Thursday, October 27, 2011

Most recent pictures of my garden this fall, even in this cold weather











Friday, October 21, 2011

Garden Updates

 Well, its about time to pull my tomato plants up. The wind broke down one of my slicing tomatoes, thankfully it didn't have any fruits so I'm not too worried about it, however, the remaining 2 I'm concerned about because 1 has 3 tomatoes, & the other has loads of flowers, but with it being so cold I doubt it'll pump out any late tomatoes. However, my 3 cherries & jelly beans are still producing & kicking butt! The most recent one that I got off it was a little smaller then a golf ball. I'm going to try & get a "winter" garden going of potatoes & possibly some lettuce, depending on how things go. Good luck winterizing your garden everyone!







Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Well, here are pics recently of my tomatoes & peppers, I picked about 6 jelly bean tomatoes today, unfortunately they weren't quite ripe enough yet, so they need a little longer to become soft, but they're reddening nicely!
              These are the Jelly Bean tomatoes that I picked today:
     My Brandy Wine slicing tomatoes are plumping up nicely, finally!        Here's a from above view of the jelly bean & cherry tomatoes:
                                  Cherry Tomatoes
                                     Jelly Bean Tomatoes
                                   Cherry Tomatoes
                             Unripe & nearly ripe Cherry Tomatoes
                                   Yet, more Jelly Beans
                  (I have 3 plants of Jelly beans & 3 Cherries)                                       

Thursday, September 29, 2011

My garden is growing!

Wow, here are a few new pics (yes, the same plants), but bigger and more fruit! My biggest slicing tomato has turned into "two", so I won't be able to use that one, but the other 2 are looking nice. I haven't got any fruit on the other 2 slicing plants yet, but we'll see. I've got a hot pepper! I bought a 4pack a while ago, & I finally have 1 hot pepper, I forgot to take a pic of it though....but my Serrano's are growing nicely, & I apparently have a pet spider. I'll try and get a pic, he's cute with green eyes. He's been there since hubby moved the pot in it's location, so I'm guessing his momma had her egg somewhere nearby. I'm hoping he's removed himself by the time I bring them in, though, as they're not dangerous, they are aggressive, even towards humans, and I wouldn't want to get bit by him, nor have my daughters or cats!
    I didn't get a good enough pic of the peppers, with said spider in there, defending his area! But I will soon, outsmart the spider.......







Thursday, September 22, 2011


This is what I've done to my peppers to prepare them for bringing inside whenever the temps drop lower then 45degrees. I've taken small square chicken wire & wrapped it around, tied with the extra wiring that comes with it.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Ok, as promised, here is a picture of my big Brandy Wine Tomatoes. This was the only picture worthy of going on a blog, so up it went! I can't wait for my other 2 slicing tomato plants to produce fruit!




Sunday, September 18, 2011

my garden

well, i finally got produce! i have one cucumber! Plus tomatoes, I have Cherry & Jelly bean tomatoes. Now I have 3 slicer tomatoes on the way, I haven't gotten a picture of them yet, but I will when they're a little bigger. I also have about 12 Serrano Peppers (at least I think that's what they are!)










Saturday, August 27, 2011

Well, most of my garden died off, other then a bell pepper plant, which was the Purple one I bought from the store, a handful of other misc pepper plants I grew from seed, about 6 either jelly bean or cherry tomato plants, that only gave me 3 jelly beans, & 3 slicer sized tomato plants. I haven't gotten any slicer's yet, but maybe soon since they're flowering nicely! Oh, I also have a cucumber plant that has 4 cucumbers on them! My very first year growing, & I'll have to take a pic of them this week and post it. This fall, I'm going to buy some loamy soil & make a frameless raised bed for my tomatoes next year, and mounds for everything else. I'm still trying to figure out a good bunny resistance for my green beans, I want to grow the green kind & some that are purple, & turn green when cooked. The rabbits ate all 4 of them.....I was so disappointed, I almost bought a bebe gun, lol. Well, here's to research on that! I'm also going to try and find a recycled trelace so I can have a spot in the yard for shady plants, but that'll be later on. Next growing season I'll be taking things slowly, since I'm planting from seed, some I think I'll buy, but we'll see! 

Friday, May 13, 2011

Well, I've got alot of tomatoes growing that will be transplanted within the next week, I've got 4 of all but eggplants still for my vertical bed, & still 2 jalapeƱo starters. It rained really bad the other day, so I have to wait on the ground to dry to finish the bed, unfortunately, but at the same time, it gives my plants extra time to grow taller & healthier. My sunflowers are doing great, they're getting taller & taller. My mom bought me a rosemary plant that likes full sun, so I put her right with the sunflowers, & she's doing great! I think my purple cone flowers are finally growing, so I'll be able to put them into the ground like I planned, with the sunflowers soon as it dries up enough. I did get 2 heads of romaine lettuce in the planter that I thought died when it hit the floor, but they're healthy, & I actually found a partly shady spot they like. I think I'm going to move them to the other porch, though, where its even more shady so I might be able to get more lettuce. I am surprised though, that the rabbit has left them alone. I didn't get to my raised beds this year, due to finances, but, I will be putting up my tomato tepee's as soon as they're tall enough, I'll have at least 2-4 of them. As soon as everything is up & planted, I'll try and get pictures taken & posted on here, too. No new updates other then the cold weather is finally gone, & plants are thriving this year!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Ok, I know I haven't posted since March, but April was a flop with all the plants I tried growing. My cats got to them, the heat, the cold, too wet, you name it! Well, now we're nearing the end of frost season, so I'm feeling safer & safer. I've got Okra, Jubliee tomatoes, jelly bean, cherry, & brandy wine slicing tomatoes growing, they're all between 1/2"-2" tall now. I've got about 8-10 sunflowers, called Autum Beauty, in their bed, with part of the bedframe up. I'm getting some mulch from a friend to help reduce grass growth around them, so they don't get choked out. The same friend gave me alot of Iris plants that are going around my shed (once my grass gets cut)! I just planted all the plants for my vertial garden, so we'll see sprouting in a few weeks. I did get the chicken wire for it, so now it needs to dry up a little so we can mow, to get my stakes in the ground for the garden :) I can't wait! I do have to find a new home, however, because I forgot my landlord is doing work at that side of the house this summer (don't want to block his work space). This summer is looking very fruitful in many ways!! :) Will post more later on!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

