desk lamps and put in grow bulbs to help give extra sunlight and warmth to the plants.  

These are herbs that I started first.  The Cilantro seems to be doing the best and though you can barely see it here the chives and basil are springing up too.  I've now got them out of the little 'greenhouse' kit I bought and in pots of their own to continue growing.  I did A LOT on purpose because I figured I'd have a high failure rate since I'm new at this.  If too many end up healthy then they will make great little gifts for the neighbors come spring!

In these 'greenhouses' I've got a new crop of seeds starting.  I did a lot of research on what was easy and also what grows well together.  I've got tomatoes and grape tomatoes, cucumbers, two kinds of lettuce, sweet peppers, marigolds, sunflowers and beets.   I also got some poppies and a mix of flowering vines that I hope to use in a patch of ugly dirt right outside of our fence to liven it up - train the vines up on the fence for  some curb appeal from the alley!   Once these are done I'll probably go get some more marigolds - since supposedly if you plant them around everything in your garden it really helps.  This is the plan I'm looking at.  The only thing I didn't get was the zucchini.  Mine won't be this big but I figure this will be a pattern I could mimic.  Only thing I'll change is that I did beets instead of zucchini.

Companion planting facts are pretty interesting.  Here is what I found:

• Beets help lettuce.
• Garlic helps beets.
• Sunflowers help cucumbers & serve as a trellis for them. 
• Marigolds help cucumbers, tomatoes, pepper & kale. 
• Tomatoes help sunflowers. 
• Mint repels slugs that eat lettuce. 
• Peppers & Tomatoes grow well with basil / oregano around them as a groundcover. 
• Chives & Parsley help tomatoes.  
• Keep tomatoes away from dill.  
• Cilantro helps spinach. 
• Tarragon seems to help EVERYTHING! 

3/3/13 Update: 

My babies are growing and seem happy!   I have lost much of the basil which is too bad but another pack of seeds is like $2 so I'll try again.  My cilantro is still the obvious one in terms of growth. 

They don't smell like cilantro yet.  I'll be curious when that kicks in.  I have about 10 of them so probably more than I'll need.  But I understand from reading that harvesting cilantro seems to be tough - I guess it doesn't really grow back after you do?   I guess I'll find out soon enough!  Worst case scenario if I have too much I know I can give them as gifts to my neighbors.  There are several that cook and so would happily take one.  

The chives are also starting to look like chives and seem to be doing well.  This is one thing I've grown before.  I had a big pot full of them and it came back every summer.  Cut them off and they grow right back. It was always more than I could ever use but then I didn't cook at all back then.  Come to think of it - I can't even remember what I used them in!  

The lettuces seem to be doing well too.  I'm betting these are several together and I'll have to kind of prune them back to get down to just one plant but I'm not going to do that yet.   I did that with my basil which is how I think I lost it - perhaps too young to be disturbed like that?  

One little beet has sprouted.  This is kind of blurry but you can tell that they have reddish purple stems and bright green leaves.  I'll be curious to see what it looks like as it grows.  I'm new to beets ... other than avoiding the pickled version my whole life and thinking that food should NOT be that purple I hadn't even tried one until recently.  Hubby and I both love them in our juice and I've found some recipes that use them that I'm curious to try.  

The Sunflowers I planted are already surprisingly tall!  I suppose that makes sense - after all when they are full grown they are as tall as me.  I planted several - it was a 'mix' so I'm curious to see what colors and types I get.  

I love how they all reach toward the sunny window in unison.  

I'd also seen on Pinterest that if you cut off a bunch of lettuce about 3 to 4 inches from the white core and then put it in about 2" of water in a sunny place that it will start to grow back ... 

....they really do!!   So I've now got them in soil to see if I can really get two free heads of lettuce out of this!   I'm trying it with green onions too but just started last night so I'll let you know how it goes.  

So my little indoor garden is getting bigger and coming along well.  I still have one 'greenhouse' going as the tomatoes, peppers and some of the others still haven't sprouted.  I think it's a bit too cold yet for them.  

