Midwest Gardening 2025: Large Raised Container Gardening and more.

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Midwest Gardening 2025: Large Container Gardening

Last year's purchase for container gardening. This year I will actually fill them with dirt...and herbs.

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We are definitely getting older, so I explored Large Container Gardening in the form of metal Raised Beds in January/February. I hit a sale on a cheap site  and ordered two large 6'x3'x2' high metal planters for our vegetable garden. Good quality, but of course the directions weren't great, American to Chinese to American...not so good. Many sites sell these, and I could not get a photo without attaching a specific source...so just search raised metal planters.

PS...American made would be 4 times the cost..so as fixed income seniors...I ordered these in February.

Hubby doesn't bend over, and while I do---I can't do everything on our little .27 acres, so we thought this would be a good idea. 

Think: 6 panels, 4 corners, 2 side supports, 3 cross bars and a thousand screws, LOL.

Assembling the raised beds was really a pain---but easy once you figured out a system. We finally set up two table surfaces out on the patio, placed the walls half put together and then worked inside between the walls of the planter. Between Hubby's shaky hands and my hand-numb finger weakness we got them together in about 6 hours for the two. 

Lightweight we carried them into the garden. That was the easy part. Now we had to fill them with 32 cubic feet of something.

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  I filled them a third full of brush and branches, neighbor's bamboo stalks, and lots of leaves. Then came the dirt...we ordered two pallets of 40# -150 bags of dirt, a good mixture without fertilizer. Alternating with our compost dirt and the new dirt, they got filled to the top. I stirred it all up and we watered between the layers.

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Hubby built a plastic conduit trellis frame between them and I used some wide netting to make the sides and top. The idea is to train Zucchini and Yellow Summer squash to go up the trellis, so we can walk through and pick them...HA, we will see. 

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The mesh is hard to see on the sides, but here on the top it's visible.

On the fence raised bed (we added 6 more bags  of dirt to that) and I planted Pickle Bush pickles in one and Bush Beans in another along with squashes to climb up the grid on the fence.

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I'm hoping to freeze a ton of beans which our favorites this year. So easy blanch, chill, drain and bag. Mesh helps to keep out the squirrels and birds from eating the seeds. 

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So this week we are planting the beds and lots of pots.  Hopefully I can get the greenhouse emptied this wee. We think we have the bunnies ostracized from the garden at this point, I did see one hiding under the grill...but no sign they are eating anything...two bags of Critter-Rid has also helped so far.

I am moving the sunflowers all into the garden or fenced areas, so they have a chance to grow from the large seedlings we have in the greenhouse. I hope to plant Tomatoes in pots, I did get some Pepper Plants in pots before the rain.

Last night we had quite a rain, FINALLY, so we can til the rest of the garden after we get rid of all the WingyDingy's the Maple trees gave up in the wind last night. 

We were spared the worst of the storms that traveled across the Midwest  last night...So glad we had the plants were safe and sound in the greenhouse. Leggy tomatoes wouldn't have made it outside with the pelting rain and the WIND...!

We had over 90 yesterday and high 80's today, so I have to plant, PLANT, PLANT!

Some pretty...Transplanted Hydrangeas 

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I did get all the beds cleaned out...finally this week. Our tulips were so gorgeous.

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Our Viburnum isn't very happy this year, I will cull many branches out of here to encourage the new growth. This shrub/tree is over 38 years old best we can recollect, and the heat and dry of last year took it's toll.

Wasp catchers are everywhere---because I'm allergic, they really do work as do the Fly catchers which reduces the flies, too.

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Tulips were gorgeous....and the colors were super!

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I have two pansy pots with a Peppermint plant in them for bee protection.

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!

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Midwest Gardening: Supposed Spring Gardening April 2022

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I know this photo looks like Spring, but yesterday was only one of two days in April that it was nice. Last week we had snow three times, and we have below freezing temps forecasted this week.

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A few Daffodils have actually poked their pretty heads out. No tulips and Iris are only snips sticking up.

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We have a NEW trellis for the Clematis. I relocated the OLD birdhouse on the play set. The grand is seldom here to play on it anymore. We will begin dismantling some of it and using the materials for projects.

