butterflybush's Blog
butterflybush's Blog
Last Post 106 days, 13 hours Ago
Aug 20, 2008 | 8:55 PM PST
Wow, its been a while since I've written in my blog here, but there hasn't been much happening till now. Its been a very cold and wet summer. We weren't able to till the garden till Memorial Day weekend!! WOW! Most of my plants I started in April, had died cause I couldn't get them outside, and there was so little sun. Finally July and August have been much better! The garden is really starting to look good. I've been working hard this year to go out every night after I get home from work. I remember the first year I gardened, I went one whole week before I remembered to go outside and look at the garden after work! I'm not sure what I was thinking! A garden(specially in the growing season) needs tending on a daily basis. Watering, fertilizing, and weeding. And then the picking!!! Oh, I am glad that the tomato's are doing so well!! I put them behind the garage, and cover them each night with remay(not sure how to spell that) when the fog comes in, and it really seems to be helping!!! I have a ton of tomatoes that are about to turn. We've had several days of rain, but this weekend is supposed to be sunny so that should really put the tomato's in overdrive! Gardening is so magical. To be outside with fresh air in your lungs, your hands in the soil, and tenderly watching plants grow seems like it should be a basic part of living, but so many people have never even planted something!! I couldn't imagine. Some of my most wonderful and earliest memories are helping my mom plant the garden. I so loved planing the peas and beans cause there were easy to see when you put them in the ground! I think maybe my love come from bring raised in the country and having farmers all around me till I turned 15. Anyway, I will try to grab some more of my ramblings in the near future and put them down.
Sep 1, 2007 | 9:35 PM PST
Hi Everyone!
Its been a busy summer! Fall is almost here though! The garden is still producing lettuce, radishes,and some small cherry tomato's. Its been a good year for lettuce, but that might always be the case here on the coast. I am sad to see summer starting to leave, but fall is always such a wonderful time of the year I can't be to unhappy.
:D
Jul 13, 2007 | 8:13 PM PST
Well it is mid July and by now most of the gardens on the coast start producing veggies. My one batch of red leaf lettuce has already bolted. I've got radishes popping out of the ground, but thats about it. The musclun blend is stating to take off. I lost about half of my tomato starts to a hot day locked up in the greenhouse. I bought two cherry tomato's and a heirloom. We will see how they do. I put one in the garden(not usually very produce here on the coast), and two in the greenhouse to see how they do. This is my first year in our new house. Our old place was more in land and it got hotter there so it will be interesting to see how hot it gets here. I bought a cucumber plant that has little cucumbers on it. The ones I started from seed are just not growing fast. I have been fertilizing with fish fertilizer, but not sure how much its helping. Miracle Grow did much better on my past gardens, but I wanted to stay organic this year with the veg garden.
I also bought a bell pepper plant. I left it in the greenhouse knowing it would never make it outside.
The strawberries have grown nice and strong,but my dog(who I used to feed the tops of strawberries to ;D ) is eating them right off the plants!!
The blueberries are doing nicely. I need to put the netting over them so the birds don't eat the berries. I still have to plant the raspberries, and the cranberry plant has put on 7 berries!!!
Its been a learning year so far. :D
:D
Apr 25, 2007 | 10:24 PM PST
Tag: Have a great week!
Well it was sunny today which was a wonderful treat. I love rain, but its about this time of year I get so anxious for the sun to come out for a couple of weeks and dry everything out.
We haven't been able to start my garden since its been so wet, so I might have a late garden this first year here at our new home. Its wonderful to think that for the first time in my life I will plant a garden that is mine! I can plant herbs that I don't have to leave behind, and look forward to the same patch of ground for my garden each year.
The greenhouse is doing wonderful! I have started my herbs, which is late, but thats ok. This week I will get out and start the rest of the veg I can start in the greenhouse.
On a sad note, a beautiful rate Lincoln Hygrengia that my husband bought for me to the tune of $25 has died. I left it in the house to long after buying it. I was worried the frost would get it, but I tried out in the house and was dying before I knew it. Sigh, I guess you sometimes have to learn the hard way.
Apr 10, 2007 | 9:03 PM PST
Well, I have started on the adventure of trying to grown seeds to
sell as seedlings. My husband gave me the idea that he saw in a
magazine, and thought it would be a good home business.
I can't compete with all the stores and nurseries around here, but I
did find one thing you can't buy around here. Organic seedlings. So I
am going to give it a try, and see how it works.
I've started tomato's and lettuce. The tomato's are doing great, but he lettuce only have of it germinated, and the ones that haven't are getting moldy. I did buy a shelf to put all the starts on, but I don't have good window to put them by, so I hope they are getting enough sun.
We shall see..... :D