View Full Version : My First Garden!
Today, I planted lavender along the side of our place, and then we planted two large terra-cotta pots with cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, basil, and cilantro!
We had left over veggie/herb plants, so we put them in the empty space (that I hadn't decided what to do with yet) along the house. it's shady, so I'm not sure how it's going to work, but i figure it's a home for them for now!
tomorrow, I hope to corner the landlady and help her remove the stuff from our back area that is HER stuff (read: junk), and put it into her garage. She said she would do this months ago, but she is very busy and so are we, so I'm hoping to corner her tomorrow!
Then, i'll start some flower gardening in the back "courtyard" areas. I found a lot of punnets of annuals -- various flowering kinds -- for $2 per 6 plants! I am thinking that various shades of white purple, and purple-blue will be fun. with sparks of yellow here and again.
I have a pallet to plant, and a few hanging baskets that i found in a dumpster down the road. I have the coffee bags to line them and then i'll just need to get another bag of soil, and we'll be good to go.
Cool thing, too, that we got all of the plants in and then. . . it started raining. :D so, they'll get a good waterin'! :D
Yay! first garden ever!
oh, and for everything that i bought today, we spent $129 but then had a coupon for 40% off a purchase over $100 and so we got it for $73.40! I'd saved up for it, and it should cut some costs this summer, if we get a crop at all. :D
hawk loved helping with the planting, too. :D
Yum! You planted so many of my favourites!!! :) Gardening is one of those things where not only does it provide one with a tasty mouthwatering bounty of goodness, it provides one with a sense of relaxation and meditation. Nothing like tending to ones joy. P.S. Every young child should be given the opportunity to help with gardening. Dirt (soil) as we all know, is a young child's best friend! I can almost taste homemade salsa right now!
iris lily
11-20-11, 3:38am
Oh that's right, your spring is just beginning. While we are putting our gardens to bed, yours is perking up!
yup, we are actually pretty well into spring (they count it from Sept 1), so this will likely be a late harvest, but I'm ok with that.
hawk enjoys watering the plants, but i'll have to be mindful that he doesn't overwater. i'm also glad to have him in the garden, but he sometimes does things too eagerly. he is only 3, so luckily as long as the pots stay planted, he can play in the bedded ones all he wants. our big thing is snails -- we have a lot of them. so we'll be paying attention and trying to take care of the plants.
Originally posted by Zoebird.
hawk enjoys watering the plantsThis put a glowing smile on my face and warmed me inside. :)
we moved the snails today. they like to sleep on the wall of the house, because it's both shady, but also warmer (since it holds the sun's warmth after that space goes into shade). when they wake -- we watch for them to wake -- we pick them up and move them to the "plants they are allowed to eat." LOL
we moved the snails today. they like to sleep on the wall of the house, because it's both shady, but also warmer (since it holds the sun's warmth after that space goes into shade). when they wake -- we watch for them to wake -- we pick them up and move them to the "plants they are allowed to eat." LOLHow awesome!
we did our weeding and moved the snails again this morning, the house is tidied, and everything cleaned up. I now head out to the tourist site to plan our holiday trip (and get the reservations going), and i'm planning on "putting things by."
i'm going to make a fair bit of fermented salsa, and i was also thinking of making pasta sauce. I'm not good at canning, but I was thinking that I could freeze jars of sauce. the fermented salsa can be kept in the fridge, really. I'd probably need another little fridge just for this stuff, though -- maybe i can put it where the dishwasher would be removed from? hmm. anyway.
Gardenarian
11-21-11, 4:24pm
My dd collects the snails and feeds them to the neighbors chickens. They love them!
i haven't found any neighbors with chickens, yet. it would be awesome for us to have chickens, but i'm not sure what our landlord and the ordinances are. we probably have enough space for a coup.
i saw a nice little rat colony while cleaning up a corner of the garden between my landlords and our house. oh yeah, i was squealing like a woman in a cartoon. A nice man came running from the street to make sure I was ok, and I told him "I just saw several RATS scurry from that place!" and he goes "ok, as long as they didn't bite you" and they didn't, and he was friendly, and i said "well, at least I know where to find dinner if the zombie apocalypse comes." He thought that was pretty funny.
