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As always, I reviewed my previous years Installations (2008, 2009, 2010) and successes and failures (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010). Last year’s garden was a huge failure, so I am hoping for a better season this go around. So helpful to have these records!
Hubby was a big help as my pregger self tires out a bit more quickly.
Before we headed out to the nursery, I sketched out this little plan and list:
I kept things pretty simple this go around and the things I learned the most from last year was don’t plant too many varieties of things, because there won’t be a successful yield from one single thing. So, instead of doing all heirloom tomatoes, and having to wait until November for a tomato, I opted for 2 varieties of heirlooms and 2 varieties of hybrids.
Here is the layout, with Bed #1 being the top left:
#1
3 Ichiban Eggplants
1 Jalapeno
1 German Queen Heirloom Tom
2 Zucchinni Plants
Zinnias from Seeds
#2
1 Better Boy Tom
1 Cherry Tom
1 Summer Squach
Bush Beans from seed
#3
My perennial bed with strawberries, bee balm and purple asparagus
#4
1 Fairytale striped Ichiban Eggplant
Lemon Cucumber from Seeds
Burpless Cucumber from Seeds
1 Early Girl Tom
1 Sweet Basil
1 mammoth Basil
Marigolds from seeds
Zinnias from seeds
#5
White Patty Pan Squash from Seeds
1 Black Beauty Heirloom Tom
Marigolds from Seeds
We also planted Big mammoth sunflower seeds in pots around the beds for the kiddos. I could not find any nastursum seeds in the color that I wanted, so I substituted zinnias. Also, there were no Edamame seeds, so that bed got extra squash.
The girls had such a good time helping and my oldest daughter made her own little garden complete with stick surrounds:
Here is the veggie plot all ready for the season:
And, of course I couldn’t just buy veggies!
I also came home with this Rocket Ligularia and well as 3 caladiums for the hydrangea bed.
Happy Gardening!
-soapHOUSE
My wonderful parents took our kids for an overnight yesterday and I took the opportunity to go shopping for veggies and work in the garden! I haven't been able to spend such a concentrated amount of time in the garden for a long time - it was glorious! I started my adventure by hitting several local nurseries and big box stores to find my desired assortment of veggies. It was especially nice to have a record of last year's plantings as well as the successes and failures - all things I had written about in previous posts. So, I pulled up the old entries, printed them off for reference and took them with me to the nurseries. Here is a picture of the beds all planted up: (Doesn't look like much yet - but it will soon!)
From back to front, left to right here is what I planted:
BED 1
Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato
Principle Borghese Heirloom Tomato
Brandywine Heirloom Tomato
Ichiban Egglplant
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
Nasturtium "Fordhook Favorites Mix" (seed)
Marigold "Crackerjack Mix" (seed)
Italian Choice Basil (seed)
Red Burgundy Onion (Seed)
BED 2 (this is the bed that I had put artichokes in and they appeared to be coming back, but seem dead now :( )
BED 3 (this bed stays the same as it contains the bee balm, purple asparagus and strawberries, I did top dress it with a mixture of moonure and topsoil)
BED 4 (also still has some brussel sprout plants from winter)
Black Prince Heirloom Tomato
Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato - 2 plants
German Queen Heirloom Tomato
Purple Basil
Jalapeno
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
Nasturtium "Fordhook Favorites Mix" (seed)
Marigold "Crackerjack Mix" (seed)
Italian Choice Basil (seed)
Red Burgundy Onion (Seed)
BED 5 (still has parsley, spinach and swiss chard from winter)
Crookneck Squash
White Eggplant
Ichiban Eggplant
Cucumber "burpless bush"
Carrots (seeds)
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
I also bought some fennel seed but can't figure out where to put it. I think I will let everything germinate and then see where I have room for it. According to last year's notes, I wanted to grow cucumber and carrots this year for the kids and crookneck squash to make casseroles with. I also noted that we only enjoyed the asian eggplants and only wanted to grow heriloom tomatoes this year. And, finally that I wanted an entire bed devoted to sunflowers so that i have some for cutting. So, there we are and here we grow :)
I was so excited too to find a purple datura plant at the local nursery!
