Glossy Basil

The basil is taking off in the garden.  I will never grow just one plant ever again (I've got 4 so far with 2 seedlings in the works).

Stay sweet,

Christine

Pretty Pretty Parsley

Just stopping by to say that I have more parsley than I know what to do with and I understand why so many restaurants throw it on the sides of plates for garnish.  It grows like mad!

To happy herbs,

Christine

Meet the Tomatoes

It doesn't really matter what Burpee brand decided to name these tomatoes.  Essentially, the plants on the left and right are beefsteak tomatoes and the one in the center is an heirloom tomato.  I decided to stake the tomatoes this time because last year they took over the entire garden, flopping down on the rest of the plants every time it rained or we got minor wind.  The stakes are only 50 inches tall, so I'll still use the railing behind the garden for support if/when they surpass the 50 inch stake. These pictures were taken May 21st.  As of that date, the heirloom tomatoes were winning in the height department at 16 inches. First to 50 inches wins absolutely nothing!

Stay sunny,

Christine

Strawberries

This was my strawberry plant before Unidentified Animal ate all of the strawberries and flowers the plant was growing. Unidentified Animal (my guess is rabbit) also dug all about the garden bed over the course of 3 days, presumably looking for bulbs, carrots, or whatever Unidentified Animal eats.

Since our fence is apparently not Unidentified Animal-proofed (is any fence?) and since we're trying to teach our dogs not to hunt Unidentified (or identified) Animals, we decided to use a harmless animal repellant.  We chose Havahart Deer Off based on price, application, reviews, and toxicity to animals.  It basically smells nasty to squirrels, deer, and rabbits.  The stuff apparently dries on sprayed surfaces and stays for a while.  While you're not supposed to spray it on edibles, I sprayed all over the mulch and raised bed walls, as well as all over the grass surrounding my garden and at the base of our fence where a rabbit could easily squeeze under.  So far--- so good.  No more flowers have gone missing and no more holes have been dug in the mulch.  Sorry, Unidentified Animal. I would have shared my strawberries, but you got greedy and ate them all.

Bye bye bunny,

Christine

June Garden Update

Good evening blogspot,

I have been off enjoying life (i.e. working a new job, decorating the house, walking the dogs, and exploring the local area with my husband) so much that I have neglected my poor blog, despite all of the gardening I've been doing.  Here's a photo update to be followed with at least a few more regular posts.

I've had a few successful beginnings this growing season.  First off, my yellow bell peppers have begun to flower.

If you look carefully inside of the flower you can see the beginnings of  a greenish bell pepper.

Fleurs Fleurs Fleurs

From the top left, clockwise: lilacs, petunias, knockout roses, impatiens, and azaleas.

Things I have learned in growing these plants in zone 7:

• Knockout roses don't get their first blossoms until mid-May.
• White azaleas take longer to blossom than pink and purple varieties.  My neighbors have had blooming azaleas for 3 weeks now.
• Impatiens require more water than petunias.
• You have to remove the dead impatient flowers yourself or else the plant looks crummy.

Stay sunny!

Christine

Transplant Pots

I took these pictures back in March when it was actually useful to transplant.  Now that it's May, it's a little late but maybe you can tuck this away for next year.

Biodegradable Transplant Containers

You will need:

• Scissors
• Newspaper
• A bottle
• Tape or liquid glue
• Soil
• Seeds

Soil pictured far right. I'm pretty sure I was sitting on the seed packets.

Instructions:

1. Wrap the newspaper tightly around the bottle. 
2. Glue or tape the paper to itself to form a cylinder. If you use tape, you'll want to remove the tape later when you transplant into the garden.
3. Slide the bottle out of the paper tube carefully
4. Fold one end of the paper cylinder closed and tape or glue shut.  
5. Cut of the excess tube. You want your pot to be about 6-8 inches tall.
6. Fill with soil.* 
7. Plant seeds according to seed packet instructions. Water, etc. You're done!

*Note: With some plants, like tomatoes, burying the plant stem partially helps the plant develop a strong root system. To aid this, don't fill up your pot all the way to the top with soil.  Leave 1-2 inches free so that when your plants grow past the top of the pot, you can add more soil to the pot to bury the stem.

Finished tube for tomatoes. 

Window sprouting line-up. The ghost peppers belong to my husband. They never did sprout.

Stay sunny,

Christine