I would raise guinea pigs and ducks, likely. Ducks for their most-awesome eggs; guinea pigs because they have more fat than rabbits, and you can starve for fat if you eat only rabbits. I'll leave the rat's nest for a last resort.
*yuck!*
Yum! The fermented salsa sounds delish!
it is very good. the fermentation gives it a sweetness. it balances out the spice nicely. :)
it's simple -- make basic salsa (tomato, onion, bell pepper, cilantro) and add a bit of ginger (because it has lactobacillus that will ferment). Add a bit of sea salt.
Put this in the fermentation pot (ours is clear, asian, and has a crank), and turn the crank until it won't go anymore. Put into a sunny window, and crank down daily (letting the juices come up. Notice the juices bubbling away after several days. Leave for 4-7 days, and then jar up and put in the fridge. Will keep in fridge (or cool larder such as basement, root cellar, etc) for up to 9 months. :)
The garden sounds lovely Zoebird. I love planting lavender as well.
Thanks for the additional information, Zoebird!
Did more weeding today, and we started clearing out the back "courtyard" areas.
First, we're moving out the landlady's stuff into her "back yard" area. She's been rather fussy/slow to respond about what our needs were in the house. But, it has come together. It took a whole week to get a repair/carpet person into the house for the flooded/leaking dishwasher. It was stinky -- probably because we hadn't used it in a while -- so we decided to run it to clean itself, and it flooded. The kitchen is carpeted, so of course it was horrid. And then moldy -- terribly moldy. took 10 days to get a response from her. stinky house!
Then, the back yard "courtyard" areas had flooded due to mud getting into the drain. this drain is where the sinks, laundry, and showers drain to. Which meant that any time we showered, etc -- flood. Took 10 days to get a response from her on that, and I finally called her and said that it's getting really, really bad (and stinky) down there, and I felt it was unsafe for us. That day, had someone come by for it, and the dishwasher/carpet.
So, this last bit is getting the chemicals (paints, solvents, etc) and various other objects (plastic storage drawers, a table, an old, metal shelf where the paints, etc were kept. Also, the microwave, which we don't use and don't have space to store.
We just decided to knock on her door today and say we would be happy to move these things to where ever she wants them. She lives next door, and has a huge garage with storage, so I can't see why she can't store them there! Actually, about 3 months ago she said she could, and she'd arrange to have the stuff moved, and I just said to let us know when she was available and we'd be happy to move them (being younger and fitter and such). Figure, getterdun!
And then, the last thing to clear out are some old pallets in the "greenhouse" part of the back yard. We were going to keep it, BUT i decided to remove it because the cats are congregating on there. It's where the mice live. By clearing it out, it would at least remove that nest that is *right next to* my kitchen wall, and possibly decrease mice entering the house.
I need to take brief moment to talk about mice.
In our last place, we had mice. We had mice because DH is used to living in the US, where you don't have mice in the house, and if you do, you kill them. In NZ, no one seems to care, and the common advice is "get a cat." And, the only way to prevent mice is *excellent food storage*.
So, we move into this place in June, and we have no mice. I explain to DH what all of the needs and requirements are of *excellent food storage*. We have more than enough jars for all of his nuts, seeds, and other bulk items that he buys in paper bags. He does our grocery shopping, and he puts things "away."
But, He wasn't putting his nuts or seeds into jars. He was leaving them in the pantry (which is against the wall where the mice live under pallets), in their paper bags. Then he would wonder why "there are always holes in these bags when I go to get the nuts/seeds." Between half-eaten seeds/nuts and mouse poop, i was surprised he wasn't figuring it out. Since I don't usually go in there, I didn't really notice.
Then, I did really notice when I went to declutter on "white friday." And, I opened the shelf to SEE a mouse! I squawked like a lady in a cartoon. LOL So, I spent most of Friday morning cleaning out the cupboards and getting rid of mouse-problems and decluttering the jars, plastic bins, and other items, as well as the drawers and so on. And, I told DH that he *absolutely* has to put his stuff in jars when he comes home, not the next day, not later, btu RIGHT THEN. and it's not hard, so just effing do it. LOL I do not want t live with mice.
