soaphouse's Blog

An aggressive weekend in the garden...
Aug 4, 2008 | 3:25 PM PST
Tags: veggies , corn , companion planting , flower seeds

Well, most of our summer trips and parties have past and I was able to spend some much overdue time in the garden this weekend! I so enjoyed it, despite the heat. Because of the lack of recent attention, some extreme measures needed to be taken, so I spent most of my time using loud and aggressive power tools.

I first started out to mow the back by the veggies, but it was so long that the mower just wasn't holding up its end of the bargain...so after a few adjustment by my helpful hubby, I got to mowing...just in time to be chased indoors by a ginormous thunder storm. So, the next day it was back to it and i got most of the back yard done when the mower quit again, so I opted to do some weedeating. After 3 tanks of gas, I had done the entire creek area, around all the veggie beds, edged the lawn and cut the front yard using the weedeater (since I still couldn't get the mower started.) Somehow EVERYTHING gets harder when you go from one child to two HAH!

While I was back by the creek I did some more investigating as to why there is still no growth from the great gunnera....the bulb was as mushy as can be, so I called the company and they issued me a credit. so, i just have to decide if i am going to try another gunnera or something else...

Then, hubby came home, got the lawnmower fixed, and finished up the back yard for me :)

The other thing i worked on this weekend was some veggie bed clean up. We harvested some corn and had some for dinner, but it was not the least bit tasty....I don't know if maybe I left it on the stalk to long, and what was left was so buggy, so I just pulled the remainder of it out and took it to the curb for yard pickup. I don't think i will do corn again...

I also pulled out the spent bush bean plants and okra. This left a lot of room to add more compost and get ready for fall plantings...HOORAY!
The veggie garden has taught me quite a bit this year. I tried my hand at companion planting this season and have been very pleased for the most part. i do think that next year i will plant a smaller variety of things, but more of each thing that i plant.
I have also learned what i don't want to grow again:
corn-takes too much space and is a bit messy and buggy, plus i can buy it pretty cheap at the store
carrots-hubby doesn't like them and i never seem to get them thinned out quite right
okra- i have trouble picking them before they get tough
broccoli-i just never have luck with this :(
Here is what i am for sure going to grow lots of:
Cherry tomatoes
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Asian eggplants
Beans
Zuchinni
Squash
And, here is what i want to try that i didn't this year:
garlic, onions and artichokes

I will continue with the companion planting focusing on the use of marigolds, sunflowers, and nastursuims. these are what seemed to germinate and perform the best. I really had trouble getting a lot of my flower seeds to germinate this year. it is so hard to keep them evenly moist when you have watering restrictions. The whole bed I had planned around the back porch was a total flop. nothing germinated :(. I was going to have 3 kinds of sunflowers, bells of ireland, sweet pea vines and sweet alyssum. But, nothing....oh well, thats the best way to learn as a gardener :) Trial and error...sometimes LOTS of error LOL!

Construction Complete!
Feb 16, 2008 | 1:45 PM PST
Tags: companion planting , veggie , raised bed , flower seeds , compost , curb appeal , front walk , paint finish , faux

My hubby worked so hard for me this weekend and construction of my veggie beds is complete! Hooray! We went from 2 to 5 total. Next year we will add 3 more for a grand total of 8 :)

As you can see: He had a little help too:

Milo approves:

Now, we just have to fill them all with compost and then hubby will build the wire fence panels to keep out the wildlife. I am super excited to implement my companion garden plan that I worked up:

While he was busy working away for me...I tackled a couple of projects of my own.

First, I bermed up some compost around the porch where I plan to sew flower seeds this season. I can't put anything permanent there....b/c we hope to rebuild the deck in the near future. So, I purchased Sweet Pea Flower Seeds, Moon Flower Seeds, Sunflowers, Bells of Ireland and Sweet Alyssum. I got the compost nice and spread and then put up a temporary fence so the seeds can germinate in peace and free of doggie paws. Once they get growing well, I will take up the fence.

Then, I saw an episode of curb appeal that inspired me to try a paint technique on my front walk. I was going to extend this even onto the driveway...but our driveway is REALLY beat up and I think it might have accentuated the flaws instead of hiding them. So, for now...the walkway only got the special treatment.

BEFORE:

And After:

I just got a gallon of porch paint and applied it with a wet sponge. Its subtle, but that was the idea. It just gives it a little somethin'. The biggest difference is the bottom step going up to the door. It had been added by a previous owner and the brick did not match the house, so I did some sponging on it to make it blend better.

I have pretty much gotten all of my to do list done and now it is a matter of waiting for spring to sew seeds and plant plants. Once the weather is forcasted into the 70's for a couple of days...I will spray some weedy spots too.