HoneySuckle

I'm sure we are all aware of the potential seed distribution birds possess. This happened with my beloved honeysuckle. I love honeysuckle. I have found memories of my summers in FL picking off the flowers and sucking the honey found at the tip.

We have so many different type of birds in our yard. I love to bird watch. Either last year, or the year before, a bird kept perching on the garden posts. It was that fall I noticed a plant growing beside one of the posts. I didn't have the time yet to really make my garden so I let it be. Turns out it was a honeysuckle that the bird had transplanted. Funny part is there is not a honeysuckle to be seen in my neighborhood.

Yes, honeysuckle grows extremely fast and overtakes whatever it is near. I had wanted this honeysuckle and was blessed with it. so I trim back the side that pokes into the garden. The honeysuckle bush has actually worked wonders for my garden because it provides shade for the greens from the afternoon sun.

Gardening lessons

Honeydew Seedling

So far, I have learned a few lessons from this gardening season.

• Don't water Dill in the heat of the day. Makes them burn and die.
• Make sure you keep your greens covered in crushed egg shells. It truly keeps the slugs away.
• When you accidentally pull up spinach, it will wilt in a matter of minutes. It will not take root.
• Spinach prefers cool weather. Once it reaches above 75 degrees it will be the first to bolt.
• You an prolong your romaine and loose, leaf lettuce as well as prevent it from bolting even in 100 degree weather if you keep it covered in mulch six inches deep.
• You can plant seeds early....as long as they don't get washed out, they will germinate once the soil temperature reaches it's optimal warmth.

Watering Schedule

We had two rainwater barrels that came with the house. I need to set them back up! This is what we used to water the ornamental flowers and such.

Right now half my garden is mulched and half my garden is not. I am waiting for the seeds to come up before mulching.
So far I only water the vegetable garden 10 minutes in the morning before the sun hits it and 10 minutes at night as the sun sets.

Basically, you want the soil to remain moist as this encourages the seeds to sprout faster. Do not drown the soil! This truly is a balancing act.

• 30 minutes at least
• make sure soil is dark from moisture
• note any standing water and figure a way for the water to either drain or run off.

Lemonade

Of the 13 lemons, 3 survived. I'd say that's a pretty good survival rate considering the amount of moving the plants indoors and outdoors as well as the kids running into it. Either way it takes 12+ months for a lemon to grow.

One dream has been fulfilled. Drinking fresh lemonade from our back yard.
One lemon in an 16 oz glass made the perfect taste of lemonade. I saved the seeds to plant more lemon trees. I am just a little nervous to plant them, but when I do. I will blog about the process.

Beneficial Insect Resevoir Beds

2014 Ladybug

When I came across the BIRB concept, I was intrigued. Attracting beneficial insects to prey on those bugs that eat plants is my goal. I have not seriously began this project. Imagine my surprise when I saw this beautiful critter in my garden!

Definitely motivates me to get started on incorporating beneficial insect resevoir beds. I realize some concepts begin to delve into advance gardening techniques. I believe anyone can garden some sort of plant.

This blog is not intended for in-depth documentation. Rather, I will continue to document all my endeavors so local individuals can have an opportunity to begin their own gardening experiments.

Beyond Excited

May 9th I discovered the first dill pickle cucumbers popping up. I am beyond excited and hopefully I can fill a few mason jars full of cucumber goodness!

Spring is winding down. With Spring, comes the spring crop harvest. The peas have beautiful pods on all the plants. I am waiting for the pods to fill out before snapping them off for harvest.

Lessons learned from this year's gardening:

• Companion planting and crushed egg shells have truly kept the bugs from chewing any leaves.
• Lettuce can be planted close together to encourage its growth upright.
• Companion planting encourages beneficial insects?

We have had weather in the 90s this week and the lettuce has been doing well. I think it is because of the 6" mulch layer. The soil has not dried out from the rain back in April. I continue to water it once in the morning and once at night. 

Garden Bed 3

Garden Bed 1

Garden Bed 2

Fence Recycle

Recycling Mattress Frame

I am so excited! We had gotten rid of our box spring when it broke.....lasted a 25 years! Anyway.....We kept the frame.

The box frame was sitting outside for awhile. Then I planted these garden beds outside of the main garden. I am completely excited to recycle the frame into garden fence. I cannot wait to fence the garden beds. Maybe they won't get mowed before they bloom.