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Only things up on our north beds are two rhubarb plants which are doing nicely, and of course mint, same mint I have been pulling for 38 years.

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We have a few chives here and there and I already made a delicious bacon/cheese/chive spread for Easter. My beds are still covered in winter yuck---but that is sheltering the bees and helpful bugs to keep warm enough until it stops freezing. Not to mention protecting tender perennials.

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Hubby started to till this week, but finding it so very wet with the recent rains. We have moss growing on everything as we have had so few sunny days. We are about 3 1/2 weeks behind last year, weather wise.

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I baked the last of the squash and gourds and froze their goodness last week. Two big ones had gone bad, so I dumped them in the garden, as they were really rotten.

Some huge critter left some big prints in the garden with no beginning and no end???just in the middle---An Alien Critter??

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This is my peas---spot for planting, which I had planned to do today---but it's too wet, we had near an inch of rain this AM. The hose goes to the garden sink, we can easily direct waste water from cleaning vegetables wherever needed.

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Inside the greenhouse it's starting to look GREEN! Some pansies I picked up for the backyard and another special pot full. My reused plant tags are being sorted here. I have to come up with a better system, for sure.

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I planted all this in early to mid-March---Cleomes I re-planted again yesterday, very poor germination. The tomatoes are ready for transplanting. Most tomatoes were in cups--but we ran out of room in the house for more big trays.

All the plants were moved out to the greenhouse Easter week, so we would have room to eat in the kitchen.

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These tomatoes in bigger pots look great and the peppers, too.

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Has anyone noticed how few seeds are in packets this year? 

Since when are they stingy on marigold seeds?

I've really kept track of how many seeds are in the packets and the germination---I'll post soon.

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The Chinese Eggplant will need to be thinned this week, they look great!

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This Dill/Cilantro tray looks miserable...so spindly---when the sun finally came out they baked in the greenhouse. I have them in shade now to see what survives. I really have bad luck with herbs from seed.

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Here's another really skimpy seeds marigold tray. 

I will start some more with my old saved seeds.

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The Kohlrabi look great, the planter holds Chives and lettuce. Normally they are on the front porch by now---but it's going to be too cold.

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Yesterday, I finally started cucumbers (3 kinds) Zuchinni, and yellow summer squash, only a few plants of each. Also some Waltham Butternut Squash our favorite and a good keeper, along with mini gourds, and of course pumpkins for pies and decorating!

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I have three planters of Nasturtiums going ---and they all look great!

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This is Radishes and onions. We usually have fruit for Mother's Day---not this year, it will be later for sure.

We got a notice from our community and county that serious Avian Flu has been found in the area, and we have been advised to turnover birdbaths and remove all bird feeders. So sad, it has hit the farmers in Illinois also.

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We love our little tweety birds, so I filled an entire huge garbage can with dumped out feeders-(feed went to the garbage) filled it with water and quite a bit of bleach to kill any bacteria or virus that might left on them. They will be rinsed and stored, and used again when we have the all clear. 

I'm sure the squirrels will be unhappy at not getting any 'leavings' on the ground, and the bunnies, too. Early AM I see a sweet bunny nibbling the thrown seeds and also the tender grasses created around our patio stones.

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The Bleach---will kill the virus, even though it's the NOT-Green thing to do. Birds are very important to all ecology systems and need to be protected.

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I can't wait for some Spring flowers...

My neighbors yard with the white Narcissus, so pretty. 

Tomorrow the electrical power stack, meter, fuse panel, main power line, and line to the garage are all being REDOne by contractors. This is something we can't do ourselves. Tuesday and Wednesday roofers install a new roof  and  gutter system. They are even going to hook up our rain barrels, and work out proper drainage for our 'on a slight hill house'.

That's if the weather holds!

See you on the other side...of lots of money spent on nothing pretty. 

OOPS---last minute addition

I got one long tray of Bachelor Buttons planted in the greenhouse and then....

WE HAVE TICKS in the GREENHOUSE---&#!@*!!!

More on that later!

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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. Please do not use my photos without permission. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts, or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Sandi