Garden Friday

Welcome to a sodden Garden Friday!
We've had almost 4 1/2 inches of rain since Tuesday,
with more predicted this coming week.
No need to use the drip system we recently installed.
No complaints here!

 Along with the pelting rain,
the winds have been fierce.
Some of the sunflowers in the pollinator bed
have fared the worst.
Hopefully, once the weather calms down,
I can get out there and stake them up.

 Another casualty from the winds 
was one of the birdhouses.
I found it face down on the ground,
the ten foot pole having been blown over.
Thankfully, when I checked inside,
there were no eggs yet nesting there.

It got fastened to the gazebo frame
until we can get some more rebar.
I hope the occupants decide it's safe enough to return.



The snap peas are blooming now,
so they were given a dose of worm castings.

 A few pods have been sampled,
with much satisfaction.
There is nothing so fresh tasting
as a snap pea eaten off the vine.

 One of the 4X4 beds was partially planted,
but until the rains hit,
there wasn't much action here.
Now it seems that the seedlings have grown
several inches in just a few days.
There's nothing like Mother Nature's blessings.

Detroit Dark red beets

 The lettuce and kale in the coffee cans exploded!
The scarlet kale will be transplanted into a raised bed,
as I hope to relish eating it for months.

The strawberries in the galvanized tub seem content.
This batch was acquired this season from Cooperative Extension
during their yearly plant sale.

 Another batch was gifted by a dear friend last year.
They are planted in a straw bale
and are putting on fruit.
I'm thinking I might cover them with deer netting,
so that we actually get some berries to enjoy.

 This is the first time I've tried using netting
to protect my plants from larger critters like birds and squirrels.
It's easy, organic and causes no harm.

 

 There's a volunteer cantaloupe growing in the pollinator bed.
The plan is to move it into a container,
although since it's already flowering,
I may have waited too long.

 We have squash coming up in one of the 3X8 beds.
Three varieties were planted,
but so far, only two have germinated.
The rest of the bed will be planted with sweet potatoes this weekend.

A new bean to me, Dragon Tongue, 
(I wrote the wrong name on the tag),
popped up yesterday.
This versatile bean can be eaten fresh, shelled or dried for the pantry.
 

 If we get a break in the weather,
one of the weekend's tasks will be to empty the trailer
of another load of free mulch.
Slowly, I'm working on expanding the walking areas around the garden.

 The front porch garden is coming along.
Most of what is here returned from last year
including the allysum, coneflowers, Gerbera daisies, lantana,
milkweed, rudbeckia, and salvia.
Even a stray sunflower arose,
most likely thanks to squirrels or birds dropping the seed here.
The bird bath in the middle,
fashioned out of an old cement base and a plastic saucer,
gets many visitors each day.

rudbeckia

The flower seedlings started earlier in the week
are germinating and will be ready for transplanting in a few weeks.
These include daisies and zinnias.
(The wire caging is what I used before acquiring the deer netting.)

blanket flower

The rain may have slowed down my work in the garden,
but the crops, flowers and frogs are mighty satisfied.
Here's hoping for just a wee bit of sunshine
so that I can tackle some garden chores this weekend.

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, 

snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, 

only different kinds of good weather."

~John Ruskin

Garden Friday

blanket flower

Welcome to Garden Friday!

The garden is loving all the rain we've had,

and the gardener is grateful she hasn't had to water!

Summer blooms are arriving early along with the humidity.
We have a mix of things to share today,
with a couple of field trips thrown in for good measure!

It's been wonderful being able to harvest greens for my daily salad.

A mix of beet greens, kale, all kinds of lettuce

and pea leaves have been enjoyed every day.

This weekend's plans include sowing more lettuce

to get me through the next few months.

With the arches in place on the straw bales,

I'm hoping the shade provided by the morning glory vines

will extend my season. 

 
I would also like to get the beans and tomatoes planted.
Stake-a-cages will be made for the tomatoes,
following instructions from the Old World Garden blog,
and the beans will be added to one of the raised beds recently constructed. 