So far the mint is peeping through the soil, but I'm afraid at this stage it will just look like weeds.

May 7, 2014

Garden Bed 1
Cilantro
Marjoram

Garden Bed 3
Marjoram

Garden Bed 4
Marjoram
Squash, blackbeauty

 Garden Bed 5
Marjoram
Melon, honeydew

Fence Garden Bed
Sunflowers
Wormwood, herb
Chamomile, Herb
Cumin

RoundUp Saga Continued

Rhododendron 2014

As you may recall, I addressed the RoundUp Wars in a previous post. You can see from the above picture where my husband sprayed. I was bemoaning the fact that so many of my beautiful plants look sickly this year.
The past four years we have lived here they were vibrant. My husband piped up, "oh, their is nothing wrong with them, that's just where I sprayed roundup. We'll know how resilient they are by how well they survive."
whaaaaa!!!!! For those who have not seen this Rhododendron shrub in past years, here is a picture below.

2011

Full blooming flowers, leaves not drooping, a healthy plant

So many plans

This girl is becoming a little excited over the success of her garden. There are so many ideas swirling around....but we'll see. For now, it's time to wrap up the summer planting and start planning for fall planting.

I'm gonna list some garden plans here so I don't forget them.

• succession planting
• greenhouse for year around garden (HOPE!!!! to build it this summer)
• finally adding another garden plot
• planning the forest garden
• trying my hand at propagating (I'm so excited and anxious about this)
• adding raspberry, blackberries, and strawberries to the yard.

• 

  Forest Garden

May Flowers

I'm not sure what NC flowers bloom during May. My climbing roses are beginning to bloom though!

Roses, May 2014

It took two years to recover from the fiasco.
We throw all our organic banana peels on it. I've sprinkled a little coffee grounds, as well.
After spraying it down with aspirin and garlic infused water, the black spots don't seem to be as prevalent this year. I am wondering if it has to do with lack of air circulation. My next goal is to build a 10 foot trellis. This time it will be to correctly weave it in the trellis.

May 5, 2014

With the gorgeous morning weather, it is time to start planting in the early morning! Love it.

I'm nervous for the results since the garden bed consists of the following matter:
Chicken Manure
Last year's left-over garden soil
Potting Soil

Garden Bed 6 is planted this morning with the following:

• Pepper, Yolo Wonder
• Pepper, Cayenne
• Pepper, Jalepeno
• Pepper, Sweet Pimento
• Tomato, Small Red Cherry
• Dill, Bouquet
• Basil, Italian Large Leaf

Cumin Companions

• Beets
• Cabbage
• Cucumbers
• Potatoes

Summer Garden

Vegetable gardening is my least favorite past time. It is overwhelming to consider the planting season and a harvest season. The fact that you must consider two types of harvest season, is enough to put me in despair. I am taking one bite at a time. 

During the winter, there was little to do except plan. (Hint: plan out your garden in winter). None of my gardening has been successful the past three years. This year I spend much time researching, praying, stepping out on faith, and plodding along.

My posts have become irregular as the garden responsibilities have increased. As summer approaches, the gardening chores increase: mulching, weeding, watering, planning, observing....it's all there. I believe I have finally come to a conclusion as far as this summer's prep is concerned.

I am in the middle of planting the summer garden and harvesting the spring garden here and there. I did not even plant half the seeds I have, due to lack of preparation. Here is the summary of the what is in all the garden beds at this time.

Garden bed 1

Carrots

Onions

Marjoram

Cucumbers, Marketer

Garden bed 2

Peas – Progressive 9

Broccoli

Spinach

Lettuce

Cucumber, Marketer

Garden bed 3

Peas – Progressive 9

Lettuce

Celery

Spinach

Cucumber, Homemade Pickles

Garden bed 4

Peas – Progressive 9

Cucumber, Homemade Pickles

Garden bed 5

Peas – Progressive 9

Tomato, Homestead

Cucumber, Homemade Pickles

Basil, Italian Large Leaf

Garden bed 6

Peppers – Bell Pepper, Jalepeno, Red

Basil

Dill

Oregano

Parsley?

Chamomile

Marigolds

Tree stump garden bed

Mint

Catnip

Irises garden bed

Rosemary, French heirloom
Lavender, true heirloom
Sage, Broadleaf heirloom
Thyme, winter heirloom
Marigold (planted as border)


With that, I'm off to garden.

