3,2,1...... GARDEN!!!!!!

Well, the greenhouse is up and going, so it's time to get stuff out in the warmed-up soil and into my barren garden!

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. 

I have 4 yellow fall Anne raspberry bushes greening up.. can't decide where to put them.   

I have many broccoli, so if you wander past my house,,,,come in and see what I might share.   Also cukes, and zukes.  Really, no one needs 20 of either of these!  I think some are bush type, which take less space.  I may be throwing these at my neighbors by the end of July.  

Just stopped to get bell pepper, parsnip, etc. seeds that I didn't have yet.

Tomatoes I have started are SubArctic,  short growing time, we'll see.   Only 2 leaves so far, not ready to transplant.  Also Black Krim, planted today.  

Are you exhausted yet?   We still have fence to move to enclose apple trees to keep deer away.  I have already started to cardboard-kill  grass between two trees so I can plant lots of those wildflowers.  If you grow natives, make sure you give them lots of room, they love to clump and then start eating up the garden around them.  Coneflower,  milkweed, lots of others,  stupid me lost the packet list.  I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever grows.   

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.  

I've been working every few days in the GH, and two days in the garden.. I 'm sore, I'm tired, but feeling great after digging around in the dirt.  Still not warm enough for starting worm boxes yet, but still considering it.  

Dirt Up and pass the Tylenol!

Dianne

Come on, People, We're Burning Daylight!

It's time,  yes, it's time---for what?   LET'S GET DIRTY!!!! I swear my blood pressure crashed 20 points while I was outside mucking around in the dirt (soil) today...  "but, Dianne,"  I can hear you thinking,,,"it's only February 1,, what on God's blessed Earth are you doing?"

"I'm gardening!  I'm outside. I'm breathing fresh air.  I'm digging in soil.   I'm planting seeds.   I'm getting the whole growing season started!"

How? It's called winter sowing.. I started by saving or buying or bugging Brad Thada for seeds of native plants and vegetable seeds. Brad Thada is a young man who works for Cardno, an environmental company that gave away native flower seeds at our state meeting of the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society.  I also knew him as a little boy at Pleasant Hill School, so I hit him up for more packets.  They are planted and ready to grow. 


Watch what I did... not terrible difficult, but does involve using  a sharp knife, so I had to watch myself.  First of all, dig out gallon milk containers from your recycle bin, or wander down the street nonchalantly, gathering them from the neighbors' bins...  whistle and dance a bit,  people will think you are slightly crazy and will let you go along your way. 

Then, cut your container around the middle  leaving a bit  under the handle  to hold the container together.. Make sure you also poke holes in the bottom for drainage.  You do not need to keep the cap on,  leave it off to provide fresh air. 

Okay, that wasn't hard.  Then put some moistened seed starting soil mix in the bottom of the container.   Plant seeds in the soil mix, and then duct tape the top of the container to the bottom.   Voila!   A tiny greenhouse that should work well for starting native seeds that need stratifying.  What does that mean?  Well,  I need to replicate the growing conditions the seed would endure in the wild.  So,  moisture, heat, cold, freeze, thaw, over and over.  This breaks open the hard seed coat on many native plants and lets them survive winter in Indiana.

Sorry for all that shiny sunshine on my photo, but, please, people, work with me here. No complaints about sunshine today.   So I marked each container with a wax pencil with the plant name and date of planting.  I placed the containers in front of the house, where they will get the most daylight in the next few weeks.  I also used some half-gallon containers, placed on a long side, and a take-out container.   I also sowed some milkweed and Zizia  aurea (Golden Alexander)  in some long flower pots.  Since they are both natives, I'm trying out sowing them openly in a spot I can control.  I have a few more containers to fill later in the week.. I have to dig out all the seeds that are wintering in the pantry.

Has anyone else noticed new growth on evergreens?  I have some in front of the house that look as if they are not dormant.. hmmmm,  I hope we don't get any prolonged cold soon, or they could be in trouble.

So planted today,, Feb. 1, 2016:

Purple Coneflowers,,, Native Flower mix,  Zizia Aurea,  Common milkweed, Butterfly weed (small orange milkweed).   

