Mulch: Ugly but Effective

I really don't like mulch. It reminds me of childhood playgrounds and I really didn't want to use it in my vegetable garden.  So if I hate mulch so much, why does my garden look like this now?

Noooooo!

I ultimately gave in because, despite creating a raised bed garden on top of barren soil, I've been getting loads of weeds.  Weed control isn't the only reason to mulch, though.

Why You Should Mulch Your Garden

• Reduces weeds.  It is much easier for a weed to break through a layer of soil than a layer of wood chips
• Insulates against temperature extremes
• Moderates moisture levels.  Water that doesn't absorb into the roots can evaporate off of the top of the soil
• Topsoil retention.  The topmost layer of soil is less likely to blow away or get washed away when covered in mulch
•  When it decomposes, it releases nutrients
• Fallen fruit is less likely to bruise on a bed of cushy mulch vs water-compacted soil
• Some people think it looks nice.  They're wrong, of course. 

So there you have it. The benefits of mulch outweigh its ugliness.  I have conceded. Go forth and mulch your gardens.  Just, for the love of gardening, don't use the red mulch.  It's ugly enough as it is- no need to make it also look like the garden grandma built in 1957. 

Stay weed-free!

Christine

Let there be fruit!

They're going to grow to be the size of a small fist.

Look what I grew! The tomato plants I sprouted from seeds all those months ago have their first fruit. Spotted on Leftie, these wee tomatoes are probably 1-2 days old. I'm do glad I have some progress to fuss over on something other than the giant cayenne peppers.

Parsley from Seeds

About a month ago I was in Target's $1 section when I happened upon the cutest little gardening kit.

Product info available at http://www.buzzyseeds.com/

The kit comes with seeds, dehydrated soil, and a little plastic cup.  Instructions are on the back of the cardboard packaging.  All you do is wet the soil, allow it to expand, and then just barely plant the seeds underneath the soil.  I planted 8 of the seeds (about 1/3 of the total seeds) and 100% of them sprouted.  Not too shabby.

It's a parsley victory for this gardener.

The only problem with the kit is that the pot has absolutely no drainage.  This meant that I got a little mold at one point and had to let the soil dry out and the parsley got a bit wilty.  Perhaps poke some holes in the bottom of the plastic pot before planting the seeds in the first place.

From Egg Carton to Pot

Ready to re-pot as of a week ago, to be honest.

Remember my fantastic tutorial on egg carton gardening?  Well, all three types of seeds sprouted.  The cilantro grew fast and furiously, overcrowding and killing off several stalks, despite the fact that I only put one seed per segment.  Two of the three basil seeds sprouted healthy plants, although one took off for absolutely no reason.  Two of the three serrano chilies sprouted, one section sprouting three plants. 

You can tell it's time to re-pot your plants when any of the following occur:

• Your plant reaches a height that is wider than its container
• The roots of your plant attempt to get out of the bottom of the container either by cracking it or finding a hole to crawl out of
• Your plant, after happily growing for a few weeks stops growing abruptly
• Leaves from one plant begin to cover leaves from another plant
• Your plant suddenly wilts over, depressed with his current living situation

All of the above happened for me (sorry, plants) and it was high time to re-pot.

Magic Beans? I Mean Peppers...

I remember being a child and feeling wonder at the small bulb of a burgeoning tomato that, mere days before, was but a flower.   Well, my cayenne peppers are giving all tomatoes ever a run for their money.  Yesterday, I took a picture of the largest of the cayenne peppers.  Voila:

Aww look at the flower aka future pepper in the background.

As you can see from the scale of my fingers since I have no rulers, the pepper is approximately 1.5 fingers wide.  That was yesterday morning.  This afternoon, 28 hours later...

What? I don't even...

Uhhh... it is now approximately 2-2.5 fingers long and beefier in every way.  Go, pepper, go!  There are now 4 peppers on the plant in addition to this one that are the size this pepper was yesterday, so this baby is producin'.  I'm sure that I'm not mixing up peppers because this one is at the very top of the plant and the next pepper down is quite a ways down. 

Between the tomatoes I'm growing, cilantro, and cayenne peppers, I'm going to have the summer of the salsa, it seems.

Stay spicy,

Christine

Gardening Noob

I've never really gardened.  Growing up, I sprouted beans and tomatoes in various grade school classes.  I remember my dad mowing over my tomato plant on three separate occasions.  I remember sprouting carnations and getting them about 2 inches high before my dad mistook them for weeds and applied industrial strength weed-killer to my flower bed.  I never really gardened because I never had a safe place to garden.

In college, I learned the joy of container gardening.  My windowsill garden contained African violets, bamboo, the saddest bonsai tree I have ever seen, and cacti.  Everyone grew cacti in college.  College had its own problems for an aspiring green thumb.  Weekend trips to the beach, study abroad, and school breaks meant transporting my portable garden frequently,  and sometimes leaving it with friends and family.  This was not terribly conducive to any of the plants, except the cacti.  They just wouldn't die.