Of course the more I've got back here the more my dogs are interested so when they are up in my office the barrier remains to block them from snooping!  You'll see I'm also starting to learn to save my plastic food containers to use as temporary pots.  I figured why not?  Hubby of course made another wise crack about his Hippie wife when he saw me take the milk jug out of the recycle bin to use it.  

It also keeps them from barking at every single thing outside on the street that they see through the windows! 

3/24/13 Update: 

It's getting a little crowded!   I've used every container (glass & plastic) I can to give them some room to grow.

I know I have way too many plants here for what my little garden will do but I'm still going on the premise that if out of this I'll have enough really strong ones when it is time to plant.  

More lettuce heads growing.  I think it is so cool that you can grow things from kitchen scraps!  I just may have to have heads of lettuce going inside the house all year round!

Green onions growing back quickly too! 

My cilantro continues to thrive. 

Look how big those 2 original heads of lettuce are! 

This is lettuce too (above).  I know I'll have to pluck a lot of these out soon but I did not want to do it too soon and kill the whole thing.  

The pots are moldy but the plants are doing well.  You just plant the entire pot so I'm not worried about it.  I've gone to just watering weekly now. 

I've got 2 more going by the heating vent (for warmth).  Basil since my original batch didn't make it.  Also more peppers as many of those had died.  I also got Shasta Daisies and Red Poppies so there are A LOT of those.  Some more of the climbing mix as well.  

This will be it in terms of seeds ... I am already pushing it with the amount & will have to give away / throw away.   I do wonder if I could create a kind of 'garden room' inside the house.  It could be the attic (obviously my office would have to move) or we have a bedroom that has windows all around that is super sunny.   Change out the regular light fixtures for sun lamps for more sun.  You'd just need to be careful of water / dirt messes.   Tile?  Or just plastic drop cloths over the wood?  Okay ... I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's make it through this summer before planning on year round!  

Here are some pics that show our 'mulch dog park' backyard - putting them here as 'before' pics! 

4/19/13 Update:

Will get some updated pictures this weekend but a quick update ... you may have read elsewhere on my blog how cute it was that my sweet pea liked snowpeas?

Well ... she actually has a taste for all kinds of vegetables ... specifically BABY GREEN VEGETABLES growing in my office!   The little sh*t is skinny enough she slipped past the storage shelf fence I'd put to keep them out and had a nice little salad for lunch with some dirt as desert!   I had been on a work call and didn't notice until it was too late.   Baby girl emerged with a dirty snout and muddy paws ... and my poor little plants ... many have not made it.   So I have my work cut out for me tomorrow as I clean up, salvage and break out the steam cleaner up there.

Damn dog.  But can you really get mad at your child for eating her veggies?  Even if it is a 4 legged child.   And really ... who could get mad at this face for long anyway?

PS - and that's the couch she's "not allowed" on too.

4/21/13:

Funnily enough I saw this on Facebook not long after I finished the above:

Turns out the sunflowers are what Abby finished off completely.  She messed up some of the others but the sunflowers are the ones that she literally ate ... and she ate EVERY SINGLE ONE!   Well, at least it looks like it was good for her!

I spent a good 2 hours cleaning up and rearranging things.  I sadly have about a month before I can get them in the ground because the landscaper is now saying he'll start the back yard mid May instead of "done by Mother's Day" as originally promised - typical.   So I knew I needed more pots because the one's I'd gotten were falling apart.  I also had some seeds that weren't in pots yet.   I trimmed out the ones that had several sprouts to just be one ... they look so tiny now!   I also moved the big potted Ivy away from the window to give the seedlings more sun.   Another thing I did that in hindsight I should have done from the beginning was put down a big plastic drop cloth.

Tomatoes - both regular & grape

Marigolds

Sweet peppers

Poppies

Cilantro

Shasta Daisies

Spinach & Lettuce

Cucumbers

Climbers creeping over the side ... 

Basil and I think Thyme ... I lost the original marker so it is a mystery plant right now.

