A place to reflect.

My garden is growing at a record pace.  Being that it is finally a place to hang out, I need a place to sit and relax.  I was thinking that on the path that winds through the flowers would be a perfect place for a few garden benches.  That way I could sit on the stone benches and watch the butterflies float by.  I love to just sit and reflect on the day during the peaceful mornings or in the late afternoon.  The mornings are cool enough to want a warm cup of joe while enjoying the garden.  There are many types of benches you could choose for your garden, I like stone garden benches.  I like that they don't require any maintenance and over time they get a great patina.  There are memorial benches at the park that are amazing.  They look like they have been there for ever, and they have this sort of greenish patina in the detail crevasses.  It is so earthy, and natural.  I would love form my benches to look like that some day.

A place to reflect.

My garden is growing at a record pace.  Being that it is finally a place to hang out, I need a place to sit and relax.  I was thinking that on the path that winds through the flowers would be a perfect place for a few garden benches.  That way I could sit on the stone benches and watch the butterflies float by.  I love to just sit and reflect on the day during the peaceful mornings or in the late afternoon.  The mornings are cool enough to want a warm cup of joe while enjoying the garden.  There are many types of benches you could choose for your garden, I like stone garden benches.  I like that they don't require any maintenance and over time they get a great patina.  There are memorial benches at the park that are amazing.  They look like they have been there for ever, and they have this sort of greenish patina in the detail crevasses.  It is so earthy, and natural.  I would love form my benches to look like that some day.

Bring your Herbs Inside

Check out this great idea on ReadyMade's Blog.  This Herb garden fuses function and great design.  No big budget needed either for fresh tasty herbs.  This is a low budget idea that can bring beautiful modern green design to your green thumb.  Why not give it a try, your spaghetti sauce will thank you for the freshest ingredients!

Scrubs?

No not the action, but the clothing.  I find that scrubs are the perfect attire for working in the garden.  Since I can't wear a medical scrubs that once belonged to someone on the set of ER, I have to get mine online.  They are light weight, so you don't over heat in the Florida sun.  They are long pants so the bugs aren't going to get to my skin, and let's face it who doesn't love to pretend that in another life they could have been a doctor!  I won't be out there in a lab coat, but if you look in my garden you may see me sitting on my garden cart weeding with my blue scrubs on.

Rain Chain Anyone?

Have you ever seen those cool copper rain chains that hang from the corner of cute cottages.  After seeing them recently hanging from the corner of a small cottage on the lake I thought I would look into them.  They looked really neat as the rain trickled down the rain chain in to a small basin.  After the rain the birds came and drank the water from the basin.  It was pretty neat.  They are not only for use on gutters.  You could have garden rain chains hanging from a trellis.  That way if you had the one with a basin the birds would be able to enjoy a drink in your garden.  It could help you turn your yard into a sanctuary for the birds.  I might needs these for my garden, now that I am getting the plants to grow.  These rain chains in conjunction with my bird feeders will bring all the birds to the yard!

Plants and Pots

Sometimes I wish that my garden was planted in an outdoor planter.  It would definitely cut down on the weeds that sneak in to the soil.  I think that the garden planters can define your space, and add a little flair to your garden.  Think how cool it would be to have a bright blue planters to off set the other colors that naturally occur in the garden.  I love the way blue looks with green, so that would perfect for our backyard.  What ever style garden look you are going for you can find high end planters that will add a little spice to your garden.

It's Hot

Summer is in full swing here in the South, they are predicting a heat index of 108 today!  Whew!  I just got back from a brisk stroller walk.  If you want to walk, it has to be early.  After 9am it is WAY to hot for that.
All this heat is great for the tomatoes though, they are growing by the day and I even got to eat my first yellow cherry tomato yesterday.  Today I think one of the black cherry tomatoes will be ready to be plucked and eaten straight off the vine!

Yesterday afternoon I was able to go to the neighbors and pick some delicious Florida blueberries.  Homegrown fruit is so much sweeter, in so many ways.  I went to my favorite recipes and found the one from awhile back.  The Blueberry brownies, oh how delicious.  Just thinking of them makes me want to get up and eat one.  I posted my recipe here!  They are worth a try, even if you don't have homegrown blueberries.

Tomato, a month in reveiw

I planted my garden just a month ago.  The plants are really taking off.  The peppers are big, almost ready for harvest.  We have had 4 servings of green beans, and another one on the plant ready to pick.  The tomato plants that i grew from seed are just about 3 feet tall, and really loaded with blooms.  I think this one is a black cherry tomato.  There were three of the 13 plants that the labels were misplaced, so I will have to wait until harvest time to know for sure which plant this is.  I can't wait for the harvest, and to have a fresh tomato and basil salad, with some fresh mozzarella cheese!  Oh, I can almost taste it now.
All in all, I am a fan of the square foot gardening.  It is surely producing more than I expected, and the weeds are usually under control.  If I ever make a new bed, I will do two layers of the weed cloth.  Somehow some dollar weeds made it through and they are pretty much all over.  I keep them at bay by weeding every other day.  They are the only type of weed that I have, so without them, I would have had a weed free garden.
The tomato plants are big enough now that they shade the dollar weed, and they are not growing as fast, but still I have to pull them often.