And he says we are not ready for a cat, so I said "Jars or cat." And so we are using jars right now. :)
So, once that is all cleared out -- land lady's stuff and the pallets, we're going to sweep, remove debris, and then scrub with vinegar and water the concrete -- because it is stinky.
And then, i found these tiles (http://www.ezibuy.co.nz/homeware/outdoors/garden/wooden-garden-tile-set-76866.htm) on sale, and i think they will work. The main issue that we have is that, when it rains, it gets puddly out there, and then i have to sweep the puddles away. My friend used these on her patio, and she said it prevented the puddles from taking over, the tiles "float" on top of the concrete. then, the puddles dry up with the sun, and you can still use the space.
So, we're going to mark out (with side walk chalk) the number that we need for the whole back area -- leaving some space open/uncovered for the compost and recycle bins -- and then following along the ridge line which is at the far back of the yard. Since they are squares, we might have an interesting "zig-zag" effect, and then we'll put stones in (from the beach, likely) between the tiles and the ride line (and the house line if needed, and just any open spaces), which should allow the water to flow through, and make a nice finished look.
I also was given a gift certificate at the garden center, so I can get a couple more pots and plants for this area to make it really nice, and we are looking at a sandbox for DS (my parents want to buy it) -- but i don't know if it will fit into our various areas (still trying to figure that one out. :) which we'll do when we measure today).
i want to get it really nice before my parents come AND also for our "fourth of july" party in January. :)
Holy smokes, have you ever been busy! Major pet-peeve of mine, cleaning up other peoples messes (filth)! One thing about cleaning up, don't try to do too much, too fast. Pace yourself and work at it bit-by-bit, little-by-little. P.S. Love the tiles!!! Do post a followup on how effective the vinegar works for cleaning.
You know, I'm shocked that carpeting was used to the point that it was in your home. I would think that people living in such a damp/wet environment would utilize more tile and natural hard-surface materials. It would be the right thing to do IMO.
yeah, i think the carpet in the kitchen thing is nasty, but who knows? it's probably been here for ages, and no one has had a problem with it, you know? it's just SO hard to clean.
so, got the wood-tiles ordered, and i'm looking forward to getting them situated. I want to get the "hardscaping" of the courtyard done so that it is neat and clean. It looks so much better just being EMPTY to be sure!
Design no-no number one, carpeting in kitchens and bathrooms! Oh why- oh why... :) Oh boy, am I ever excited for you Re: the tiles! Doing design things is so much fun!
By chance, is there staining on any of the surfaces account all of the excess moisture/mold/mildew?
I'm not sure I'm understanding your question, Mrs-M. Just call me dense.
Is there staining on surfaces? Yes. The carpet had some one top and lots on the bottom for sure.
For the leaks in the ceiling, there are some brown marks. I can wash most of them without any problem. The one on the ceiling is hte biggest that I can't get clean.
The windows and floorboards, as far as i can tell, this is normal for NZ houses. It was like this in the last house, and is like it here, and all of my friends talk about it as well -- how they have to wash it down weekly/biweekly, etc. So, I think that is common/normal.
Out of doors -- on the concrete -- we have some strange rust color as well as some strange white (not strange, it's from soap plus you know, skin cells and such). That came up pretty easily with the vinegar. There's still standing water in the drain, so we do need someone to have a look-see again.
We are planning our 4th of July party.
So far, we have an invitation list of several adults and their families, and we are trying to decide if we should buy alcohol. It's super expensive, and I'm like -- i'm not sure we can afford alcohol AND meat. I was thinking of buying really good sausages, as well as really bad ones. The really good GF ones for us and our GF friends, and the bad ones for everyone else. LOL bad, I know, but that's what they eat anyway!
We can get a lot of wine for good prices (like $6-10 per bottle) for decent stuff if we get the sale deals online voucher thingies. I just don't know how much wine we would need. And also, does wine go with sausages, salads, and such?
I ask you. LOL
You got it, Zoebird, I was thinking staining on the concrete (hard surfaces). Rust spots, discolouration due to dyed/coloured things/products being exposed to wet/damp/moisture (leaching), etc. Staining of that type is always so difficult to remove or lessen.
