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First of all, it took me an entire month to clean up the yard and then plant the garden, pots, and flowerbeds. Every year is so different, I have records now from the last 15 years or so, and this year we were way behind with weather, mild days, but very cool/cold nights
Coleus are very slow---these were planted in February...and finally transplanted last week...so slow, but now they should take off. The Delphiniums grown from seed are still not ready to plant in the ground, but I moved them into larger pots. I have two Canna that have been planted since March, that just budded out finally, so they are in the shade along the backside of the house. The greenhouse is just too hot.
Also, taking a year off for illness from gardening(last year) really left things in a rubble.
This Spring, we hd 170 bags of Top Soil/peat moss mix delivered to spread everywhere...still have a few of those to do. We've been gardening for 40 years here, amending the soil, but also wearing it out.
That and the Fall cleanup and trimming that did not get done. Well, you gardeners know how it is...never ending, so I haven't been posting, but instead working.
Weather in general since Mid-May: we have dodged frosts, horrible storms, two very dry weeks, and on and off high heat. Some plants are happy others are NOT.
Temperatures with a 40 degree variance from night and day, is really unsettling for young plants. The greenhouse easily hits 100 if I don't have all the windows, doors open and the FAN going full blast it's too hot. Then the low 40's outside at night were a shock for transplanted vegetables and flowers.
One of the first planting I did were in these planters on our front porch where last year I just dumped a container inside them, this year they were layered with compost and dirt and mass planted with herbs peppers and flowers. These planters drain almost too much, so they need water regularly.
Our front porch get tons of sun, wind and the full power of West to East storms! The planters are doing okay, the lettuce planter below is happy with herbs/lettuce and some Marigolds.
Herbs in the box two box planters are Oregano, Thyme, Basils, Parsley, Cilantro, Onions, Dill, Chives
My Rosemary Pot is double potted with our Old and one new Rosemary....it's not quite thrilled about so much rain.
Basil, Marigolds, Zinnias and Chives in here!
To the Garden. The planters I planted first have already given us much produce. The radishes weren't good at all, too cold and then too hot and they bolted. But, the lettuce and onions have been superb. I planted many varieties of lettuces and spinach and it is all FAB except no sign of the red lettuce at all, must have been a dud batch of seeds. These will all be great if they don't bolt.
I planted two varieties of Peas in huge pots, the First Pot is already ending. I'll pick tomorrow and cut out the dead/dying but the pods have been fabulous -sweet and tender!
The second pot is just flowering...and starting to pod, so it's perfect. This area gets afternoon shade, so maybe we will have peas into July. I'll replant on August 1 for a Fall crop.
Throughout my planters this year, I have included flowers here and there to attract the pollinators. Here is a Nasturtium just starting to bloom. I call them the work horses of the garden, they bloom fiercely until dying in September. These are in the Fence planter we built last year. I added 10 new bags of dirt to it, and seeded it heavily with pickles and squash in one side and bush beans and squash on the other.
The blue hose is a new drip system we are doing ourselves. I've alternated squashes with beans or pickle bush pickles.
Pickles are doing okay, they seem to be slow with our goofy weather. Squash will be trained to go on the wire and wood fence, hopefully.
Some sweet Violas among the squash and bush beans!
Boxes of climbing beans on the center trellis. I've extended bamboo poles to train them to the trellis-hopefully. I'll have to thin some of these. Last year we had terrible beans because they were all eaten. This year with Critter ridder and all the new mesh fencing, we have managed to keep the bunnies out. Moles and Chippies are seeming to leave everything alone?
And a lone cantalope plant from 12 seeds???? I can't say anything has been eaten this year...as we heavily fenced everywhere now...bunny proof unless they dig under.
On the other side of our bedspring trellis, I have Cucumbers growing, and Peppers in pots. Everything has been a slow start this year.
My husband wanted the tomatoes in containers ===to control them...we will see.
I have a few in the ground and some in the big NEW bucket planters. We had many buckets, but also inherited some from a friend. In between I planted peppers, and some spindly sunflower starts in the ground. on the trellises. Normally I plant beans on these trellises, but my days of climbing a ladder to pick beans are over...LOL.
The NEW 3x6 x 2 foot high planters are full of mulch, brush, and lots and lots of dirt, maybe 40 bags each of top soil along with 1/3 compost dirt. We made a trellis between the two boxes which is hard to see. The plan is the Zucchini and Yellow summer squash will climb up these. Supposedly you clip off the large bottom leaves? Definitely a new experiment for US.
We have Zucchini, Carrots, Beets, Onions, Swiss Chard, Flowers,
Climbing Asian foot-long beans in this planter. I used an old gate on the other end to use as a trellis.
OLD NEW GREEN REDO...!
It will be exciting to see if I can get everything to grow where we want it to.
I still have to get the cloth on the ground to reduce the weeds, the point of planters is to save on the back...though there is still plenty planted in the ground...I'll show that in next garden post.
This is the Potato Bin Garbage can. Hubby dumped too much dirt in it last time, I'm afraid he buried so many of the plants.
Look at those Green Onions go...behind in a railing planter. Num. I have planted maybe 4 times, so we have had green onions all the time.
oldnewgreenredo
The Fence planters are really amazing...look at this crunchy Romaine type lettuce, and it's so tasty...having it for supper tonight with Salmon on
Artisan Greens...oooh, lah, LA!
Next what was blooming!
Then the rest of the Vegetable Garden.
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
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Thank you for your cooperation,
Sandi
