squre foot gardening

the day we planted

this year i am trying something new with my garden, square foot gardening. i got a book and employed jared and my dad to help build the rest. one of the main differences in square foot gardening verse traditional gardening is the soil composure.  it is made of a mix of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 compost. it is clearly working, my garden has completely taken off.  i've already harvested some radishes and green onions and should have some peppers this week.

here is what we have planted this year:

sweet potatoes
russet potatoes 
garlic
peas
carrots
tomatillos
roma tomatoes
grape tomatoes
big boy tomatoes
green beans
asparagus
bell peppers
jalepeno pepper
radishes
red onions
green onions

now

herb planter

check out my new outdoor herb planter!

pretty jazzed about this. last year i had all my herbs lined up in little pots on the deck and the rabbits and squinnies would occasionally get to them but no longer.  i saw this idea on pinterest and talked my dad and jared into helping me pull it off.  and we got all the materials at lowe's for less than $35.00.

in it i have a few different flowers and the following herbs:
parsley
cilantro
basil
tarragon
rosemary
thyme

i just love spring! 

rabbits, squinnies and bees...oh my

spring has sprung.  look what else showed up this weekend, i hope the warm weather is here to stay:

my chives are growing like crazy.

the flowers are coming up, hopefully the frost stays away.

and yep the weeds even made their first appearance.

time to pull out the patio furniture and put away the snow blower.

project garden : update

this will probably be my last garden update for the season, sad.  but i am super excited for the fall season!

a few things i've learned from my first gardening go around:

a garden requires a lot of work
rabbits are my arch nemis
weeds don't pull themselves
my tomato plants need to be planted further apart
do more research before planting
start small and build from there

these came from our garden this evening, can't wait to cook them up

goofiest looking carrot i've ever seen

the best these pink snapdragons have looked all season, i love their vibrant color

i just love mums, they scream fall

we purchased this cleveland pear tree and they came and planted it today.  i wanted to use it as a benchmark to see how much it grows over the course of time we live here.

project garden : update

my garden is doing okay considering the scorching temperatures outside. it has been fun watching everything grow. i'm even thinking about planting another round of veggies for a fall harvest.


i have been able to use all my herbs with the exception of the cilantro which bolted and is now toast. i have loved making homemade pesto and using fresh herbs in all my dishes.


my chives and thyme are going strong. i've been looking for recipes that include chives so i can put them on something other than a baked potato.


my jalapeno and red pepper plants are looking great.

i've been able to harvest a couple of onions, the rest are about ready to go as well.


here are a couple of baby romas. it is hard to beat a fresh tomato, i'm probably most excited for these guys to be harvested.

here are the carrots that are left, i'm sure it is just a matter of time before the rabbits get to them.


here is a picture of the whole garden, when this picture was taken i had just plucked out every single weed. we'll see how long that lasts.

here is a pic of the flowers on the side of the house.

container gardening failure

i was so excited to post a "how-to" on container gardening that is until i failed at it. so below are the steps on how i started and then at the end and you'll see how i messed it up. hopefully you can learn from my mistake.

i found this beautiful arrangement in a magazine so i went to the woodsmith store and asked for their assistance in picking out the flowers. the total for all four plants were around $40, i went home and got to work. the flowers i purchased were a yellow cape daisy, a couple dark pink geraniums, purple petunias and a white bacopa.

1. fill the container with plenty of potting soil. make sure to break up the roots of the plant before planting into the soil mix.



2. arrange all the plants giving them equal space.



3. when finished planting, top with mulch to help retain moisture. here is the finished product...beautiful!


4. and make sure to give it plenty of water.



here is where i messed up, apparently you need to drill holes in the bottom of your container to help with the drainage. this is what i ended up with, 3.5 of the flowers dead because it got way too much water.




complete failure.

project garden : update

a picture is worth a thousand words? that use to be my spinach. my garden has been eaten to shreds by those silly rabbits. i have such a feeling of rage against them that i even have my friends chasing after them in mid-conversation. this week i have pulled out all the stops, hoping to get rid of all rabbits so i can start over for a fall harvest. no, i didn't buy a bb gun, let's get real, i'm pretty sure i'd hurt myself before i'd ever hit a rabbit. i lined our perimeter with moth balls so our yard does reek of an old person's closet. then i followed that up by sprinkling bone meal around the bases of all my plants and flowers that are left. this weekend i hope to plant some marigolds, apparently the scent also helps in keeping those terrible fury creatures away.

i'm open to suggestions if you know of something i haven't tried yet....

thankfully my onions, tomatoes and anything i had in a container are still doing okay including the herbs...looks like i might be making a lot of salsa at this rate.

project garden

the garden has been planted and all i have to say is it's a lot of work. i thought i would just plant the seeds, make sure it was watered and the rest would just happen. well it's not quite that easy.

i am looking forward to the delicious produce that it will supply us with all summer long but we have a long ways and a lot weeds to pull before we get there.

i received some gardening advice before i started, "start small and just plant a couple of things the first year out." well apparently i don't listen as you can tell by the list of what is planted below:

-red onions
-green onions
-green beans
-peas
-carrots
- spinach
-romaine lettuce
-green peppers
-red peppers
-jalapeno peppers
-garlic
-roma tomatoes
-early girl tomatoes
-big boy tomatoes
-thyme
-chives
-cilantro
-basil
-parsley