As far as the ceiling goes, when you have the means (financially), the ceiling can be quickly (and easily) repainted.
Does wine go with sausages, salads, and such? Absolutely! :) And very well, too! Basic rule of thumb Re: wine at mealtime, white with red, red with white. i.e. Pork, chicken, choose a red wine, with beef, choose a white wine. Now of course, wine choice and preference isn't entirely written in stone, so do keep an open mind in relation to that. (I know people who drink red wine with everything).
The party sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun! I love family get-togethers! Especially when they are planned around great food and drink.
yeah, i have no rules. BUT, we were thinking of just providing all food, and then BYOB but we would provide Riesling -- which apparently is 'great for summer' overall.
the staining is going down with a good scrub. I need to go through and dig out some things as well.
our landlady 'wasn't home' yesterday, so i'm hoping that -- TODAY -- we can take the stuff from the side yard and put it into HER garage for goodness sakes!!!!!! BAHHHHH!
yeah, we can repaint. I just don't have any supplies. I'd have to borrow them. :D
I was thinking (if staining remains), a thick batch of bleach/baking soda could be prepared then applied to any stubborn areas and left to sit to do it's work. I'd start off with a little water and baking soda (try and balance it out so you end up with a thick paste), then add in a little bleach.
As far as painting goes, other than the actual paint itself, all you really need is a hand-roller and a small (medium firm) brush to edge.
So far, everything is well down. Most of it was caked into the mud that had covered the ground back there. WE dug most of it out, and the rest has gone down with no problems. The real issue is that there is some standing water IN the drain itself that we want taken care of, so we'll have to get that sorted. :)
Still haven't been able to remove stuff from the side yard.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you are able to sort out the last of the "Do's", and get onto enjoying all of your hard-fought effort. :)
I know, right? I'm texting the landlady today to see if we can do it this evening when I get home.
So, she said we could move the stuff to the far side of her house, between her house and the construction site next door, so we did that this afternoon!
Then, we cleaned up the back and laid the tiles -- they look AWESOME. I'm waiting for the tide to go out, and I'm going to go and get some rocks. lots and lots of rocks. It's going to look kind of japanese, I think. :)
I'm going to move one of the pots of veggies from the space where it is now, into part of the back that I cleared this afternoon, with a couple of other potted plants to go with it (flowers in two smaller pots). I think they'll look nice there.
This leaves the following little list for the garden:
1. get second laundry drying rack;
2. get compost bin and bokashi bins (once both of these are in play, I think we will have zero trash -- just compost and recycling!);
3. move one planter of veggies into the back garden, and plant two empty pots with more herbs (i'm thinking rosemary in one, and i think sage for the other);
This is the simple, basics of the back. I still want to get more plants and fill our the number of plants and pots that we have so it's very lush, but keeping it simple is also a good idea at this point. :D It just allows me to slowly build it up. :)
I also need to find a place to hang the wind chime. :D
I'm liking the sounds of what you are doing more and more all the time! Your beach rock hunt sounds like so much fun! Wish I could join you. You could also incorporate the use of sand amongst the rocks to lend a true sense of Zen, to your project. Then, from day to day, week to week, you could rake in a different pattern into the sand to represent you and your sons mood. How great would that be!
What kind of wind chimes do you have?
foremost, the sand in the yard won't work on account of the wind. It doesn't get terribly windy back there, but yeah.
the wind chimes are just cheap, hand-me-down copper and sun-shaped, stained glass. nice, but with the wind, i'll need to be mindful as to where I hang it so that it doesn't drive us batty going 24-7. :D
got about 1/2 of the rocks done in one area, and moved around a few pots and things to see how I wanted things to look, how I wanted them to go. the tiles work *exactly* the way that we wanted them too. I even knocked dirt, mud, and water off the hillside and was able to take care of it lickety-split! So NICE!
also managed to clean house a bit.
i'm working on an article for a friend's blog. lots of writers block. if you can believe it. LOL
Awww.... what a shame about the sand. Re: your chimes, how nice! Stained glass is a definite, major weakness of mine. If I could have it my way (financial ways and means), I'd have stained glass all throughout the house. Stained glass would grace every window and door in our home!
