How is your garden growing? Ours is doing pretty good, so far. The one problem I'm having is my tomatoes are splitting down the middle, and they are staked real good? Surprising, the toms are still alive and growing so I'm hoping to get some, but have already warned the husband, we've got to come up with a better tom cage! Most of our veggies are in raised beds, it's much easier to weed, mulch stays put and easier on my back. I'm growing cucumbers on a trellis this year and they love it! I do too, leaves me room for a couple of zucchini plants, that have already supplied me with a batch of zucchini relish and zucchini fries tonight! I'm also trying mini pumpkins are a trellis, next to the pumpkins in the photo on top, and bird house gourds too. I want to make a purple martin house colony out of them next year! The front line of boxes are mainly herbs: rosemary, sage and lavender for future soaps and salves.
The bottom photo is the potting shed, it's coming along, not as fast as I'd like it too but as the budget allows. I'm hoping it will be completed by fall, I vision pumpkins and mums all about! It will have a porch on the front, old rescued windows on the sides and a old screen door for air control, for now. Next year, we hope to add a greenhouse off one side and mower storage on the other. I've been combing through my old issues of Country Gardens for ideas and I'm getting excited the closer it gets to completion.
Now for some garden gossip! Did you know that roses love coffee just as much as I do? lol I've been saving all our used coffee grounds in a old coffee can and applying them each time the can is full, they love it and are growing like crazy!! My tomatoes and peppers love teabags too! I've been mulching them with our left over tea bags from each brew and they look so perky! And don't forget those egg shells! I crumble them up and sprinkle around the base of any plants that caterpillars like to eat, mainly the toms, so far, it's working! If you have any handy tips, please share them here. I'd love to try some more tested, natural ways to re-use and recycle! Happy gardening!!
Your garden is fabulous. I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished potting shed!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Susan and Bentley
Thanks for the tips! your garden looks wonderful! And I know you're anxiously awaiting that potting shed. Off to a great start! We have a lot of projects like that.. we work on it as the $$ comes in ;) My garden has a lot of issues, but just picked my first tomatoes yesterday. Hoping the tomato blight/fungus doesn't wipe them out too early this year :-/ Enjoy your weekend! -Tammy
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law gets wild ladybugs from our favorite camping spot and puts them in her garden. I understand that you can buy ladybugs as well.
ReplyDeleteMy tomato cages didn't do the job either. They just fell over with the tomatoes as they got bigger! I need a new method, too. I planted oregano plants around and inbetween my tomatoes. It does keep the insects away. I had not heard about eggshells doing the same. Thanks for letting me know about that. Your garden looks just gorgeous. I think I'm going to go from containers to the raised garden. Too many weeds, grass etc., around the containers where the mower can't get to. I like the clean look of the raised beds!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of trellising the mini pumpkins! My only tip is that for my raised beds I pound a metal T post in the ground about 18" on each side then wire an 8' section of concrete wire mesh. I tie the main stem of the tomato to the mesh and weave some of the stems in and out through the wire this keeps them really stable and they can grow as tall as they want. I also leave these in for years and use them for peas and beans as well.
ReplyDeleteNice idea mulching with the tea bags Sue. Your garden is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour potting shed looks like it will be fabulous. Mine is finally close to completion....shelves and a final painting is needed. My garden is looking big and green....just waiting for the produce. My patience tends to run thin at this time waiting and waiting and waiting.....
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend!
These are some great gardening tips...Now if I could just find a tip for keeping the garden growing during a drought...
ReplyDeleteBlessings..
shug
I'm not going to get around to having that garden I'd dreamed of this year.
ReplyDeleteBut I like the way you've designed yours. So I may "copycat' it next year!
I planted marigolds between all my tomatoes, took alot since I have 30 tomato plants. But is was worth it, not only is it beatiful but it works like a charm!
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