My Garden This Week

**Kimberlina** · 05-15-2005, 02:10 PM

I'm back to post another update on my garden.

It is a bit overcast and wet today, but warm enough to go outside and get some gardening done. Other than pulling my potatoes out of the ground, Maggie has been a great help- she is very good at putting seeds in holes and also putting onion sets in holes, as well as being great at watering the garden.

This week, I finally got my third square foot gardening box built. It is the herb box. It is almost all planted out. Later I will post a graphic outlining the boxes and what is in them. Mostly, I planted seeds as I think it is finally warmed up enough to plant them, but I did put a few plants in as well. I purchased a lavender plant and a rosemary plant as they grow pretty slowly and I wanted them for this year, and I also planted an Apple Mint plant since I can't get seeds for that around here. I basically have two squares or each type of herb, except basil- I have one each of two varieties- lavender- same, of each, two varieties- and mints, same story. Somewhat OT, but DH and I went to Wal Mart (uck, but it is the only store close by that was open) and bought a roasted chicken. I also bought the rosemary plant. Those two things in my cart together smelled SOOOO good.

I also got the 2nd square fully prepared and started planting it out. So far I put in some pole beans and bush beans, as well as my second planting of peas. I got interrupted part way through with a request to go to the playground with DH and DD, and I couldn't resist.

Since I got my plants somewhat hardened off, I am going to plant them out today as long as the rain holds off. I have so much to plant, and not enough room near the supports for the climbing plants, so I have to work something else out. I haven't installed the vertical posts put in yet for the second box, so I may put them in and extend the second post well beyond the edge of the raised bed box, and that way I can just amend the soil in the ground a little and dig in there, planting some tomatoes and cucumbers there. If I can get my hands on a t-joint that fits my pipes, I may actually connect ll the posts and use the extra space for climbing plants.

I got some other great deals at Wal-mart earlier this week- I had already planted some onion sets I got from a local farm, but I found a bag of 50 sets for .50 and a bag of 10 shallots for .50, so I bought them. In my family, you can never have enough onions. I put many into square 1, but I also had to dig up a little area of my garden to accommodate the rest.

I also planted my potatoes. Last year DH dug a big rectangular pit in my garden, (he stole the sod and dirt for other areas in the yard, as my garden was neglected for the last two years) and I decided that was the perfect place for my potatoes. I planted store-bought potatoes that were sprouting, as well as seed potatoes from the farm/store. Hopefully they are far enough apart to not affect each other in case the store potatoes have any disease.

On the flower front, my other great deal at Wal-Mart was dwarf tulips. I bought a flat of 18 pink tulips for $1.80. Yup- that's right- .10 a piece. I haven't decided where I am going to plant them yet, but they were such a great price, and I have been wanting more pink tulips. The bulbs alone were worth more than that, but these are already mature. Can't wait to get them planted. I need to look up spacing info for them so I can decided exactly what I am going to do with them. I do have an idea I think might be really cute. I also have a lot of seeds to get planted. I have some flowers started indoors, but am not really ready to put them outdoors yet.

My harvest this week has been small, but I like every bit of it. I picked some garlic greens (from garlic planted 2.5 years ago- yikes!!) and also some rhubarb that went into the freezer for my sister. I picked off the seed pod stalks, as well, to concentrate the plants energy into making more stalks.

I have to get the grapes pruned, too. They were overgrown when we bought the place, and we just don't know how to go about it. I keep pulling up web sites that tell how to do it, but they aren't only for the grapes- they are also for privacy, so I don't want to trim it back quite as far as recommended. However, we got such bad grapes last year, it can't be avoided any more.

I also need to get the bucket prepared for my carrot/ tomato experiment and get that hung up on the far side of the shed. But first I have to get rid of the wasps!

Well, I should get out into the garden. I have lots planting to do!

**forestdale** · 05-15-2005, 03:42 PM

Your garden is sounding like a real hive of activity and growth. We eat a lot of onions here too. They are so good for you and I doubt a day goes by here when we don't eat onion and garlic. I believe that onions are the reason that I'm rarely sick.

What is your tomato carrot experiment?

I know you don't want wasps around with little Maggie there but many wasps are very beneficial in the garden. They often reduce the population of pest bugs. Try to identify your wasps and do a little research before you wipe out what you may need in your garden.

You got some great deals for your garden. I wish I could find money savers like that. We should go shopping together one day.

**Kimberlina** · 05-15-2005, 07:25 PM

Rhonda, the carrot/ tomato experiment is the one I made post about before. I will try to find it later- have to get back into the garden after I find an answer to a tomato question I have.

Anyway, I am trying to grow tomatoes upside down (well, it would be right-side up for you!! LOL) in a hanging bucket, and since carrots are companion plant, I am going to plant carrots in the top and se what happen. It is going to be a plain old 5 gallon wine-making bucket, so it will be rather unattractive, which is why I am hanging it from the far side of the shed.

As for the wasps, we shall see. There are also some VERY large bumble bees. I am looking into raising bes, but I am not ready for them yet!

I WISH we could shop together. I think it would be great if I was there or you were here. Maybe someday! As much as I abhor Wal-Mart, as I said before, there are many things I can't get any where else around here. I did buy my onion sets first at the little locally owned store, and wouldn't have bought any more, but they were on clearance and I just can't pass up onions. Thee are always great clearance sales there.

**jlxian** · 05-16-2005, 10:13 AM

Kimberly,

What a wonderful garden you are going to have! I hope you can share photos of it -- in any stage of development!

I think your idea of growing the tomatoes "upside down" sounds very interesting -- and I'll be eager to hear how this works.

We have tons of red wasps also. My husband gets the cans of wasp spray and goes after them, but I suspect you are hoping for a more natural eradication/control. I wish I knew one to tell you. I think some farm supply stores sell wasp traps -- I wonder how they would work?

As far as I know bumble bees won't bother you -- unless you happen to mow over their nest (they nest in the ground). The Quakers used to call them "humble bees" because they considered them docile.

I love your updates on your garden -- keep them coming!

**Kimberlina** · 05-16-2005, 12:46 PM

I will have to post pictures later this week. DH seems to have taken my camera. Well, actually, he LOST mine when he went to the Duran Duran concert a month or so ago. He swears he never took it out of the car, but he can't find it anywhere. And he is taking the old one (the one we have been forced to use since he lost the other one) to a U2 concert pre-party tomorrow. I'll never see it again.

Hopefully I'll find it or the really old one (the somewhat old one is the one we are using now.)

As for the wasps, when I decide to get rid of them, I will probably use my pressure washer to annihilate them.

Edited to make this make sense- I was talking about my camera!