We had one of these a couple of years ago, but it never re-seeded itself like my white one do - so I am excited to try it again!
And, I picked up several things to fill our container by the front steps:
I found that gorgeous Heuchera, "Tiramisu," then added a purple fountain grass in the back and put a purple wave petunia and hot pink petunia in the front. I am excited to see how this mix does through the season. This is a weird spot as it is under the eave of the porch and get either Full Sun or Full Shade, depending on the time of day. I may leave the heuchera in the pot to come back, or a may transplant it into the azalea shade bed at the end of the season - I am not sure yet.
Speaking of the azalea shade bed - it is only the 3rd season in 7 years that we have lived here that we have gotten to enjoy the azaleas in all their glory. They usually get zapped by a late season frost:
I picked up some white caldium bulbs to put in the other shade bed to the left of this one. I have never grown caladiums from bulbs before, but they were on sale, 3 for $1. I got 6 - I figure even if they don't make it, I will only be out $2. Here is a shot of the bed where I put them:
The hydrangeas in this bed are looking great - as well as the hellebore seedlings that a neighbor gave me season.
My dear sweet hubby trampled my hostas in the front yard the other day during a play time with the kids:
He felt so bad that he went and bought be some new ones after work yesterday!
S
o sweet of him! I will wait for all my hostas to fully come up and then I will asses where to add these in.
I am so super excited that my "globe master" alliums may actually look like something this year! I got these on sale through the mail a couple of seasons ago and they are finally starting to look promising:
M
y mail-order tree peonie that was planted from bare-root and said to be purple, looks like it is going to pop soon - in pink! I know it will still be pretty :0
The madame alfred cartierre roses on the arbor in the back are starting to bud out and they are just the pretties blush rose color - even though they were sold as being white! I still love them!
Here is a nice shot of the arbor and the bed to the right of it that has all of the peonies and alliums in it:
I am loving the virburnum in that bed as well, so pretty this time of year!
The coral bark maple really leafed out nicely and looks pretty with the blue grass under it:
I plan on that grass filling the majority of the bed and acting as a nice mulch/ground cover for the maple.
Here is a wider view of the back yard:
Here is a shot of the front of the house as you are coming around from the back:
I just love the way the japanese maple is looking! We call her "Jane." My husband used to work for a "white-glove" moving service in Atlanta and they moved Jane Fonda at one point. Her designer had purchased this tree and had it potted for Jane's new place, but apparantly, Jane did not approve, so she gave it to my husband! WOO HOOO! We kept it in the pot until we bought this house 7 years ago - it was one of the first things we put in the ground:)
And finally, here is a nice shot of the front porch bed:
Hope you are all having a great weekend in the garden!
This past Sunday I planted up all the veggie beds! I learned a lot from last year's garden. The main thing I learned was that we could not get enough of certain crops. So, instead of planting a lot of different things, we decided to plant more of our favorites. Also, I am still using the companion planting system - primarily with marigolds, onions and nastursiums. I had to go to 4 different stores to find all the varieties. While at Lowe's, I found a Fireworks Clematis (Clematis Fuegos Artficiales) for $5 that I could not pass up, it looks to be purple and red striped and I planted it by some knockouts in the front window seat bed. I also picked up 2 annual potato vines. One went in the back sun bed in progress to act as a ground cover and the other one went in a container by the front steps.
So, I planted 10 tomatoes:
5 Eggplants:
Various Basils:
And, one token Mammoth Giant Jalepeno ( I love to make stuffed jalepenos)
I spread this all out between 3 beds and in the center of each bed I planted Mammoth Sunflowers and then planted a variety of items to grow up the sun flowers: sugar snap peas, Yard Long Asparagus Beans, Burpee's Tenderpod Garden Bean, Peas, Sequoia Purple Bean and Golden Wax Bean. I also sprinkled around marigold (crackerjack) and nastursium seeds (alaska mix).
In one bed I also started Emerald Green Artichokes. I interplanted them with Oriental Poppies and Lady Bird Poppies. Since these are perennial/self seeding items, this bed will be a permanent planting.