So here is a recap in pictures from a month ago to now.

Here the tomato seedlings with just a few leaves were put in Mel's Mix on April 14th, and as of yesterday May 17th, they look like this.  I hope everyone is having a good gardening year.  If you have a square foot garden and would like to share please comment on this post so that we can all see your successes.

MidNight Raid!

It wasn't exactly midnight, more like 5 pm, and we had permission.  M and I hopped in the car, and headed to the wood pile at the construction site.  It had grown since the last time, and there were great pieces of 2x6's that would piece together nicely for the beds.  The recycled wood was free, so we will deal with the less than 4 foot sections required for the square foot garden.  Nothing a hammer and some nails can't fix.

I have now measured all the lengths and we are ready to do some cutting.... remember if working with salvaged wood be careful of any nails, and always measure twice cut once.  I think we have the perfect amount with not much to spare.  I will add some pictures once the cutting is done!

Shopping FAIL

Yesterday I headed out to Lowe's for some things for the garden.  I had an entire list of stuff, from compost (since my compost pile is not up and running yet), seeds, boards (the rest of the ones I could not salvage), among a few other odds and ends.  First of all I got to the store, and it was so crowded, I could not believe it.  It was as if the ant hill had been disturbed and the ants were in evacuation mode.  There were people everywhere.  Carts were blocking the aisle, people running into each other.  Flowers everywhere.  I took the long way around the perimeter of the garden center to find the compost.  Then I realized that I would not be able to get all that I needed since I was toting Lincoln in the buggy with me, and I forgot my coupon.  So I decided to skip that.  Same for the weed barrier fabric, which they did not have the size I wanted anyway.  As I worked my way through the store and down the shopping list, each item was either not what I wanted or otherwise wrong.  I did end up picking up a few seed packages while I was there.  I hope for a better shopping trip in a few days!  My plan is to have the square foot gardens in place this weekend!!!
I am going to swing by the construction site one more time, and hit the local Habitat Restore to see if they have some lumber for my project!

Increase your garden space

Whether you have a sprawling yard, or have a small plot of land there are some things you can do to increase  the amount of area for your green thumb.  The easiest way is to adorn your house with wonderful window boxes.  Not only do you increase the green space, you make your home more beautiful.  After reading about the square foot gardening techniques, I think you could easily put some of Mel's Mix right into your window boxes and enjoy the beautiful crops that will pop up.
The possibilities are endless, but imagine for a moment that you have a small window box planter on one of your kitchen windows.  All summer long you could harvest some herbs right through the window.  During the warm summer nights when the windows are open in the house, the aromas of basil, rosemary and thyme could be blowing in through the kitchen window.  It is a very appealing thought for me.  Another very wonderful idea is to have window boxes for all of your cut flower needs.  You could harvest some of your favorite flowers, perhaps varieties of dahlias in all shades from dark to light.
If you don't have a green thumb, it is okay.  Their are varieties of window boxes that are self watering, so if you forget to water, it is no problem.  If you go on vacation you don't have to bug the neighbor to water your plants because the self watering box will take care of your precious plants.
I think window boxes will be the new rave in gardening. You can have them custom made to fit your window, and with many exterior styles there is bound to be one that fits your homes theme.
I think that window boxes and planters are great for urban living where perhaps your green space is minimal.  Digging in the dirt has its perks, so why not have a little green space just for you.
Another fun idea would be to use windowboxes on a low window or a small planter for a lesson to toddlers on how to garden.  They could have their own garden to manage, and plant as they saw fit.
Indulge your natural side with a little extra space to plant in and reap the benefits of a small garden without changing your yard.

Gardening for all seasons

In Florida we have wonderful gardening seasons... all year!  This spring I am working on putting together  a Square Foot Garden.  I got the book from Amazon and when it arrived I read it from cover to cover.  After reading it I was totally  motivated to get going on my garden.  First, though I had to gather the materials.  Anyone that has a SFG knows that Mel's Mix is not exactly cheap.  So I tried to save a few bucks by finding recycled wood from my Square Foot Garden beds.  While I have not completely finished this task, I am making good progress.  The first place I looked was a local construction site.  I got a few pieces after I spoke with the foreman on site.  I will have to check back in a few days, and hopefully they will be further along, with more scraps.  They were just going to throw them away, and now I can use them for my garden (recycling).  Another way to save money while putting together your square foot garden is to have your own compost pile.  This book was just the motivation I needed to get my compost pile producing great soil for my veggies!  I would love to hear about others experience with composting, and square foot gardens!  Successes and failures I would love to hear your stories of growing veggies.

