blueyedkitty04's Blog

New Summmer Garden Pictures Uploaded....
Oct 4, 2008 | 5:41 PM PST
Tags: garden photos , garden pictures , flowers , Sweet Peas , nasturtiums , nasturtium , Sunflowers

~October 4th, 2008~

I have uploaded new summer garden pictures.   They are in the Summer Garden Pictures 2008 photo album.  As shown, I had some success with certain seeds and will definitely use them next year.  My next post will be a list of successful seeds I used (once I have the chance to get my seed packets out).  Having a 22 month old on the verge of turning two has been quite the challenge for keeping up with stuff other than necessities.  I will try to keep updating somewhat regularly.  Well, I hope at least regularly.  So, check out my new photo album!! Enjoy!

 

~M~

Straberry Blunders.....
Oct 4, 2008 | 4:44 PM PST
Tags: everbearing strawberries , garden strawberries , Strawberries , junebearing strawberries , fertilizing

~October 4th, 2008~

 I had a few questions regarding strawberries. My Mother-In-Law and I planted some strawberries 2 years ago (both ever-bearing as well as June-bearing types) and they have now flourished into a 7'X7' patch. The problem we have is that it is so thick we can't get into the middle to pick the strawberries. Also the plants seem to be so thick and bushy that the small and not ripe berries never get the chance to ripen in the sun. The berries seem to be pretty small as well.  I transplanted some "runners" into my garden last spring ('07) and the plants haven't produced much and when they did, they were small too.   So, knowing my situation, my questions are:

 1.) Do strawberries need sun to ripen?

1a.) If so, how do you get the sun to the strawberries under the big bushy leaves?

2.) What methods would you use to "thin" or make it possible to get to the middle of the 7'X7' block?

3.) Do "runners" produce the same amount/quality of fruit as the original/mother plants?

4.) What kind of fertilization methods do you recommend/use to help the plants produce larger berries?

I look forward to your answers! Thank you for your help.

 

~M~

Not-So-Good Garden.....
Oct 3, 2008 | 5:52 PM PST
Tags: Growing Tomatoes , tomatoes

~October 3rd, 2008~

Below is part of an email I sent a friend.  It's an update on how my summer went.  I don't have time to re-write it because my daughter is keeping me super super busy!  She's now 22 months old and is hitting the "terrible-twos".  "Fun, Fun, Fun".

GARDEN UPDATE:

  My garden was nearly a failure this year. The weather was so strange, my soil must not have been decent enough to grow seeds well, and overall it just didn't seem to work. I was really frustrated with it. The only thing that I feel positive about is the fact that I learned a lot this season. I learned tons about starting seeds indoors as well as how I would like to plant my garden next year. I realized that the recommended spacing on the back of seed packets is sometimes too far apart to make a nice looking/layered/full flowers. Also that tomatoes need TONS of water (read a GREAT article in Mother Earth News Magazine regrading growing tomatoes). I bought lots of perenials so we will see how they do over the winter. I hope they come back next year because if they do, I will have a nice looking garden (getting more full as the years go buy) "The Beasts" that got my garden last year didn't return until late in the season (August). By the time they actually started attacking the flowers, it was too cold and my flower began dying off (super early, August here is normally a really nice warm month)