Growing Greens : How to Pick Spinach Off the Plant

Our Spinach looking beautiful!

My spinach is beginning to take off!!!! It looks so beautiful. I've never grown spinach before so I had to research how and when to harvest the leaves. There are many great places online to learn about gardening. I just went to youtube and pulled up this youtube tutorial.

Rhizomes

Canalillies

Before I forget, the rhizome is a low maintenance plant, from my experience. The top and bottom picture is Canalillies. One elderly couple gave me Irises. My elderly neighbor and my mother have given me Canalillies.
While Irises bloom in April around here, Canalillies bloom in June.
Irises grow between 2 and 3 feet tall. Canalillies grow 6 feet tall and provide shade during the heat.
These plants die back in late fall. Once summer arrive and they are blooming I will post some more pictures.

Cucumber, Marketer Companions

The following lists of plants greatly benefit from cucumbers planted alongside:

• Basil
• Beans
• Bush beans
• Borage
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Corn
• Dill
• Lettuce
• Marjoram
• Nasturtiums
• Radish
• Sunflower
• Tansy

Cucumber, Marketer Enemies

The following list of plants do not benefit from cucumbers planted next to them:

• Potato
• Sage

Tree Stump mishap

Tree Stump Garden

Today's mishap features my children. It came as no surprise. As I was digging this garden bed, in the back of my mind I envisioned the mishap. My children were merrily digging along with me.

We successfully raked the decaying leaves away to reveal rich mulch. All morning, the kids were merrily digging away. I explained to them once I planted seeds they would not make mama happy if they dug. We headed into lunch.

I thought, I was being smart when I planted the seeds during naptime. Ha! After nap time, they rushed right back to dig. I had forgotten by this point. After a few minutes of dirt flying in the air, they began to fuss in fight. I heard their feud and discovered my poor seeds plight. Not sure where these poor seeds will turn up, but I'm gonna pretend they're laying nice and pretty, in their designated spot.

Cilantro (Coriander) Companions

The following list of plant benefit from Coriander companionship:

• Cabbages
• Carrots
• Chervil
• Dill
• Parsnip
• Peppers

Cilantro (Coriander) Enemies

Cilantro, also known at Coriander, and Dill are interchangeable companions. The following list does not do well if Cilantro is planted alongside:

• Fennel

May 4, 2014

Irises Garden Bed

I'm calling this garden bed the Iris Garden bed since it is next to the Iris plants.

This is the herb garden bed....except I seem to have plant ornamental herbs more than herbs you would use on your food as much. I tried to plant them in a circular fashion according to their plant height. We'll see!

Rosemary, French heirloom
Lavender, true heirloom
Sage, Broadleaf heirloom
Thyme, winter heirloom
Marigold (planted as border)

Permaculture, Organic, and more

If you want to read books on permaculture, be prepared to pay a heft price! One of my goals is to go get a library card. I want to check a few of the books out before plumping down $40 or more! For now I'm excited to run across this informative website! This website covers plants, insects, and much more.

Garden Beds 2

Before

After

After

This area receives sunlight all day long, during the summer. I have high plans for this area, as the years progress. At the moment, this will be my herb experiment.

The tree stump has become infested with ants, unfortunately. Because it is infested, this year I planted mint and catnip around the "Tree Stump Garden Bed", in hopes that this will encourage the ants to move their colony elsewhere.

The "Irises Garden Bed" I planned for a kitchen garden, but ended up planting more of ornamental herbs. Next year I will try for my kitchen garden bed as this bed is the closest to the house.

Companion Plant Planning

Veggies, Herbs, and Flowers

 This is a few seeds, I'm trying to incorporate this year. That's not the point of this post. I'm trying to feverishly plan my summer garden. There is so much to plant in spring. It is becoming overwhelming. I'm not sure how to compile these experiment labels.

Excuse the weird looking second picture. My sd card likes to store the last picture, I've taken, messed up.

I think; I will create these companion planting posts under two labels: "Enemies" and "Companions". Eventually, I would like to organize them into less confusing groups, but that will take awhile!

You can visit my companion page for a comprehensive look at the posts I'll be writing. I hope to add some visual aspect to these groups.

Herbs

Chamomile, Herb Enemies

When planting chamomile, avoid planting chamomile with the following plants:

• Mints

May 2, 2014

Tree Stump Garden Bed

I'm just going to call this garden bed the Tree Stump garden bed. I had big dreams....ok, I still have big dreams for this tree stump!

