So, I have noticed that I have a little problem in my garden- ants. I have never noticed them before. I don't know if it is because they are truly becoming more prevalent or if it's just because I am in the garden more. Either way- they are a nuisance! They creep into all my potted plants and infiltrate them. They are eating my morning glory buds. Now today (the absolute last straw) I noticed one of my green beans was a little droopy. I checked it out and saw the a bunch of ants were crawling up and down the stem!!! Luckily they hadn't gotten to any other plant-yet.
So, what do I do? The bed with the green beans is 8 inches off the ground surrounded by wood. If they can get up there, they can get anywhere. I can't just spray them with pesticide, since they are around delicate flowers and veggies. HELP!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Orange blossom memories
Growing up in central Florida, we had a lot of time to garden. As a child I never liked to myself. I did not (and still don't) like to get dirty (go figure!) and it seemed to be something I wasn't good at anyway. Looking back we were surrounded by all the wonderful heat loving plants and veggies Mother Earth allowed to grow in Florida. On one side of my house we had a huge hibiscus- easily 6 feet tall, with gorgeous fuchsia flowers. My grandfather would cut it down to nubs every winter, and by April it would be six feet tall again. On the other side we had a gigantic oak tree. The kind with roots that got so gnarly you would have to jump over them if you happened to be running. It shaded the whole east side of our house. Our back yard was crazy. Right behind our back fence was a mini jungle. We grew bananas, at least 4 trees. Some random elephant ears, and a bunch of other greenery I never knew what they were. I was always scared back there because it was home to dozens of snakes and spiders.
My grandfather also had an old antique bath tub. The kind with legs that made it stand up off the floor. He planted all sorts of annual flowers in there, and in a refurbished toilet. In the corner of the yard was a huge Aloe plant. It was at least 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. He also grew peppers and tomatoes in large 5 gallon plastic buckets. I remember putting 2x4s in the soil and tying the plants to it with an old ripped t-shirt when it got too big to stand up.
The big kicker, though, was the fact that right next store was two lots full of grapefruit and orange trees. Some guy in another state owned the lots, and he had us take care of the trees. Imagine enough space for two houses to go on full of citrus trees! I hated having to go in them. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and bugs and gross stuff like rotting citrus surrounded by those tiny flies. I will never forget the smell of rotting citrus! My grandfather would take this long pole with a saw on the end and trim the topmost branches and knock oranges and grapefruit off. You had to watch out or you would be caught in an orange shower! We would drag back garbage bags full of fruit, where we would peel and squeeze them. To this day I have never developed a taste for citrus. The trees are all gone, and two houses are squeezed where they once stood. Even my grandfather is no longer around. But one thing I do have that I can grab onto is an orange tree in my front yard. Every year, right around this time, it gets covered with orange blossoms. The easterly breeze brings their scent in the house. One whiff of it and I am taken back to when I was a kid in those trees. And it's a great feeling :)
Orange blossoms from my own tree!
My grandfather also had an old antique bath tub. The kind with legs that made it stand up off the floor. He planted all sorts of annual flowers in there, and in a refurbished toilet. In the corner of the yard was a huge Aloe plant. It was at least 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. He also grew peppers and tomatoes in large 5 gallon plastic buckets. I remember putting 2x4s in the soil and tying the plants to it with an old ripped t-shirt when it got too big to stand up.
The big kicker, though, was the fact that right next store was two lots full of grapefruit and orange trees. Some guy in another state owned the lots, and he had us take care of the trees. Imagine enough space for two houses to go on full of citrus trees! I hated having to go in them. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and bugs and gross stuff like rotting citrus surrounded by those tiny flies. I will never forget the smell of rotting citrus! My grandfather would take this long pole with a saw on the end and trim the topmost branches and knock oranges and grapefruit off. You had to watch out or you would be caught in an orange shower! We would drag back garbage bags full of fruit, where we would peel and squeeze them. To this day I have never developed a taste for citrus. The trees are all gone, and two houses are squeezed where they once stood. Even my grandfather is no longer around. But one thing I do have that I can grab onto is an orange tree in my front yard. Every year, right around this time, it gets covered with orange blossoms. The easterly breeze brings their scent in the house. One whiff of it and I am taken back to when I was a kid in those trees. And it's a great feeling :)
Orange blossoms from my own tree!