With the Ivy moved there is a lot more light for the seeds. 

I'm still using the sun lamps though to give them some more.

NO WAY is my baby girl going to fit through the shelves  get to them NOW! 

Plastic drop cloth taped to wall / window trim. 

I did throw out quite a few ... I mean there is no way I'll need 20 tomato plants.  I'd started a ton because I figured being new I'd kill many of them.  I'm still going with that theory to a point but I'm down to:

40 Marigolds:  Will plant all around vegetable garden & in between rows.

8 Sweet Peppers:  I'll probably only keep 4

15 Poppies:  Will use outside fence in alley to fill up mud patch & also throw a few out front

6 Cilantro:  Will go in vegetable garden or in pots

6 Chives:  Will go in vegetable garden or in pots

6 Basil:  Will go in vegetable garden or in pots

6 ? - Thyme or Tarragon - I think they are thyme

21 Climbers - mix of Morning Glory, Nasturitum Scarlet Runner Bean & Thunderberger Black Eyed Susan:  Will plant outside back fence and train to grow up on the fence.

20 Shasta Daisy:  Will use in front garden to replace the daisies that died from last year & also wherever else I can fit in - pots, the mud patch outside the fence, etc.

5 Spinach:  Will go in vegetable garden

5 Lettuce:  Will go in vegetable garden

8 Cucumber:  Obviously I won't keep all - just will plant the strongest couple.

8 Tomato (regular and grape):  I'll probably keep 2 of each type.

I got seeds for more sunflowers and also some bush beans but haven't started them yet.  I've got a serious case of spring fever ... I want to get outside NOW!  I didn't feel good enough to get out in the front garden this weekend (still struggling with a nasty virus) but definitely will get out there as soon as I can.  I do think I need to let the seedlings get a little bigger / stronger before I put them outside.  The weather has just been so crazy here - it literally SNOWED this past week!  (Pure crap!)  The temps have been about 20 degrees cooler than normal but that can't last for long.  Today I was able to open the windows in the office as I cleaned it up - it felt so good!

5/12/13:

Well ... my babies are finally outside.  Unfortunately they won't be in the ground anytime soon.  I heard from the carpenter for our backyard project and the city has changed processes for the permits, which he clearly wasn't prepared for.  We are now THREE WEEKS OUT!  We were supposed to be finished this week.  Yes I have said some choice 4 letter words.  Nothing I can do though ... this shit happens.  Every project we've ever done has been delayed.  I hoped because I started with these guys literally last fall that we wouldn't have that happen but here we are.

I hope I can keep the seedlings going ... several have already died.  I went through today and cleaned them out and put them in some wooden raised beds I have.  They are still in pots but at least kind of protected from the wind and critters.

I still have 2 cucumbers but they are hurting... 

This is all that is left of all that cilantro!   Oh and I did figure out that mystery herb - it is Thyme.  I still have one left.  My chives are barely there but still holding on.  And one little tiny basil sprout.

Sad tomatoes but I still have some.

Poor little pepper.  I do still have four of them.

The only ones that are still thriving are the marigolds.  They are going strong!

These are the wooden planters I've got them in for now.  They are in pots / containers inside of the planter as eventually we'll move these into the back yard and they are WAY too heavy to do so full of soil / plants.  Plus this isn't where they are going to stay and I think transplanting them again may just hurt them more.   I'm also going to end up painting or staining them and better to do that before they have soil / dirt in them. 

I did get some more seeds today as well.  I've got sunflowers, lettuce and spinach starting - outside this time instead of in my attic.  I'm not going to do more until I know if what I've got is going to live.  Of course I could save them until next year and just give in and buy plants once my garden is finally ready in the backyard!   I'm sorely tempted!

5/20/13

I'm very sad to say that the backyard project is delayed.  We were supposed to be DONE by Mother's Day ... not still a month or more out.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Okay ... so what happened?  The carpenter that I'd found and really liked ended up bailing.  Long story short we've been planing this since last year.  I found the landscaper last summer and as we came up with the plan and needed a carpenter I found this guy in the fall.  First time I met with him I was literally baking holiday cookies ... with all that advanced notice to hear him say that he didn't expect the city to need certain information for the permits.  Um WHAT?!  Oh and now he has other projects that he has to finish before July 4th so no way can he have it done before Mother's Day ... not even by Father's Day.  Um YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!

