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The little things #3

Monday, May 09, 2011

It's been a bit since I last thought about the small stuff that make me smile so it's time I do it today. That should put me in a thankful and grateful mood. Ya think?

My garden. I love (and sometimes dislike) my garden. I have planted herbs and flowers and bulbs and it is satisfying watching the plants mature and grow. My herbs are becoming so healthy, especially the lavender, that I might need to dig some up and give them away or they will take over the whole garden. Anyone need oregano, lavender or tarragon?

More on my garden... I bought tomato and jalepeno starts yesterday. That is really all that is available right now as we still get down to freezing at night. But, I am looking forward to eating the fruit of my labor! The strawberry plants survived the long winter and so did the blueberries. =)

The soil around the house is not the best for growing a vegetable garden, it's rocky and hard and needs amendments to it to grow healthy plants. So, I have been considering making a raised bed, or two. I found some great plans for building a bed that include a way to make it a small greenhouse. LOL... all I need is time and money! But, until that gets done, this year I will be planting a couple of cucumbers in some hanging pots and growing them along the garage. I tried one of those topsy turvy thingys for tomatoes one year so I have sturdy hooks up there. The topsy turvy things didn't turn out so well for me.

My apple tree died last year but my pear still seems to be doing ok. It blooms like a mad thing but doesn't fruit very well. So I gotta figure that one out.

So, yes. I am excited about my fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. I might even try some lettuce in a pot if I don't get that raised bed up!



What will you be planting this year?
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

ANNIESADVENTURE 9/8/2012 7:39PM

    I haven't heard of anyone having success with those topsy turvy things for growing tomatoes. LORIAPO had a great idea she posted here about using pails. One person posted about growing her garden in pots on the patio of her apartment. Peppers and tomatoes didn't do well for me in big pots.
I was thinking about four square gardening with raised beds. I can't get down to do the weeding anymore, so the raised beds would be a help. Check it out on the Internet. Pop in Four square garden, and you'll come up with a bunch of sites about it.

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JENNY712 5/10/2011 12:41PM

    emoticon emoticon

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BECOMINGDEB 5/9/2011 11:29PM

    I want to try planting SOMETHING. I want to start a garden but feel a little overwhelmed and very intimidated by it all. I'm seriously considering buying a bag of potting soil and some seeds, cutting out one side of the bag and poking holes into it for drainage, and then just planting directly into the bag.

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LORIAPO 5/9/2011 8:54PM

    I just wanted to say, until you get your raised beds made...
5 gallon pails make a good makeshift pot for tomatoes because there's plenty of room for the roots to grow & you can stick a cage in them to support your tomatoes too. Only one plant per pail. You will just need to drill some holes in the bottom for drainage. Sometimes the restaurants have pails to get rid of & will be happy to give you some, otherwise the farm stores usually have them for a couple dollars.
Every year I say I'm not going to plant much because it is so hard for me to keep up on my own (my husband is not a gardener); but then somehow every year I end up planting the whole garden full anyway. I think weeding is therapeutic but not when I have so many that I can't do anything else; so the more mulch I can use after the soil is good and warm the better.
Good luck with you 2011 garden!
emoticon Lori

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WANTMORE3 5/9/2011 5:05PM

    I love & hate my garden as well. Sometimes I just love getting out there doing things & making it all look better, but with my health issues I can't always do what I want & it can make me feel miserable when all I can do is look & watch it all go to weeds. emoticon

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MARVEEME 5/9/2011 3:14PM

    Wish you were around the corner.....We're planting at my daughter's this year. A little further South, soil not so rocky, and their raised beds just went in. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers this year....the perfect salad, ya know? We're working on preparing our house to go on the market, so we won't be devoting time our raised bed up here in the mountains this year. Just turning the soil as we add what needs to decay. If we're still here next spring, we'll at least have SUPER soil again.

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1COUNTRY_GAL 5/9/2011 2:06PM

    I am sorry about your apple tree,we have to truck in soil for gardening too.Our soil is sand hard pan and loam in places.The raised garden boxes or beds are great for this purpose and they don't have to be boxes,you can do the beds raised by the soil you implement.We have two cherry fruit trees that are blooming and for the first time in years we have honey bees pollinating it.The simple things we are so excited about the honey bees doing there job,just maybe this year we will yield a healthy crop. emoticon emoticon We are extending the blackberries further around the property.We are also going to have more vegetables this year and wanting to have a greenhouse for year around tomatoes and herbs.Happy gardening to you and all! emoticon Diana:)

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