New crop, and such
Hello again! Well, it has been about 3 weeks since I planted veggies and herbs in my garden. We already have some things sprouting! Here they are:
This is my red rose bush. It has never given me a rose in two years, until now!
I planted my aloe vera and mulched around it. It seems to be doing good, except it absorbed some of the red from the mulch :-/
Larkspur! Doing great in my front walkway.
My cucumbers are coming in nicely. I planted these strictly at the request of my husband and mother-in-law. I can't stand them, but they love them!
My corn! 6, each gets a square foot. Everyone had a horror story about their corn growing experience to share when I mentioned I was growing it, so we will see. The back row is Country Gentleman, and the front is Silver Queen.
The sprout in the back are green beans. To the left are a colorful mix. The right is some organic bush type green bean. They have some kind of Jedi force with them, they are willful little guys! Sprouted after 3 days. In the front is a rosemary I planted.
These little guys are carrot sprouts. Nanes half long to be exact. I am nervous about these, veggies that grow underground and I do not have an awesome track record.
Above the lavender is basil! And lots of it.
This is dill. It too has really taken off. My friend Brittany had some last year, and it smelled wonderful. Can't wait!
Welcome back crepe myrtle! The bush definitely looked sad all winter, but even it is starting to get it's leaves back :)
That's all for now!
I planted my aloe vera and mulched around it. It seems to be doing good, except it absorbed some of the red from the mulch :-/
Above the lavender is basil! And lots of it.
This is dill. It too has really taken off. My friend Brittany had some last year, and it smelled wonderful. Can't wait!
That's all for now!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A Hard Days Work
So, this Sunday my husband gave me $200 and said "Go work on the garden." Sweet! I proceeded to make three trips to Home Depot (once was because I forgot something). Coincidentally, they were having a kids planting expo, so Indiana got to get his hands dirty and learn how to plant a flower!
So anyways, I ended up doing two projects. First, I secured my arbor. It was actually harder than I thought it would be, and I think I may have to fix it. I have an area next to my shed I wanted to kind of border off and make into a "reflection" area. So I put the arbor in the front, and planted 6 Indian Hawthorns and 3 butterfly weeds. I am hoping to put a table and a few chairs, and eventually either a fire pit or water garden in their as well. here is what it looks like:
I planted morning glories and moon flowers at the base of the arbor. They should grow and vine about 3 feet up into the arbor. We were trying to decide whether to put the water garden or fire pit inside, so that is why they are piled in the middle. The second picture is of my Indian Hawthorn. The third one is the butterfly weed.
I also dug a pathway in the front. I bordered out about a foot and a half from my front walkway, and planted alternating petunias and pansies. I threw in a few snapdragons as well. Then I mulched it all. Here is what it look like:
The wooden border is temporary, just to keep the mulch in.
I also planted my aloe vera, two blueberry bushes, and finished adding manure and organic compost to my two garden beds. Here they are:
Aloe vera!
My blueberry bushes. They like highly acidic soil (4.5-6.0) and my soil is slightly acidic already. But I put a bunch of peat moss into the soil, since it is supposed to be acidic. I know this is going against the old adage "go with what works and it will cause you less work" but i REALLY want blueberry bushes! Let's see how it goes.
2 beds, ready to be used!
And lastly, I bought four herbs from a local nursery a few weeks ago. Three lavender and one rosemary. Here is a picture:
The first three are the lavender, and the last one is rosemary. I will plant them in the ground this weekend.
This Saturday is my big planting day! I am going to plan out my rows, and sow most of my seeds. I will be planting onions, cucumbers, green beans, corn, carrots, lemon balm, dill, rosemary, basil and lavender. I am also planting my zinnia, dame's rocket and larkspur. Fingers crossed for a sunny day!