Maybe, when you get things the way you like them, you can post a picture for all of us to see. That would be so great. Re: the writers block you are battling, allow yourself a little time to recuperate from all the muss and fuss you have been put through lately. Once your brain settles down and your body catches up, I'll bet you'll be back on track again and writing better than ever!
I woke up this morning with 1/4 of it already written, and i'm working on the second 1/4 right now.
My FIL is on Skype with DH, and asking for (yet another) list of movies to rent/watch. it's so funny because when DH makes a list, they'll watch one or two on the list, and tell us how "terrible" it was because of whatever weird hang-up they have, and then not follow through anyway. They do this to him every several months. LOL I always suggest that he just write down 3-5 random movies at a time for them to hate.
Back to gardening. Got about 1/3 of the rocks down, all of the weeding done, and i moved some pots around just to fill in some empty space. It's so good to have the crap out of the back! YAY!
So, i'll just need a few plants, and then the greenhouse needs to be sorted out. Not sure what that's going to be. :D
Looks like another burst of progression has visited you, Zoebird. Great stuff! Freedom, in the way one is able to move, think, plan, organize, and establish (through design), makes all the difference in the world. Whenever I'm attempting to look at a certain project with intentions of improving it, if the area or space in question is spoiled by clutter, it affects my ability to visualize and move forward.
it is so true. I have to declutter. if i don't, i feel crazy. I'm constantly decluttering. People say that it's funny how much I do it, but less is so much more!
rocks are nearly done, and it is working. we had a good rain last night, and there's a bit of water on the tiles, but the mud and such is under them, so easy done.
oh, and the plants are growing really well. :)
Glad to hear the tiles are working as well as planned/intended. I had reservations Re: how well they'd work, if at all, so the latest news is music to my ears, knowing your investment and vision paid off.
yeah, i do have to sweep them, but they are working.
Well, i came up with a solution to my "second" garden problem.
My neighbor's dog is very smelly. I might have mentioned this before, but I couldn't figure out how to manage it. Let me preface by saying: 1. i love my neighbors; 2. i love my neighbors' dog; 3. they take very good care of this dog, he is well trained and well behaved, well fed and washed. this particular breed of dog is unusually "musky" and also rather oily. their oils stick to anything remotely fabric-like, and without regular cleaning, these things take on a heavy odor over time. Our neighbors have a shelf with several cloth-y items on it -- tents, tarps, life vests, and similar -- that is on the wall that we share, on their side of the wall. So, this is where the stink lives. :)
Add to this that our drain back there hasn't been cleared out. There's a bit of standing water -- and so it's pretty stinky. Hopefully, the land lady will act on this stink fairly soon.
My second garden area is part patio area (very shady, some sun), and then an open area (morning sun plus afternoon partly-sunny). I've decided to focus on *fragrant* plants. :) Roses, geraniums, daphne, lavender, herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage which have strong scent. I'm going to pot it all, but place it out like an english cottage garden.
There's a garden that has heritage roses from all over new zealand that they specifically seek out. For example, if you are out hiking, you might find a random rose bush. This happens because during the colonial period, a lot of people went out to their land claims to create a living. Many of htem brought with them heritage plants from the homeland -- seeds, small root stocks -- and it included flowers as well as herbs for culinary and medicial purposes. People often think that a rosebush is just for beauty, but the reality is that roses have several culinary, cosmetic/cleansing/etc, and medicinal applications. truly, it's one amazing little plant AND it's pretty AND it smells nice. So, this particular gardener gets information from people all around, and goes and digs up the plants and brings them back to the garden to cultivate. Some of the cultivars no longer exist -- because they've been hybridized right out of existence from the colonial period of NZ (mid-1800s) to the present.
Another cool thing is that the roses behave differently here. The volcanic soil makes them HUGE. to be sure, even geraniums -- our anemic little house plants -- grow into hedges here in NZ. and I don't mean small hedges. I walked past a hedge today that was taller than me (5 ft 7), and was made up of what appeared to be only 5 plants in a row. This was not a three foot long hedge. It might have easily been 9 feet. So, the roses that would be a "rambler" -- which creates a massive plant -- in the US or Europe creates a "giant rambler" that can, quite literally, overtake a house. In fact, many are drawn off of structures when brought to the farm -- uncovering the original cabins!