So I met with the landscaper today and we are coming up with a plan that will get rid of the majority of the carpentry in the project.  However I've got to scramble to get the company that did our fence back out here - I've got a meeting with them Thursday morning.  I also have to find a concrete contractor as the carpenter was providing that and the landscaper can't do his stuff until that is done.  I did find a guy to do the stairs (wood) so good there.

One thing I am happy about is that the new plan may give me more space for veggies.  We are looking at up to five raised beds.   We aren't there yet.  Unfortunately in the meantime all my seeds are dead.  The weather changed from cold to HOT - literally 101 degrees and the poor things just couldn't manage.  Not sure if the ones that I planted will even grow.  I hate to say I'm giving up ... but I'm definitely thinking that this year is going to be buying plants instead of starting with seeds.  I'll try again next year ... especially because you can't really know what chemicals, etc. the plants have been exposed to before you buy them.   I'm new at this so I'm going to give myself a break there ... I'll never get to be an organic gardener if I can't garden period!

So for now my backyard remains ugly ugly ugly!

Of course the dogs still love it ...

6/8/13:

We finally have something going on in the backyard!  The stairs from the back door are being built this week.  Next week the concrete will go in and the week after that the landscaper.   The additional fencing will be last but that's okay.

So I should be able to get my plants in the ground before July 1st.  Poor things are still sitting in pots in the planters.  I hope they'll last!  If not I'll buy plants after the yard is done.   I'll have quite a bit of space.  There will be two large raised beds made of cinder blocks.  Then I'll have the two wooden planters to use too.  We are also looking at having a fruit cocktail tree in the yard too.  A mix of apples is what I'm thinking but they also come in citrus and stone fruit.

From 7/4/13 post:

I'm excited about the back yard.   Most of it is landscaping for aesthetic purposes - two areas for seating, a spot for the grill, some bushes & flowers, mulch & grass.  I'll have two raised beds for vegetables and then two wooden planters as well.  Later in the summer a fruit cocktail tree will go in that has several types of apple on it.  

DURING (porch ripped out & we'd already done the fence but as close to 'before' as I've got)

ALMOST DONE!

During

Rose bushes & planter that I'll use to plant herbs this weekend.   I've got one more of these against the garage.  Not sure what I'll put in it.  I may try a watermelon & kind of let it grow over the side?  Not sure yet. 

Before 

Now - raised bed (that's white primer - will paint over soon), arbor / fence blocks dogs from a little garden back there.  Sitting area & grill area.  

During

Now - little garden area back by garage.  The raised bed for veggies.  

Looks pathetic now - eh?  There are tomatoes, peppers & bush beans ... they are just tiny!

One of the few seedlings I'd started in my attic that actually survived.  Little guy has one tiny tomato starting. Will get cage for it this weekend.  The pot behind it I'm starting another one from seed.  Ran out of mulch but will fill in the rest this weekend. 

Another original seedling - this is a bell pepper.  I've got green, red, yellow & purple growing.

Bush bean

The second raised bed is back near the lilacs.  They are both made of just basic cinder blocks so we are painting them.) 

It has a bunch of sunflowers & then the cucumbers will grow up them. 

If you'll remember my little dog ate the original set of sunflower seedlings (stinker!) so this is the second set I'd started.  A mix between regular large yellow, some reddish ones and white.  Not sure which ones survived - most of them look about the same so could just be one variety.  Right now they are just about a foot tall. 

Only one of the original cucumbers survived.  I' have three different sizes - the original one, then three about this size and then two more that are much smaller that I'd started later.   I've got the cages around them now but I may move these to the other bed as they should later be able to grow up the sunflowers.  