So anyways, I ended up doing two projects. First, I secured my arbor. It was actually harder than I thought it would be, and I think I may have to fix it. I have an area next to my shed I wanted to kind of border off and make into a "reflection" area. So I put the arbor in the front, and planted 6 Indian Hawthorns and 3 butterfly weeds. I am hoping to put a table and a few chairs, and eventually either a fire pit or water garden in their as well. here is what it looks like:
I planted morning glories and moon flowers at the base of the arbor. They should grow and vine about 3 feet up into the arbor. We were trying to decide whether to put the water garden or fire pit inside, so that is why they are piled in the middle. The second picture is of my Indian Hawthorn. The third one is the butterfly weed.
I also dug a pathway in the front. I bordered out about a foot and a half from my front walkway, and planted alternating petunias and pansies. I threw in a few snapdragons as well. Then I mulched it all. Here is what it look like:
I also planted my aloe vera, two blueberry bushes, and finished adding manure and organic compost to my two garden beds. Here they are:
My blueberry bushes. They like highly acidic soil (4.5-6.0) and my soil is slightly acidic already. But I put a bunch of peat moss into the soil, since it is supposed to be acidic. I know this is going against the old adage "go with what works and it will cause you less work" but i REALLY want blueberry bushes! Let's see how it goes.
And lastly, I bought four herbs from a local nursery a few weeks ago. Three lavender and one rosemary. Here is a picture:
This Saturday is my big planting day! I am going to plan out my rows, and sow most of my seeds. I will be planting onions, cucumbers, green beans, corn, carrots, lemon balm, dill, rosemary, basil and lavender. I am also planting my zinnia, dame's rocket and larkspur. Fingers crossed for a sunny day!
Spring is coming!
In Florida, the first signs that the Earth is waking up are starting to be visible. My gardenias and jasmine are slowly starting to turn green again. Trees are beginning to blossom. Early blooming flowers like roses and milkweeds are showing color. In short-- bye bye winter! I went around my yard and started to take pictures of all the signs of life I could find. Here they are!
My dwarf rose bush has started to bloom! This is the tree that my husband accidentally mowed over back in November. I am glad it is coming back. The flowers smell so nice.
This is the rosemary I bought from Lowes last year. It is doing so well. It's almost a small bush now. It is so fragrant!
This is the front bed I planted last year. The front bush is hibiscus, and the other bushes are lemon lime plants. The dead flowers are annuals (silver fog and pentas) that I need to pull up and replant something else.
My beautiful magnolia! This March I will have had it for a year. No blooms yet, but I wake up and check every day. I have a feeling it will happen when it warms up a little bit.
These are my three gardenia bushes. The one in the middle is perking up well. Even the one on the left I thought was dying is getting some leaves. The one on the right looks a little droopy :(
My jasmine vine. It still has yellow spots and looks kind of sick, and has stopped growing. I will see how this does.
My flower shaped thermometer, and my flower pinwheel I got in tarpon Springs, Fl.
That's all for now!
My dwarf rose bush has started to bloom! This is the tree that my husband accidentally mowed over back in November. I am glad it is coming back. The flowers smell so nice.
This is the rosemary I bought from Lowes last year. It is doing so well. It's almost a small bush now. It is so fragrant!
My beautiful magnolia! This March I will have had it for a year. No blooms yet, but I wake up and check every day. I have a feeling it will happen when it warms up a little bit.
These are my three gardenia bushes. The one in the middle is perking up well. Even the one on the left I thought was dying is getting some leaves. The one on the right looks a little droopy :(
That's all for now!
First set of plantings
It's getting to be planting season in sunny Florida! Spring is just around the corner in my neck of the woods, so on Thursday 2/10/11, I looked through my little book of notes about gardening, and picked out the plants that needed to be started inside. My hubby got me a black container with little pits in it (like an egg carton) so I decided to use that. I picked the following to plant: calabash tomatoes, tigerella tomatoes, pink tomatoes, California wonder sweet peppers, oregano, and sage. It has been almost two weeks now. I keep the lid on, and leave it outside during the day. It produces almost a greenhouse effect. Here is what they look like now:
The top two 9x9 squares are oregano, obviously not sprouting. The two 9x9 squares are all my tomatoes. They are sprouting already! The third square down on the left is oregano. They are some of the smallest seeds I have ever seen! They are sprouting up well! And that last 9x9 square is sage.