In my asparagus and strawberry bed, I stuck in someStuttgarter Onion Bulbs.
One of the three beds that got the tomatoes still have kale, lettuce and parsley that we have been enjoying since spring. I think they will die back as the tomatoes are ready to take over.
It was a fun day in the garden for all the ladies!
We are excited for our veggies!
I suppose the best part of winter gardening is getting all those catolog orders in the mail! I thought my new arbor was going to be awaiting me when I got home from work today...it was not. :( But, I was greeted by my Burpee seed order! YEAH! Most of these seeds will be used in my new sunny bed by the back porch. Here is a break down of my goodies:
Sunflower: Honeybear (gets 5-6 feet tall)
Sunflower: Sun 'n Sun Hybrid Mix (includes 10 different varieties of colors and sizes reaching heights of 4-6 feet.
Nasturtium: Alaska mix (contains a mix of gold, red and yellow all with variegated foliage)
Bells of Ireland
Moonflower Vine
Sweet Pea: Sweet Dreams Mix
Gourd: Small Fancy, Mixed Varieties (I will grow these on the new arbor that I am awaiting in the mail)
Nemophila: Baby Blue Eyes (aka california blue bells) will use this as an annual ground cover in my shady bed
Alyssum: Royal Carpet (packet contains 1000 seeds, so I may be able to use this in several spots)
...and the freebie pack of seeds is a Sunflower: Burpee's Summer Cutting Mix :)
Also, the yard trash pick up came, so after work tomorrow I can spend more time dragging creek brush to the curb. My hubby said he will get back there with his new chain saw this weekend and help really clean out some of the remaining big stuff! YEAH!
We had a busy weekend here at soapHOUSE! And, I spent a majority of it in the garden...as usual :) Pretty much worked on my usual chores: creek cleanout, weeding, deadheading, etc. I finally decided to give up on my zukes that the squash borers got to. So, I pulled them out and put in carrot seeds in their place. Hopefully they will do something! I also got a good shot of the first white eggplant to show:
I am so excited and hope he makes it to maturity! I also got a shot of a fully ripe tomatillo right before I picked him and ate em!
I also got the new berm ready for pinestraw. Once I get that...I will plant the little maple. Can't wait!
Here are some more moments captured along the way:
My new pink coreopsis:
Found this guy on a pepper leaf...i have no idea what he is and I am hoping he is a beneficial:
Fading Sunflower:
New Sunflower:
Off to the garden now...
I had a fairly productive weekend in the garden. Got more work done on my many ongoing projects. My hubby went to get me more compost for the new bed:
As you can see, Milo likes it :)
Just one more truckload and this bed will be ready to plant! I have a small red maple that will be the center. A pass along from my inlaws...
We also got some more work done on the creek clean out project. My husband cut down some of the BIG branches and trees. But, we had to stop when his saws all blade broke. But, it gave me plenty of stuff to work on getting to the curb for pickup!
Its amazing what we are uncovering back there...it makes all the work fun!
I really spent most of the weekend in the backyard and mostly did routine work in the front. I finally got around to weedeating with my new blade attachment and it is the best thing since sliced bread! no more string nonsense! Here are some picts I took along the way of the backyard and its progress:
Sunflowers
blooming among the veggies:
Inside the world of a tomatillo husk:
The first signs of a ripening tomato:
Baby eggplant! YEAH!!!
Kale seedlings coming up:
My attempt at a squash vine borer remedy... I slit the vine and covered the wound with compost...I do not have high hopes for this:
The veggie beds as of today:
The backyard as of today:
Hope you all had a great gardening weekend!
Here is a full view of the sunflowers. They are in the middle of one of my veggie beds. I know its hard to get an idea of scale, but I am 5'7" and they are taller than me and the arbor in the background is over 7' tall.
Here are a few more snapshots that I just took:
Well, I am super happy to say that my sunflowers are blooming! This is the first year that I have put forth any real attempt at growing them and it worked :) They are bringing such happiness to my yard now! I planted the king kong variety that can get to 12' tall. These are about 6 feet with a bloom diameter of about 6-8 inches. They provide a great shot of color when looking out my kitchen window while doing dishes.
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