My new babies!

My okra are now about 4" tall, my lavender is nearly 3" tall, my cilantro got too cold & didn't make it, but my chards are growing nicely, too! They're about the same size as my lavender. I figured out the math on how to plan my sunflowers & purple coneflowers so they'll sprout & bloom around the same 2 weeks as each other. Its working out great, but now all I need is my ground to dry up & get nice weather so I can plant into the ground!!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Restarting my garden

Well, I had to replant everything. I think my mini-green houses got too cold in the window, so I replanted things & they're almost all sprouted. I think only 2 things haven't. So far, I planted okra, iceberg lettuce, 2 types of hot peppers, Swiss chard, and lavender. This coming week, I plan on planting some sunflowers, coneflowers, eggplant, pole green beans, squash & cucumbers for my vertical garden, and I'll be planting alot of tomato plants in pots, and 3 in the ground. So far everything is going according to plan, again. I found 2 2X2's around the shed and I'm going to use them (I have to buy it, but I'm going to use chicken wire to hold up my plants). I'm sure it'll work out. I'm still planing on the tepee's for my tomatoes I'm staking in the ground. So I'll be busy this summer, plus, I may help my sister with a couple raised beds for herself, but we'll see! Happy planting!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

I have seedlings!

 I checked my plants yesterday and I found 4 Sicilian Basil, 3 broad leaf Sage, & 1 catnip so far. There not very big, but they are there!!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Well, warm weather turned into about 2-3" of snow...but its supposed to get warm again, then turn cold & snowy this weekend, but hopefully in a couple weeks my plants should become seedlings. We'll see. I have them in my bay window, but I'm debating on moving them to the top of the refrigerator, I'm thinking the cold might be affecting their growth. I've got to clear some things off, but its manageable. I did end up putting my basil plants up higher, & its working out nicely. My onion experiment didn't work out very well, it looks like its going to die on me, its all wilty.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Yay for warm weather! We were in the 40's a couple days ago, and it got me motivated to plant some seeds. I took my foil lasagna pan, & 2 2ltr soda bottles (take and whack off the top of the bottles, fill with dirt & cover with plastic wrap). I'll get pictures as I can to upload them so everyone can see what I mean. I planted Catnip, Sage, Lavendar, Christmas Basil, and Scillian Basil. I planted them on Jan. 5th, so I'm sure I'll get some seedlings in Feb., and I'm anxiously waiting!! Will post the time span of each plant as they sprout up. I'm keeping them in my kitchen by light that's on all day, the lasagna pan is on the bay window, & the 2 soda bottles are on the microwave under our kitchen light which is on most of the day (but regardless from the windows & light they have constant light).
  Ok, well, on the microwave didn't work afterall.....my cats reclaimed it & knocked over one of my basil plants. So, I repoted & put it on a cabnit that they don't dare try to jump on :) (they'll get stuff falling on them if they do, lol).

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Gardening Links

Here's a link to making a hotbed/cold frame for your gardening starters from Better Homes & Gardens:
http://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/garden-structures/building-a-simple-cold-frame/

(I personally will probably make a hotbed of manure since its the most eco-friendly & cheapest route to go! Even though I can only have a couple small ones, I'm also going to try & build a cold frame to put on my back deck which is the south-eastern part of the yard).

Here are a few more links for making a hotbed & cold frames:
http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/cold_frames-hotbeds.html
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=g6965
http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Building_a_Cold_Frame
http://www.gardenhelp.org/greenhouse/garden-construction-coach-on-how-to-build-a-cold-frame/
http://www.instructables.com/id/Cold-frame-construction-with-recycled-materials/
http://www.allotment.org.uk/greenhouse-growing/build-coldframe.php

Gardening Suggestions, Ideas & Tips

Ok, I've gotten to the point where I've been carrying a little notebook in my purse for gardening tips & ideas I plan on doing this coming Spring season. I'm also writing down what ideas I get from what books (with author names), so I can go back for references (and to share with you). (I'll get the book title & author soon for these tips). But I got some nice tips from a Missouri Gardening book:  It suggests to start growing tomato plants from seeds indoors (best way I've done it is in a mini-green house, or as in my other post, cheaper lasagna pan), on March 17th and plant outside on May 8th (not quite sure why, but I figured I'll give it a try this year and see if its better for the plan due to weather, etc.). I don't have very much information right now, but I'll be posting alot in the future.