So, finally, I have a yard.  And gardens. And vegetables.  I keep getting ahead of myself.  I want to plant lilac and hydrangeas and some ferns and butternut squash and carnations and and and I have to remember that I live here now. I'm not going anywhere and neither are my plants (so long as I take care of them, of course).

I have a little piece of Earth to call my own, and so I'll cover it in flowers and fruits.  

Old Faithful: Tomato!

Tomato flowers = tomatoes on the way!

 So I finally got my tomato plants, Lefty and Righty, into the ground. They immediately took off with the growing and the flowering and the actual possibility that they will produce tomatoes later. 

Many gardeners and 2nd grade teachers love growing tomatoes because even 2nd graders can grow them from seed.  The simplicity of tomatoes makes many a gardener depressed when the ever-so-simple tomato does not grow according to plan.  I've grown many a plant in my day and have learned quite a few tricks along the way. So, without further ado...

How to Grow Epic Tomatoes

• When you transplant your plant, bury the stem and it will become a really strong root system.
• Pull off "suckers." Best described as the leaves that grow in the "armpit" of the plant, between the arms and the stem.  They risk blocking other leaves and force the plant to focus on leaf-production instead of fruit-production.  Death to suckers!
• Pull off leaves and branches at the base that touch the ground.  Leaf rot makes a happy tomato plant a brownish, droopy plant. 
• Water regularly.  If the plant gets irregular water, the fruit will come out deformed and rotty looking. 
• Keep bunnies away.  They like the leaves. Keep deer away. They like the fruit. 
• Stake the plant before planting it.  If you stick a giant pole right next to the plant, you risk destroying the roots.   If you already have the plant in the ground, use the circular-style wire steaks.  At least then you can put them as far away from the stem as possible. 
• If you notice all insects are avoiding your plant, feel free to cross-pollinate with a Q-tip and some patience. 
• Don't forget the fertilizer.  You can use fertilizer specific to vegetables, or just all purpose plant food. Follow the directions carefully- too much and you'll kill the plant. 

Good luck and good growing!
Christine

I can grow other things too, you know.

It smells to heaven of roses!

So, my gardening (in)expertise is not limited to vegetables and herbs.  I am also attempting to grow roses.  I don't know how much of their growth is related to my awesomely green thumb and how much is due to a generous helping of Miracle Grow the day I put this little lady in the ground.  Regardless, I will be taking credit for their growth from here on out.

Unlike my vegetable garden which has awesome soil, all plants in the front yard are settling into ground that is rich in clay and rocks.  Mmm.. rocks. Nothing a plant likes more.  So we'll see how successful my rock garden grows.  Next year we'll probably scrape off the very thin layer of topsoil and mulch, edge the whole thing with stones, and dump bags of good soil in.  There's a reason the previous owners didn't grow any flowers. 

Leggett Farms

Tiny success.

We've had our first success here at Leggett Farms (which is what I have decided to call my wee vegetable garden. Suck it, spellcheck. No, I do not mean Legged Farms).  Above, you can see my very first cayenne pepper.  The first pepper started popping not too long after I put the plant into the garden bed.  I probably would have had the first growth 2 weeks ago if I had moved the plant sooner.

Protip: big plants don't like living in little Styrofoam cups.

The cayenne plant is about 1.5 ft tall and has a plethora of flowers and buds, all of which have the potential to become chilies like this little guy.  Right now, I'm watering the garden once a day and adding a little Miracle Grow all purpose plant food every 14 days.

Have a spicy day!

Christine

Upgraded Gardening

Look what I made!

It was about time for this blog to go from the "starting small" to the "growing tall."  We bought a house and, after two weeks of being too busy, too tired, and too everything, I finally put together a raised garden.  I used Bonnie brand Raised Bed Kit, which was about $39 and 5 bags of Scott's brand garden soil.  I really should mix in some compost and mulch, but I did this the stupid way, so I ran out of time. 
I had read all sorts of blogs and instructables and Home Depot's weekend projects and everyone said to kill the grass by covering it with newspapers and weights (bricks, stones, etc).  That way you can just rake up the dead grass instead of laboriously pulling it up.  Guess which I did?  Then I broke one of the corner stakes because I decided to be smart and hammer it down before leveling the area. Again, because I'm awesome.  Add to that the fact that I may have waited wayyy too long to plant the zuchinni and cucumber and they both developed Sad Leaf Syndrome (SLS) which is the umbrella term I use for all plant illnesses.
All in all, I'd say that this project was a difficulty level 4 on a scale of 1= I could do this drunk and 10= calling Home Depot crying.  I made it into difficulty level 7 with stupidity, but what can I say- I like a challenge.. that I create for myself.

Have a great week, my fellow brown-thumbed bloggers!

Christine