Summertime,,,what we dreamed about in January... just for a moment, remember January? In Indiana, that last two winters have been brutal.. record low temps, piles of snow..I'll stop now..
It's time for a midsummer garden tour at Dianne's place... I'm thinking about calling it "Wild Edge Gardens," because, well, it just came to me as I wandered around the back yard. I've been trying to raise more bee-friendly native plants, and to leave some to just grow to the sky. When that happens, the edges of the yard get a little more grown than usual, but, really, does EVERYTHING have to be neat and tidy in a gardener's world? I love the textures and blooms of just about every garden plant and those that have escaped from the wood's edge. Let's tour the garden and see what's UP!
Wait a minute,,,,I have a big juicy tomato on my plate, ,um, so good... sunshine on a fork..munch, munch,, dribble down my chin,,, okay, back to business.
Speaking of garden veg,, did someone say green beans?
I usually grow way more than I want, so this is about 5 foot of fence, with some Kentucky pole beans growing up it. I'm surprised it hasn't fallen over, it's so full!
One of my favorite (I use that word a lot when talking about my garden) late summer bloomers is ironweed. I'm sure that now you've seen my picture, you will find it everywhere alongside any road you're on at the moment. Ironweed feeds insects, bees, and probably others when the seeds fall. The purple of ironweed blooms is so intense!
This next one is probably a perennial sunflower, I just haven't found a name for it. I have let it grow up in all sorts of places in the garden and yard. Just when you think the flowers are kaput, this puppy raises its proud head as if to say, "Shine on, my lovely sun, we're not done with you yet!"
That pile of sand right behind this? THE NEW GREENHOUSE will go right there. Can you tell I'm excited?!? We went out this morning and started digging post holes for the corners. This plant will grow up right beside it, and I probably won't move it. It waits to bloom late in summer, when I won't be using the greenhouse, and the bees will need it.
I forgot the elephant in the room,,, here's the new garage/workshop from the west, complete with our eco water barrel, not hooked up to new downspout yet.
Can you see the small garden along the edge there? I started it last week... I pulled weeds, added some clay soil conditioner, garden soil, worm castings, and plant food. I then planted buckwheat. It took three days for it to come up.
And now, here it is at 6 days.
It will grow about 3 1/2 ft. tall, with white flowers. It makes a very wonderful honey, I've been told. It will be tall in about 30 days, I'll let you know. It is considered a green manure, so when I'm done with it, I'll cut it, and mulch into the garden to enrich my soil.
Here's my new potting bench, inside the garage. I'm such a shopper, wait until you hear about this...We went to Habitat Restore in Lafayette, and found the countertop, marked $19. When we checked out, we were told, "Oh, yellow tag, 75% off! That'll be $4.75!" The sink I already had, $25, and some lumber, so this whole thing, about 8 ft. long, cost under $50. and I've already started decorating my little corner of the garage! Look at that great stool, found it up in the attic of the barn, so it was free! I was going to paint it, but the patina is too great to sand off.
Walking around to the side of the house, I have a "holding garden" next to the back deck on the east side of the house... I use it for nurturing all those scraggly $1-$5 plants I find in various places. I recently bought a $20 Lenten Rose for $5! I also just acquired some lavender, $1/ea, and salvia $1/ea... I bring them home, trim down, feed and water them, then water daily. I also have new shrubs that will be planted out in the fall. They will get a great start right here, and then be ready to deep root when placed out in the cooler weather. If planted in the heat now, they may or may not make it. Plus, they are there to great me as I go in and out of the back door.
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I see a fothergilla, a native, lower right, that will be covered with bottle brush flowers in the spring, once it gets going... Several thyme plants, some dill, the tall thing upper left is buttonbush, another native plant that is a great replacement for overused landscape plants like,,, eww,,, burning bush. I also have overflowing pots of oregano that I started from seed earlier. They will be put out in the fall, also. The tiny leaved plant is thyme, which I also just got starts of... I've made it a habit to come out here and gather a handful of herbs-basil, sage, dill, oregano, thyme- and plop them into my salad, on my chicken, on a tomato, whatever. Herbs are easy to grow. Try it next year.
I'm a big fan of trying to get something to grow, even though it looks like a lawnmower and a drought have already hit them... This little "Kentucky Colonel" mint was a brown stick two days before this picture was taken. I cut off most of the dead foliage, fed and watered, and look at it now! Two new leafy starts, raring to go!
If you ever want to have a plant that gives you almost more joy than a chocolate cookie with ice cream,,, plant phlox. As a matter of fact, if you haven't, do it! I have two colors of pink, and they are glorious! I have used them in arrangements for church and the scent is intoxicating! This hot pink one is "Nicky."
This next one is an ordinary pink garden phlox. It has grown next to the house since we moved here. I love watching it come up bigger and bigger every year!
One last hydrangea, in case you didn't get enough already in my last post!
I hope everyone is enjoying the bounty of their own gardens, and if you can, share it with others!
Next post will be about building the greenhouse! We spent time digging post holes this morning, so we're on our way!
Dirt up!!!
Dianne
Through the fence, I'm showing you the two boxes Bill and I built from old 2x4's from the garage tear-down. I lined the bottom with cardboard that I scrounged. Since it would take several bags of soil and amendments to get these puppies filled, I'm doing it gradually this summer as I find bags of garden soil, manure, and compost. I bought a chipper/shredder at a garage sale a few summers ago, so I'm gathering dried asparagus stems, small sticks, and other 1 1/2" or less stuff that I can grind up to add to my boxes. Notice that I'm also covering my walkway with old bags, and cardboard so I don't have to weed it.
Here are my Pretty Little Maids all in a row, peas transplanted from pots. I have been starting peas in all kinds of containers, leftover egg cartons, plastic vegetable boxes, whatever.
Here are onions and some spinach that also started in the GH. This end of the box has about 4 bags of soil.
Here are 50 Surecrop strawberry plants newly plopped. Mostly mulched, but boy, was I butt sore by the time I got this done. I used newspaper with winter-old straw from a bale that sat outside for months, I hope less seeds from that.
On either side of the black tarp (from builder last summer) are
strawberries I planted last year. There is a severe infestation of crabgrass under the tarp. It will die, burnt to a crisp by sun and heat. Then I will probably put a box or two there, to keep the strawberries separated.
Here is my favorite new addition to my gardening world. I have not used my hose more than once this year so far, that was before we had the diverter attached to the barrel. I also have one on the opposite side of the garage to use in the flower beds in front. No chlorinated water, no addition to the water bill. I can even fill two milk jugs at ONE TIME, folks. I'm very talented. The garden alongside was plotted late last summer, after that garage was built. I added several bags of garden soil, compost, and planted buckwheat there. What you see growing is oregano, that should flower beautifully and attract pollinators. I may put some hollyhocks in here... "Watch this space!"
Now for an update for what's going on in the GH. I've really enjoyed playing in the dirt, and watching all my babies come to life and lift their little green heads to the sky.
L to R.. Wildflower mix, hollyhocks, marigolds, zinnias
Vining squash, cukes, hollyhocks, broccoli
It's nuts how many wildflowers I got to grow from a couple packets I planted in milk jugs, I'm still transplanting them. Our bees better get really busy on these or else!
Flower, and more flowers
Flowers, dill, red zinnias
Put outside for some sunshine, and air. Borage and something else. I also have basil, sage, dill, one more something else herby.
Spinach! Did I mention I really like spinach? I had these started in small containers and so I was able to spread them out in these two Large containers. The one on the right is about 18" across. They'll perk up after a few days. These will stay by the back porch so I can just walk out and snip some off for lunch, and not have to weed so much.