When we moved here, there were morning glories all in this area. I can't remember, if I planted them, or they were here. They did not come back.

The tree stump has two hollow portions. I was going to fill them with dirt and plant plants that cascade down. Unfortunately, the ants claimed its home first.

I have rethought my plan. I read on a companion plant guide that mint deters ants. So yes, that is what I planted in this garden bed: mint and catnip. I'm hoping it is successful. Next year, I can have some summer cascading plants here!

Today's list of seed planted include:

Tree Stump Garden Bed:
Mint, garden heirloom
Catnip, wild heirloom

Garden Bed 3:
Cucumber, Homemade Pickles

 Garden Bed 5:
Cucumber, Homemade Pickles
Tomato, Homestead
Basil, Italian Large Leaf

Bean (Pole), Blue Lake Companions

Bean (Pole), Blue Lake Companions

Plant Pole Beans with the following:

• Cabbages
• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Marjoram
• Radish

*NOTE* depending on the type of bean (bush, climbing, broad, or bean) will determine what vegetables they enhance.

Bean (Pole), Blue Lake Enemies

The beans have a long list of Enemies it seems! Bear with me. Do not plant the following plants with Beans:

• Chives
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Onions
• Shallots

RoundUp Wars

Easter Lillies below the Azaleas

I am not a gardener. I love to garden, but I am learning right along with everyone else. I could not figure out why my healthy Easter Lillies were dying. Much less the dead grass on the other side of the house.

My husband and I have different methods of handling weeds. We have different perspectives on what makes a yard look presentable. Come to find out he has sprayed his beloved roundup along all the edges.

I gulped. Stated, "no wonder they died" and left it at that for the most part. I'm the organic gardener here. He is the conventional landscaper.

We haven't clashed yet. He lets me try to keep weeds under control organically, but puts his foot down when it comes to the actual yard.

With a big sigh, I stop writing this post.

Chamomile, Herb Companions

When planting Chamomile with another plant, the following list of plants benefit from chamomile companions:

• Cabbages
• Calendula
• Marigold
• Basil
• Lavender
• Nasturtium
• Tansy
• Rosemary

Baking Soda Experiment Update

I have not come to a conclusion on its success. As you may recall, back in winter I was busy laying down baking soda. I do not know if I sprinkled too little. Some patches seem to be bare so I am assuming baking soda works as a weed suppressant.

Basil, Italian Large Leaf Enemies

Basil, Italian Large Leaf

I apologize in advance for these fuzzy pictures. I took a picture of a large collection initially. I zoomed in on each packet individually and cropped them into individual pictures.

All right. Here is our first plant introduced on the "Enemy" list, Basil.

When you plant Basil, be sure not to plant it with the following plants:

• Silverbeet
• Rue

I have not researched or experimented what Silverbeet does to basil.

Basil, Italian Large Leaf Companions

No, you are not seeing double. To the right of these posts, you can choose under labels either the Companion Planting label or the Individual Planting label. Plants will generally fall under these two categories at some point.

Basil

Basil Companions:

• Apricot
• Asparagus
• Cucumber
• Fennel
• Tomato

I am not an experienced gardener. If you care to better understand the benefits of planting these plants together, research companion planting articles.

Mulching

It's that time of year again. People mulch shrubs and trees during late winter to keep the spring weeds from growing. In the garden, mulching keeps the veggies clean and retains moisture.

Keep in mind:
for veggies, mulch should be at least 6" deep. Otherwise weeds will pop through.
for apparent reasons wait to mulch until your plants are are over 6" tall or gradually mulch as they grow.
if there are late april showers, you can mulch in between showers. This is a win-win. Your mulch will keep in the moisture already there and will store up the moisture it receives.

Mulch time!

The above picture is progress of the spinach, kale (turned out it was broccoli), peas, and year around lettuce.

Summer Preperations

The next waxing moon is April 30 - May 14. So far planting by the lunar cycle is progressing smoothly.

Here is the plans for bed 4, 5, and 6.

Beds 4 and 5 have peas along one edge.
Bed 4
Tomato
Basil
Peas

Another friend that gardens around here suggested planting basil and tomato together because basil keeps the bugs from eating the tomatoes.

That's all the time I have to write today. I will update this as I go. 



Bed 4: May 2, 2014
Tomato
Basil
Cucumber, farmer pickles
Peas, Progressive 9