My apple tree won't be plated until later b/c the landscape designer / owner of the company asked to keep it for a bit.  He hasn't been around them and wanted to baby it for a bit and learn about it before planting it.  One of Hubby's coworkers has one that is stone fruits.  I'd never heard of a fruit cocktail tree but the idea attracted me immediately.  There are four kinds - citrus, apple, pear and stone fruit.  I went with apple because we constantly are buying them and I thought it would make the most sense.  The citrus doesn't grow in zone 5 but If the apple does well I would definitely consider the stone fruit and the pear later!  I'm also curious about blueberry bushes but don't want to go too crazy too fast!  After all I've not even successfully grown my first tomato plant ... can't become an expert overnight no matter how much I want to!  

I can't have the dogs on the grass for 3 weeks so right now I've got them in the side yard.  Later there will be a shade garden over there but for right now it is just mulch so it works well.   

We put additional fence / gates inside the main fence on purpose.  It gives me some areas the dogs can't get to so I can plant whatever I want but more so this is an attempt to get reign in Oliver's barking.  

Believe it or not this sweet little face is one that of the yippiest dog on the face of the earth.  When we first moved in we decided on an aluminum fence because we wanted one that would keep the dogs in but not block out the neighbors.  Little did we realize we'd get a dog that would bark at a leaf across the street if he could see it.  When he sees people or dogs OH MY GOD he's the worst!  He runs from one side of the house to the other ... over and over and over barking.   He looks so happy doing it that it is somewhat endearing but it gets old fast.   Especially when it is 6AM and you can imagine your neighbors groaning as he wakes them up.   This little guy has my heart big time.  We got him from the local Jack Russell rescue.  Initially we were just going to be fostering him.  My new years resolution had been to do some type of volunteer work and with being a freak for dogs what better choice than to be a foster home.  Our two Jacks at the time had always gotten along with every other male dog (sweet pea has to be the head bitch in charge so no girls!) and at first everything went perfectly but sadly we found out he had heart worms.  Treatment for heart-worms on dogs is rough!  They have to have shots of basically a version of arsenic that kills the worms. Kind of like chemo it's the cure that makes you sicker before you get better.  

For the time he had the series of shots he had to have almost no activity- literally nothing but walking a few steps to go out.  No stairs, no jumping, no walks, no nothing else.  Since he's little and I just couldn't stick him in a crate all day I ended up carrying him around like he was a baby ... and we are talking about three months b/c he already had adult heart-worms & they'd started to go into his lungs too.  After 3 months of him completely dependent on me and unfortunately some pretty severe complications during the treatment (the pieces of the worm as they are dying break off and can block blood flow - in the lungs or the brain is the most dangerous as it is basically the same as a pulmonary or regular aneurysm). My best advice - GIVE YOUR DOG HEART-WORK PREVENTATIVE ALL YEAR LONG even if you live in a climate with a winter do not miss a dose.  It isn't worth it!  The rescue had been giving him preventative and even tested him when he came in but the tests came up false negative & the worms were too strong for the monthly pill / treat thingies to hurt them.  It just takes one.  

By the time treatment was over there was no way in hell that dog was ever leaving me.  He was too attached and I was whooped!   So we officially became a 'foster failure' and adopted him.  Once he finally was done and feeling better the 'perfect' dog showed his true colors.  (We'd been so amazed at how calm he was compared to other Jacks ... we should have known he was sick!)   That's when the barker emerged ... it was great to see him happy and running again but the 'oh shit' realization came quickly after.  We tried everything from the sensors that give a high pitched noise to even the bark collars but nothing worked.   He'd just grit his teeth and bark through the shock of the collar.  Yes I did test it on myself before ever putting it on him and it doesn't truly hurt - it's just irritating ... which would work for most dogs & then they'd never bark again but Olie is a terrier and terrier = STUBBORN and he wanted to bark ...  Anyway as we planned the back yard part of our goal was to limit his view at least to the front where there is more activity.   I'm thinking I'll grow vines up the fence / arbors to further block it off and just to be pretty.  Even if it doesn't stop the barking wonder it will be nice to have those little gardens where I can put more tender plants & not have to worry about them getting trampled or peed on! 