So, this farm has beautiful gardens and they give tours talking about the roses. In addition, they run a nursery where you can get roses cultivated on their own root stock or from the healthier stocks of similarly-aged plants (via grafting, of course). By "aged" we mean not the exact age of the plant, but from a breed that has a genetic history or relationship to the same era. They wouldn't put -- for example -- an 1843 rose on a 1994 root stock of a hybridized rose. It would go onto the root stock of a similar rose from, say 1857. That one might have been cultivated from seed, the root stock particularly strong, and good for grafting.
Anyway, you get tours of the gardens and descriptions of the different roses.
And in addition, they have a nursery for these roses, as well as several other kinds of plants. they sort of specialize in "heritage gardens" and "english gardens." It's pretty cool stuff. And their plants are ridiculously well priced.
So, my mom and i were talking and not only do they want to see this farm (we are all into plants), but they also want to buy a few for us to have in our little garden.
I'm making my list. To cover some dog-and-drain stinky. I want a "heavily perfumed" variety, I think. LOL
I'm jealous already just reading about your plans for a fragrant garden. You are sooo bad. :)
Lovely little tidbit Re: roses, and their history. Most interesting.
Re: the plugged/slow-draining drain, have you tried snaking it?
I haven't, no. One, i don't have any equipment to do so. Two, I don't know what to do. Three, Yuck. Four, the landlady's responsibility is to pay for the plumber for the snaking, right? Five, Yuck again.
Had an unexpected expense that sets back my fragrant garden, but hey, whatever. :)
Don't want to spark any fear, related to the problematic draining of your courtyard, but DH mentioned that (more than likely) the draining problem/issue is the result of the "field" itself being saturated with mud, silt, and debris. More than likely the result of a poorly planned design. Just something I wanted to put your way.
Regarding the roses you have and are starting, have you considered trellising? Would look so elegant and refined in your setting I'm sure.
http://www.justourpictures.com/roses/imgs/dublinbaytrellis2.jpg
Would be such a nice way to provide a security perimeter between you and the neighbours, and, their dog. Privacy plus design. You could incorporate two or more trellis frames to create a fence to completely and totally secure your side of the property.
MrsM: I have no doubt that such is the case. It is New Zealand. LOL
I had considered trellising, but in talking to the farm, they recommend trellising something else because climbing roses don't like pots so much, and often overgrow the trellises and pots pretty quickly (turns out, they are large plants).
But, I am looking at honey suckle as an option, because it can be contained via a pot and trellis or -- one of those spike things? what are they? topiary cages or whatever. So, looking into that as one pot, one pot of roses, and lots of little pot of everything else.
The owner of the studio where I did teacher training this past weekend sent me home with a brown bag full of herbs to plant. Each one's root wrapped with a bit of soil and paper towel. He said just plant them as-is, towel and all, because he dipped the inner towel in a bit of worm-tea fertilizer, and it should help. I got lemon balm, mint, peppermint, and spearmint. Right now, I have them in the fridge, and this evening, I'm hoping to plant them.
Hawk was also given a sunflower to plant. The kindy gives this as an end-of-year gift for the kids. I don't know what size pot it needs, but I'm thinking of planting it just by the door, next to the lavender. It's just one big sunflower. Pretty. :)
The nice part about established rose bushes, they can be aggressively pruned and cut-back if they become too tall or overgrown, so don't allow that part about growing them to be a stumbling block to you.
The lemon balm, mint, peppermint, and spearmint, sounds delightful! I can almost smell them now. :)
Gosh, sunflowers, I remember them as a kid, and quite honestly, it's been about that long since I've seen one.
Also, for colour, take a look at Virginia Creeper. Gorgeous! A superb variety for trellis applications.
Zoebird, I thought of you yesterday when I was placing a seed order with Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Looking at Spinach they had a couple of varieties which were "spinach-like" though not the same species. One was called New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides). It is suppose to do well in the heat and produce all summer long. I'm looking forward to giving it a try.
That sounds awesome, jania. I just looked it up on the internet, and . . . I just pulled a crap load of "weeds" out of one area of my hillside . . .guess what I pulled? LOL NZ Spinach! Luckily, there's a ton across the street at the beach. How funny is that? Now I'll have to purposefully transplant some. Just goes to show!