I can't wait to see how they come out!
The top two 9x9 squares are oregano, obviously not sprouting. The two 9x9 squares are all my tomatoes. They are sprouting already! The third square down on the left is oregano. They are some of the smallest seeds I have ever seen! They are sprouting up well! And that last 9x9 square is sage.
I can't wait to see how they come out!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Spring 2011 garden, and a little about companion planting
After many moons after toiling over what will be planted this spring, I finally have my master plan! I have spent hours shuffling seed packets around, paying attention to which plants get along and which ones can't be near each other (for example corn can't be by tomatoes because it attracts a bug that feeds on tomatoes). All this while taking into consideration those that need trellises, full sun, partial shade and those that need extra space. Whew! A lot of thought went into it, that's for sure! Here is my 8x6 bed:
Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean
Oregano Oregano Oregano Rosemary Rosemary Rosemary
Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
Sweet pepper Sw papper Sw pepper Sw Pepper Sw pepper Sw pepper
Basil Basil Basil Lavender Lavender Lavender
Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato
Sage Sage Sage Lemon balm Lemon balm Lemon balm
Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion
The rows with similar plants (IE the green bean row) run north to south for maximum sun exposure. The green beans need trellises so they are on the end. Here is my 6x6 bed, right next to this bed:
Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
I just realized that I wrote these rows down backwards- the first north to south row should be corn, corn, then 4 lemon balms. No biggie, just turn your head sideways! Anyway, I was going to do the veggies in one bed and the herbs all in another, but space constraints combined with some plants not getting along made me reconsider. I had no idea some plants competed for the same nutrients! I had to seperate the tomatoes from the corn and dill, the cucumber from the sage (it stunts it's growth), and the carrots from the dill. However, I also found out that some plants work as a team together. The lemon balm will welcome the shade provided by the corn, dill attracts benefical insects to the cucumber, and rosemary and basil make everything around it happy. I read about a tale of Native Americans and the Three Sisters crop: they would plant corn, string beans and squash together. The corn would provide shade for the squash and support for the beans; the squash would control weeds and the beans would fix the nitrogen in the dirt. The ultimate companion plants!
I plan on doing another bed sometime in late March. I will amend the dirt and plant my summer crop: zucchini, squash, watermelon, and eventually pumpkin. I want to have that for Halloween, so I will probably plant that one in June.
That's all for now! Until next time, keep your hands dirty :)
Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean Green bean
Oregano Oregano Oregano Rosemary Rosemary Rosemary
Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
Sweet pepper Sw papper Sw pepper Sw Pepper Sw pepper Sw pepper
Basil Basil Basil Lavender Lavender Lavender
Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato Tomato
Sage Sage Sage Lemon balm Lemon balm Lemon balm
Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion Onion
The rows with similar plants (IE the green bean row) run north to south for maximum sun exposure. The green beans need trellises so they are on the end. Here is my 6x6 bed, right next to this bed:
Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Corn Corn Corn Cucumber Cucumber Cucumber
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
Lemon balm Rosemary Basil Lavender Dill Stevia
I just realized that I wrote these rows down backwards- the first north to south row should be corn, corn, then 4 lemon balms. No biggie, just turn your head sideways! Anyway, I was going to do the veggies in one bed and the herbs all in another, but space constraints combined with some plants not getting along made me reconsider. I had no idea some plants competed for the same nutrients! I had to seperate the tomatoes from the corn and dill, the cucumber from the sage (it stunts it's growth), and the carrots from the dill. However, I also found out that some plants work as a team together. The lemon balm will welcome the shade provided by the corn, dill attracts benefical insects to the cucumber, and rosemary and basil make everything around it happy. I read about a tale of Native Americans and the Three Sisters crop: they would plant corn, string beans and squash together. The corn would provide shade for the squash and support for the beans; the squash would control weeds and the beans would fix the nitrogen in the dirt. The ultimate companion plants!
I plan on doing another bed sometime in late March. I will amend the dirt and plant my summer crop: zucchini, squash, watermelon, and eventually pumpkin. I want to have that for Halloween, so I will probably plant that one in June.
That's all for now! Until next time, keep your hands dirty :)
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