7/6/13 post:

Happiness is dirt under your fingernails!

Forth of July this year has meant a 5 day weekend for me.  I've spent a great deal of that time in the backyard and I'm loving it.  

And it looks like I'm not the only one.  The birds are everywhere!  It's like they've now decided the yard is their new social club.  I have to water down the sod twice a day and they come splash in any puddle and then grab worms from the soft ground.  Cracks me up.   I'll have to get them some feed & bird baths ... eventually.  I think Hubby will kill me if I spend any more money on the backyard soon!  I've made sure to use every single dollar of the planned budget we'd saved.  I still have an arbor coming that I'll put in the corner near the garage - here below where the garage and wall meet.   Then I've got some plants coming to fill in a bit more.   Some kiwi to climb up the arbors plus add some fruit!  I had no idea you could grow a type of kiwi here but you can!  I got mostly male plants as they have gorgeous pink on their leaves but I did get one female so that in one area I'll get fruit from them.  If it goes well I may add more females for more fruit next year.   They aren't the kiwi you get in the grocery so I don't want to dive in full hog. 

I also ran to the nursery and got some more herbs.  

The basil I already had as I'd started it from seed.  I've got a lot here because I use it all the time.  Plus you can always make pesto and freeze it for later!

I also got chives & rosemary. 

Parsley and some GORGEOUS sage.  It has the prettiest leaves - I actually got one more and put it in a pot in the yard just because it is so pretty.   Not to mention I love how it smells!

The sunflowers are clearly happy in their new home. 

They are growing fast!  

The cucumbers seem happy too but no noticeable growth just yet.  That's okay with me though because I want them to grow up the sunflowers so the flowers need a head start to be able to support them. 

My tiny grape tomatoes look comical with the big huge cage around them but the research I've done online says to put the cage up right away so that you aren't disturbing the roots of the plant as it grows.  

The tomatoes I started from seed are happy.  One even has a little tomato starting on it!  

I moved all the cages over to one bed.  If the cucumbers don't grow up the sunflowers as planned I may need to go grab a trellis of some sort for them.  

For the other wooden planter I got a cantaloupe.  It will spread pretty rapidly so I left it in the center of it and then put some marigolds up near the front edge. 

Hubby hates the "stupid rainbow things" but personally I like throwing bright colors here and there in a garden.  I also got a bunch of marigolds since supposedly they help pretty much every plant they are around ... I need all the help I can get!  

TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013

Day 3 No TV!

If you've checked out my pages you'll see I've got a new one - "Just an Hour July!".  My goal is to watch no more than an hour a day or a total of 7 hours of TV a week.  Today is day three and it is definitely an adjustment.  This is the first day that I'm not sure what I want to do with my time.  Sunday was super productive cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and the like.  I had plenty to do.  Yesterday was the same.  After work I spent some time in the yard and then did some sanding on our front deck ... until Hubby came home and wasn't too pleased that I'd taken on 'his' project.   Um - you mean the one you started 3 weeks ago and then haven't gotten to since?  ... No I didn't actually say that to him but I sure thought it!  Eh - if he wants it all to himself more power to him so I went inside and ended up cooking the rest of the night.  (Recipes & pics to come shortly!)

Today I'm not quite sure how I'm going to spend my evening.  It is humid & HOT outside to the point where doing anything out there would be awful.  Plus I don't have much to do right now.  It is all weeded and planted and mulched.  I did try a gardening tip that I found on-line ... I took all the food scraps from cooking yesterday - the veggies & fruits, not meat! - and boiled them in a pot of water and then saved the water ... refilled and boiled / simmered / soaked & saved again.  After it cooled off I used it to water my veggies - the site said that helps give the plants nutrients ... like an organic form of fertilizer.  I also sprinkled coffee grounds - they are supposed to help too.  I'm watering the back yard with the sprinkler now so it will help it soak in and spread out.  But basically all I have to do now is move the sprinkler now and again ... so not much more to do.  Curling up in our ice cold basement and watching TV sounds damn good right now.  I only watched 1/2 hour yesterday so I can indulge a little tonight but on day 3 I'm not going to do the whole "I'll watch tonight and then not watch later in the week" - that's a slippery slope I've fallen down with other things ... I'll have the pizza tonight and then eat really well the rest of the week.   Can't bullshit yourself!

