Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Maple Hill Hop 22



Maple Hill Hop

Welcome to 
The Maple Hill Hop
where we share what's going on outside our doors.


We've been harvesting from the square-foot bed
and resowing for future harvesting.


These are chioggia beets.


They are sweet and tender
and are striped inside!



It's been a real kick to pull up carrots for supper.


We're starting to see more green beans growing.



These are the Slenderette variety.



We've been picking sugar snaps for a few weeks now
and hopefully, they'll keep on comin'!
They're a favorite in my daily salad.



This is White Beauty eggplant growing in the square-foot bed.
I'm looking forward to comparing the taste to the Black Beauty variety.



The cardinals have been carelessly spilling seeds in the back bed.
I guess they weren't thorough enough in their sampling,
and now we'll have a nice grouping of  sunflowers.
We've also direct-sown lots of sunflowers and zinnias
all around the backyard.
I love me some sunflowers!





Zinnias have already been popping up 
next to a potted lettuce by the back porch door.



The small trellis that was recently installed near the garlic patch
has the beginnings of sugar snaps climbing.



The butterfly garden is filling in with
parsley, milkweed, native salvia, daisies, petunias and carrots.
Butterflies and caterpillars use these plants for both laying eggs
as well as enjoying nectar.
The passion vine covering the rain barrel in the back left-hand corner of the pic
is used to host Gulf Fritillary caterpillars.



The patio was rearranged to accommodate 
the growing array of seedling containers.
 The more I grow, the more I wanna grow.




I'm giving tomatoes a try.
These are the Old Virginia variety.



So far, so good!



More eggplant starts.
I'm hoping that if most of what I'm sowing is successful,
 we'll have enough to share with friends or neighbors.




I'm also starting some Moonflower plants
to bring to the next ROC meeting.
The plate-sized white blooms open at night, thus the name.
You can see a spectacular example here.



 Several zinnia types were started in toilet paper rolls
and discarded pots found in neighbors' recycle bins.
When the ones in the outer circle are bigger,
we'll just plant the whole thing in the ground,
allowing the roots to stay intact.



Over the weekend, 
I worked a lot in the garden on redesign.
A neighbor had given us these stone tiles,
so I added a small path in the back bed.
It's being lined with transplanted native red salvia,
which the butterflies love!



Another spot where stones were added,
 allows for one mindful step at a time.
That ensures a leisurely stroll through the garden.
We wouldn't want to miss anything!



I hope you enjoyed our trip.
We've been blessed to have delightful weather
in which to reap and sow.
Here's hoping that your spring garden
is just where you want it!
Let's HOP!
 



8 comments:

  1. Everything looks amazing! I have never tried the White Beauty eggplant variety - please share what you think once you've tried them.

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  2. Daisy, I always enjoy a walk through you gardens. Moon flowers are so amazing and their aroma is so wonderful. I really should incorporate more flowers into my gardens. The more I read the more I learn of the benefits. Attraction of pollinators would be the biggest advantage for me as well as added beauty.

    You are like a whole season ahead of my area here in Nebraska. We won't be seeing harvest until the end of July. Well, maybe some lettuce and radishes but beans and tomatoes are a good three months away. I have excitement just to be outside scratching around in the garden getting it ready to plant. This week will begin the outside planting for me.

    Have a great day in the Florida garden.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you will be able to start planting this week! I'll be envious of your growing season come summer when all we can grow is okra and sweet potatoes! ;0)

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  3. Those beets look great! And how neat that they are striped inside. It's like opening a gift! We are going to try eggplant for the first time this year (I think it's the black beauty variety). I hope it does well. Sugar snap peas are just about my favorite thing in the world! We planted some last year and they didn't do very well, but each time I went to the garden I'd see if there were any pods I could pick off and eat. None of them ever made it inside the house! They were my treat while harvesting veggies :)

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    Replies
    1. Those sugar snaps are SO good. Looking forward to seeing what you do in the garden!

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  4. Thanks for hosting! I've shared a couple photos of what my garden looked like... before last week's storm hit!
    ~ Christine @ Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers

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