I really need to take that foraging class. Apparently most of NZ is edible.
lost one basil and one coriander/cilantro -- everything else going strong. :)
got the rocks down, too. looks really nice. :D
need to plant DS's sunflower, but otherwise, everything is looking good. :D
So happy for you I am! Loosing new plantings is common, even the best of gardeners are subject to such loss. You did well! Going to be dreaming about that sunflower. Such a nice way of representing childhood. Growing, maturing, beaming with life!
it's the tradition of the kindy to give that as their end-of-year gift. It's a really nice little thing. I'm fairly certain I've managed to kill it, though.
Awww... you just need a little practice that's all! :) Try, try again!
yup!
ok, came home from the holiday, and the sunflower is a goner (just waited too long to plant it). one of the transplanted lavenders is going a bit yellow, the other one looks most certainly dead, but I think i'll trim it back and see what happens. Worst case, I'll replace it.
the tomatoes are looking *amazing* as is the coriander (also called cilantro). It looks like only one or two basil are going to make it though. I lost one tomato plant. The rest are in flower, so we'll see what is what there. The peppers and cucumbers are growing nicely, BUT no flowers and i don't know if we'll get any fruit at all. We shall see. :D
zoe too bad about the sunflower, but it's not too late to grow them from seed. I've never purchased a sunflower as a starter plant because they are VERY easy to germinate, just strew seed directly in the ground. They grow incredibly fast.
So sorry to hear of your gardening woes, Zoebird. I hate loosing anything "garden related".
Great tip, Iris Lily!
eh, i figure it's all good experience for me. And it's fun. I'm looking forward to adding flowers and stuff. I have a goal of spending $15 on plant and pot every 6 weeks, to fill the garden out nicely (and heading toward winter, I'll just put it into a fund for spring).
Yeah, that's the fun part of gardening, you can do as little as you want, or as much as you want, whatever suits your needs, but however one looks at it, it's fun no matter what the approach one takes in their venture to liven things up! I like your budget allowance idea. Helps take the sting and bite out of it.
so, my coriander (cilantro) "bolted" and went straight to flower. so, it requires -- apparently -- more shade and more water than it got. Bummer.
cucumbers are not looking great, but my peppers and tomatoes look good. basil is so-so -- looks like only two plants made it, and they are not doing great. LOL
lavender is doing very well, overall. took a bit of pruning, but everything is back-in-action. looks like i'd lost one of them, but it's fine now. :)
If you aren't against using any sort of fertilizers, Miracle-Gro plant food is out of this world. A little goes a real long way. Also, make sure the soil is loose and non-compacted. Additionally, don't be afraid to converse with your local nursery staff. I find nursery staff is always so knowledgeable and offering.
here is the so-far tally:
three tomato plants with green fruit on them. One has 5, the other has 6, and the third has 2 tiny, tiny ones. Two more tomato plants given to us by friends -- no fruit yet. Two pepper plants still live -- one has flowers.
All cucumbers, most peppers, and all of the herbs (basil and coriander) bolted or died (or bolted and died). Lavender is going strong. two small flowering plants -- i don't kno the name of -- are also doing well. Both have flowers -- totally unexpected. Wild "nz spinach," fennel, and parsley is doing fine.
So far, doing ok, I guess. :) I gotta learn about the herbs -- keep them from bolting. I'd like to plant out one of the pots in just herbs so that -- over winter -- we have plenty of herbs to cook with! I got a book out of the library. It's about herbs in UK. Not sure if it will translate to the NZ. But whatever. It should at least be able to tell me how to keep the herbs from bolting.
We've found that for a steady supply of cilantro, it helps to start new plants about every two weeks.
Also cilantro/coriander has been bred in two different variations:
Variation 1: To maximize leaf production and delay flowering.
Variation 2: To grow quickly to size and then flower to maximize the speed at which coriander seeds can be produced.
See if your seed catalog has some of the kind that emphasizes that it is for cilantro and slow to bolt.
The UK book will probably be helpful, but info may need to be adjusted as you would have more hours of sunlight and more heat than the UK.
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