My plants are doing pretty well.  I swear I can see my sunflowers growing daily!  It's like they've figured out that they have all that room and are catching up for lost time.  They are all at least twice as tall as when I planted them.

The cucumbers are growing too but not enough yet to need to grow up anything - which is good because the sunflowers are definitely not that tall or sturdy yet!  Not only do the sunflowers provide support but planting together supposedly creates sweeter cucumbers.  You can see the coffee grounds I sprinkled since I haven't gotten this area yet with the sprinkler.  Doing this is supposed to 'slow release' nitrogen for the plants.

The site said that you can do the vegetable scrap 'brew' with any plant based scraps that haven't been seasoned or salted and also with things like grass clippings, leaves, etc.  as long as they aren't treated with pesticides. 

I think that it will eventually provide a nice bit of privacy from the alley for when we are sitting under the gazebo.

I got a lavender plant the other day at Whole Foods and put it next to the sage.  Both smell SO good and I love the shades of green and purple.

Things are growing in the other garden too.  I pruned the tomatoes - another thing I found through research on-line.  You take the "suckers" off:

Photo Credit & Full Article: http://alternative-energy-gardning.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-prune-tomatoes.html

This is supposed to help the plant focus on producing the fruits, not on growing more leaves. That helps make the tomatoes more flavorful ... we'll see!  Honestly I'll just be happy that I keep them alive and they actually give me tomatoes!  (After my seedling fiasco I've been humbled & have set low expectations.)

PICS of my "brew" for the plants: 

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

Growing Fast!

Considering just a couple of weeks ago my sunflowers and cucumbers looked like this:

I am blown away that they now look like this: 

I even have my very first actual flower!  And you can see the cucumbers are doing what I'd hoped & growing up the sunflowers like a trellis ... in fact they may be growing faster than the sunflowers themselves. 

The smaller cucumbers on the other side are creeping up fast too but haven't quite started to climb yet. 

When you peek in between you can see the little flowers that will soon become cucumbers!

Almost all of the sunflowers have buds waiting to open. I'm so curious what the ones that have more purple stems will look like.  The seed mixture I started with had yellow, red & white varieties.  I think the majority that survived are just standard yellow but a few of them have these purple tinted stems & veins. 

My first little yellow one.  I wonder how big it will get.  I guess I thought the bud itself would start out bigger before it opened up but it looks like they start small and grow from there.  

The cucumber leaves are about the same size as the sunflower leaves but a different shape if you look closely. 

My melon plant is starting to grow and spread out looking to climb as well.  I hope my plan to have it trail down the sides of the planter works!

The tomato that was larger than the rest remains the head of the pack, finally reaching the top of the cage. 

The two little tomatoes are still brewing and more flowers on it tell me more will be coming!

My biggest pepper plant still is tiny compared to that tomato plant, coming in just above the lowest ring on the cage but growing fast.  

My bean bushes are smaller but also seem happy and continue to grow. 

Funny how when I started seeds the cilantro is what went best first and now are the slowest.  They are finally starting to peek up sporadically in the area I used to sow more seeds.  

My basil is slowly coming along but all still small.  

Of course those that I bought as plants versus starting from seeds look much better.

The tomato, pepper & bean bed still looks sparse when viewed from a distance.

The sunflower & cucumber bed on the other hand is starting to give some privacy for us from the alley and you can barely see the ugly garbage cans!  

Of course my neighbors are already able to harvest from their plants since they got started right away but if things keep going this way I think I'll have some success!  And then as fall approaches I can do some lettuce and kale as well.   Sounds weird to be thinking that way but summer is more than 1/2 over already!