I haven't written about the gardens for a while, so here's a small update.
We planted pumpkins in the back garden. We started the seeds in little cups and then transplanted them into a newly weeded garden with "soil conditioner". They have taken off, and are now almost as big as Eleanor. No blossoms yet, but humongous leaves that threaten to take over the garden. It's very rewarding. Michael managed to hook up a spigot to our irrigation system, so the hose now reaches all of the plants (we've got two dwarf plants that didn't get enough water in the beginning) and also we don't get charged sewer fees for watering the plants, a great improvement.
I also started a compost pile. I really don't know what I'm doing, but through reading I've come to the conclusion that contrary to popular opinion, compost doesn't just happen, it has to be engineered. However, nature keeps working and something is happening in that compost pile.
In the small garden under the breakfast nook we took a can of wild flower seeds and sprinkled it all over the freshly weeded and conditioned soil. Amanda couldn't help sprinkle the seeds around, because the filler in the can was peanut and nut shells, but she (and everyone) enjoys watering. Amanda even talks to the flowers, to encourage them. Despite the care, not much is happening. We'll have to see if the flowers get growing before it gets really hot.
We planted sunflower seeds in two places---in our former rose container and in a "sunflower house" in some mulch on the side. In the rose container we planted seedlings we started in cups which were growing very well. Unfortunately, the container became a rain barrel when the gutters overflowed (Michael, can you call about that? =) and only one survived. Maybe we'll try planting lavender in the pot next. For the sunflower house we planted seeds in an approximate rectangle (Eleanor marked the boundaries). We came out the next day to find the plot full of holes, dug up by squirrels, probably. It would have been in the squirrels best interest to leave the sunflowers to grow and reap the seeds later, but squirrels don't think about the future. We do have 5 plants still growing, but they're not doing too well for some reason. Next year I'd like to try blueberries and strawberries in that plot.
The front gardens are slowly filling up with weeds. The deer have stopped eating our day lilies so sometime soon I expect to have some beautiful flowers. I meant to plant vinca out there (deer apparently don't go for vinca like they do impatiens) but it's difficult to get excited about planting something that might just get eaten after a week or two. Maybe I'll try again in the fall.
We've got containers with mint, basil, thyme, sage, chives and one tomato plant. They're all going gangbusters right now. We've never managed to harvest a tomato, so we'll see if we get one this year. I'm waiting with baited breath for the beetles to come---they've always regarded our basil as their personal salad, but the basil always comes back when they leave.
Finally, in the back corner near the back garden we've got some sort of berries. I believe they're blackberries, but they're not very tasty and they have many many thorns. I'm not sure we'll harvest them. Maybe next year we could plant some of the thornless raspberries I saw at the farmers market, although that would mean eradicating the blackberry bushes. I'll have to think about it.
We planted pumpkins in the back garden. We started the seeds in little cups and then transplanted them into a newly weeded garden with "soil conditioner". They have taken off, and are now almost as big as Eleanor. No blossoms yet, but humongous leaves that threaten to take over the garden. It's very rewarding. Michael managed to hook up a spigot to our irrigation system, so the hose now reaches all of the plants (we've got two dwarf plants that didn't get enough water in the beginning) and also we don't get charged sewer fees for watering the plants, a great improvement.
I also started a compost pile. I really don't know what I'm doing, but through reading I've come to the conclusion that contrary to popular opinion, compost doesn't just happen, it has to be engineered. However, nature keeps working and something is happening in that compost pile.
In the small garden under the breakfast nook we took a can of wild flower seeds and sprinkled it all over the freshly weeded and conditioned soil. Amanda couldn't help sprinkle the seeds around, because the filler in the can was peanut and nut shells, but she (and everyone) enjoys watering. Amanda even talks to the flowers, to encourage them. Despite the care, not much is happening. We'll have to see if the flowers get growing before it gets really hot.
We planted sunflower seeds in two places---in our former rose container and in a "sunflower house" in some mulch on the side. In the rose container we planted seedlings we started in cups which were growing very well. Unfortunately, the container became a rain barrel when the gutters overflowed (Michael, can you call about that? =) and only one survived. Maybe we'll try planting lavender in the pot next. For the sunflower house we planted seeds in an approximate rectangle (Eleanor marked the boundaries). We came out the next day to find the plot full of holes, dug up by squirrels, probably. It would have been in the squirrels best interest to leave the sunflowers to grow and reap the seeds later, but squirrels don't think about the future. We do have 5 plants still growing, but they're not doing too well for some reason. Next year I'd like to try blueberries and strawberries in that plot.
The front gardens are slowly filling up with weeds. The deer have stopped eating our day lilies so sometime soon I expect to have some beautiful flowers. I meant to plant vinca out there (deer apparently don't go for vinca like they do impatiens) but it's difficult to get excited about planting something that might just get eaten after a week or two. Maybe I'll try again in the fall.
We've got containers with mint, basil, thyme, sage, chives and one tomato plant. They're all going gangbusters right now. We've never managed to harvest a tomato, so we'll see if we get one this year. I'm waiting with baited breath for the beetles to come---they've always regarded our basil as their personal salad, but the basil always comes back when they leave.
Finally, in the back corner near the back garden we've got some sort of berries. I believe they're blackberries, but they're not very tasty and they have many many thorns. I'm not sure we'll harvest them. Maybe next year we could plant some of the thornless raspberries I saw at the farmers market, although that would mean eradicating the blackberry bushes. I'll have to think about it.
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