Seeds Started

I got my tomato seeds!  They are officially planted today February 4th.  I started 25 tomato seeds (plus a few extra in each cell).  Eight varieties of tomatoes will be my first experiment.  I hope that I will get a harvest from each plant.
Here are the varieties that I bought from TomatoFest.com.
Hillbilly, Marvel Stripe, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter, Black Cherry, Blondkopfchen, and Vintage Wine.  The kind folks at tomatofest threw in an extra seed pack of the red peach.  Thanks for the extra pack!  I will keep you posted on the progress of my tomato crop!

Gardening resolution

Another one of my New Year plans is to grow a large bounty of heirloom tomatoes. Several different varieties that I can share with my neighbors. I learned today that the neighbor across the street shares the love of tomatoes with me. He too plants tomatoes each year, so that he can finally have flavorful tomatoes that the grocery stores are lacking. Today I told him of my goal, and he shared a few tips with me. He has to grow his tomatoes in pots due to a diseased soil in his yard. I am very excited to share that I just purchased my seeds for this growing season. These are the plants I will be trying to grow. I stress the word trying since my thumb is far from green.

Black Cherry-Tomato Seeds
Cherokee Purple-Tomato Seeds
Marvel Stripe
Blondkopfchen-Heirloom Tomato Seeds
Vintage Wine
Hillbilly (I just had to get this one for the name)
Mortgage Lifter, Red

If I have success with the seeds, I should not only have a nice bounty of tomatoes, but a colorful harvest as well.  I purchased my seeds at TomatoFest.com today, and I can't wait to get them.   Time will tell if my goal of a tomato garden will come to fruition.

The Hungry Caterpillar

I was pruning one of my experimental plants, a Japanese plum tree today. I was just about to grab the leaf that needed to be removed when I noticed some prickly bits underneath. I turned the pot on its side to reveal one of the coolest caterpillars I have ever seen. He must have been very hungry, because most of the leaves had been eaten. I had just assumed that it was not doing well because it was a transplant.

That was not the case, this little guy made this plant his personal buffet. From what I can find on the Internet this is a stinging caterpillar, and it is called the saddleback caterpillar. The brown oval marking kind of looks like a saddle. It is very fun to find great bugs in the back yard.

What's in the Pot?

Since our move down here and the catastrophe that was the avocado plant my green thumb days were limited. Now that weather permits I have started my seed experiments again. My dreams of large outdoor planters with my avocados thriving are a thing of the past. Now I interested in a several garden planters where I can start seeds from palms, and some of the fruits and veggies that I buy at the store. There are so many different palm trees that I will need to invest in planters that are not too expensive to start, but once the seeds start popping up I would love to get a few of the high end planters for my prize palms. Our yard does not have a ton of space for this sort of experimentation in the ground, so the planters are the way to go. For the more delicate plants that might need a little shelter from a freeze will be planted in an indoor planter that can easily be moved outside when the freezing weather has passed.

In the next few years, I hope to have a supply of small palms to take to our next home. They do take some time to become established, but if I leave them in the planters they will be much easier to transplant when the time comes. Of course, if you have any tips about plants, and palms, let me know. My thumb is not as green as I would like. I am off to fill some planters with soil and a few seeds that I got last time I was at my parents house! I hope the seeds take to their new home.

Yard Work is never done

Those weeds in the back yard are relentless. Just last week before our furniture arrived we weeded a few of the small beds in the back yard. I noticed that they are all back. Yesterday, I put out our can of yard waste which was all weeds from the back yard, and I filled a 32 gallon trash can. The bad thing is you can hardly tell that we did any weeding at all!!!
I am going to need some heavy duty garden equipment to keep this place in shape.

We used to think that it was strange to have a riding mower when your yard is fairly small. After one mowing of this Florida crab grass we now want to get a zero turn mower. This grass is very hard to push our electric mower through, especially if you let it grow a little too long.

Once we get the yard under control we will have to get a post hole digger to come out and dig some holes for new fence posts. We can get the fence to stand up, I think that will help with the overall look of the backyard.
All in all, the yard looks pretty good, just a few things to spruce up. We will have to stay on top of those weeds so they don't take over.

Nature and Metal

I am planning a garden for the next place we live, which is going to be in Florida. We are moving there in a few short months, and I want to have some great garden plans by the time we get there. The gardening season is year round, imagine that. When I think of what I want to see in my back yard, I think nature. To contrast that nature, I am thinking about the Blomus stainless steel bird feeder (there are several that I would love to have). I think the birds would love it and it would look really modern. It could stand it next to a tree, and when the sun soaks the backyard, the feeder would shine! There are several stainless steel garden accessories that I would really love to have. I think one of the must have items is the Blomus Stainless Steel Fire Pit. The price on this might be just out of reach, but I guess I could settle for the floating stainless steel torch for the pool instead.
To round out the entire backyard, a few of the stainless steel planters might be in order. They would look fantastic with my avocado tree that I have grown from seed! I would want the ones with casters, because I know that my avocado craves the sunlight, and I could push it around the yard to make sure it gets enough of the sun.

Once I have the garden in order, I might get a few of the stainless steel kitchen accessories. They have such a great selection. I guess I should not over do it, I will have to wait until we move in to see what sort of items I will need!