I also have a mostly empty flower pot into which I threw several handfuls of common milkweed pods.  I have left them outside all winter, and I'm waiting for spring to see if I get any growth.  I learned this from my Monarch Maniac friend, Reni Winter-Evans ,   She has a great FB page here, 
https://www.facebook.com/winterhaven.wildflowers  with great pictures of growing monarchs on milkweed.

I am going to start some more things as spring approaches.  If you want to try this,  throw in some lettuce, radishes,  broccoli,  or  lettuce mixes.   All of these  are cool weather crops and won't be hurt by a few cold nights.  I have seen pictures of containers covered in snow that were full of green plants.  Check out Pinterest for "winter sowing" if you want to see some more examples.  I may even try some tomatoes in a month.  What will you be out?  A packet of seeds, some tape, and a recyclable container.   Give it a go!  I'll keep you updated on how my first batch goes. 

Yes, the greenhouse got built, it's air tight, it's wonderful, but it doesn't have heat for nighttime yet, so I'm waiting to start anything out there yet, until I can get a long extension cord and heater out there.

Winter garden UP!!

Dianne  

Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime

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.  

I 

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

Dreaming Days

   You are about to see pictures of my messy yard.  Do NOT be alarmed.   Plans are being made fast and furiously in my coffee-stimmed brain to get that raw earth growing green again.   

  This is the future side yard to the new garage/workshop.  Yes, it's a mud pit this morning.  One nice note,,, I saw a squished mole on the ground, he won't be tearing up my yard any more.... I spared you a picture,, you're welcome.   So, beyond the fence to the left is my veg garden, must be fenced because the neighborhood deer have found it to be especially tasty.  I'm a dreamer, so imagine along with me.  The plan for the workshop is for Bill to make wooden coffins, so I'd like the garden along the side to be a place of rest and comfort.  Hollyhocks,  maybe some roses, although I frequently kill them. I have some Miss Kim lilac, which don't get very big and have a delightful aroma.  Catmint nepeta, which attracts our bees and looks great most of the summer.  Daylilies I have in abundance.  When not blooming, they still fill in nicely.  I'm working towards having more native plants so I'm collecting seed from my baptisia and starting some again this year.  I started some fresh seed last summer and have about 6 plants from that.  I also have some small orange-flowered milkweed (butterfly weed-we have at church, also) and some common milkweed to attract monarch butterflies.  I saved the clematis from the side of the garage, that will get put back up on a more interesting trellis than the bent-up wire fence I had before.  I've seen some interesting trellis thingies on pinterest made from metal beds... hmmm.  That Pinterest, it sucks me right in..Now, I just have to get on it!  Bought ten bags of garden soil last night to help the garden get started right.  The tire compaction from the trucks will have pushed all the air right out of the soil, making it difficult for plants to breathe and to grow roots.  I just have to wait on the concrete truck to get here this coming week. 

Why, Dianne, are you showing us a picture of your grass?   Well, I'm dreaming again.. I should have printed  "Watch This Space"  across it, because that is the future home of my greenhouse!  Drove two of my little buddies to school in Lafayette on Thursday, and went around the corner to the Habitat for Humanity Restore on Fortune Drive.  Not for the faint-hearted or those without a vision.  People bring old cabinets, unused flooring, tile, sinks, and WINDOWS!!  Stuff gets sold to make money for Habitat.   I found a stack of vinyl clad, double-hung, 24 x 76 thermal-pane windows for about $50 apiece!  They had been in a nursing home for about a year before it was torn down (your social security/Medicare dollars at work.)  I have been haunting some places in Covington for some old wooden windows, but these I won't have to worry about lead paint, or scraping and painting.  Also found a doorway  with side windows but without a door from a Victorian house in the back of an antique store, not sure if it will part of it.. but for $75, I'm still considering it.  

It's a beautiful end-of-spring morning, I'm sitting on my front porch, enjoying the hummingbirds fight at the feeder,  and dreaming of my finished backyard.    Having a garden makes me believe in the future and better days.   Have you tried it?

Dirt up!

Dianne