Someone gifted me this Mortgage Lifter tomato seedling.
It was in a pot on the back deck and something 
(confounded squirrels) snapped it right in half.
Since it was the only one I had,
I decided to just stick it in water to see if it would come back to life.
Would you look at those roots?
Amazing, isn't it?
When plants have that urge to grow, nothing gets in their way!

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one eating the kale and lettuce around here.

Although I am doing an early morning check every day,

slugs are still getting their share of the goodies.

I erroneously assumed that they wouldn't like 

crawling across the rough straw bales.

Guess it doesn't bother them one bit. 

Along those lines,

one gardener I spoke with told me that they don't like mulch,

so her garden is topped with the small-chipped stuff.

She reported having no slug issues.

I'm experimenting with several organic deterrents.

One method I learned about was using these copper scrubbies

on the stems of crops.

 The slugs are supposed to get a healthy jolt

whenever they come into contact with it.

I also read about sprinkling used coffee grounds

near the base of plants

because slugs would avoid it.

Tried it.

Another technique I read about was to place melon rinds

near the crops overnight to attract the slugs.

The next morning, when you turn over the rind,

it should be loaded with slugs.

The theory is that they all congregate on the rind,

so they are easy to eliminate.

So far, I'm not seeing the results I'd hoped for,

but I'll give it another week

(and hope that I still have lettuce to eat).

I'd still like to test the beer trap theory.

It's probably the most well-known remedy,

and at this point, it's worth a try.

 Another option I have is to keep my lettuce and kale growing up here

on the back deck.

I haven't had one slug on the lettuce I've been harvesting here.

(I hope I didn't just jinx myself!)

More things are popping up
that I can't identify.
When someone else plants things,
you never know what you're going to get!

One of the projects we tackled this week,

was assembling this frame.

It used to be a gazebo-type structure,

but the canvas cover only lasted a season

before the heavy winds in Central Florida tore it up.

I saved the frame, knowing that one day it could be put to use.

With Big K's help, we completed the assembly in about 20 minutes.

This will be our frame for growing loofah.

It's a first-time crop for me,

and I'm looking forward to the novelty.

Twine was used on the top of the structure,
to allow the vines to have a bit more support.

Summer is on its way!

One of the projects our Master Gardener class is working on

is replanting these boxes on Main Street downtown.

It will help us fulfill the volunteer hours needed

to become fully certified as Master Gardeners.

We are excited to create a new design in the six beds that line the main thoroughfare,

and we hope to use drought-tolerant and native plants.

A group of Master Gardeners is already maintaining this gorgeous rose garden

that enhances the parking area at the local library downtown.

A variety of roses bedeck the grounds.

My favorite part of this garden
(roses aren't my thing),
is this cluster of crape myrtles.
The architecture of the branches is just stunning.

It's a blessing to be surrounded by opportunities to garden,
whether it is in my own yard,
or being able to volunteer my time.

What's happening in your garden 
on this last Friday in May?

Plant Profile-Blanketflower

Today we begin a month-long series
on native plants.
Every Friday, we'll feature a different plant
that thrives in our Central Florida climate.

Today we begin the series with 
blanketflower.

Blanketflower is a sun-loving annual
that grows well in zones 3-11.
Its brilliant red, orange and yellow blooms
are reminiscent of a beautiful watercolor masterpiece.
This Florida-friendly native is drought tolerant,
low maintenance, and easily started by planting the dried seeds in the spring garden.
Through spring, summer and even into the fall,
this stunner will grace your garden with a muted pop of elegance.

This versatile plant can be grown as a ground cover, 
(hence the term, blanketflower),
or used in conjunction with other plants,
and stand upright up to 3 feet tall.
It tends to spread,
so be sure to give it lots of room to strut its stuff.
The ability to tolerate dry conditions
allows it to thrive during long periods
when rain is scarce.
It loves full sun and especially appreciates
well-draining soil.
It is often found in coastal regions,
and is considered highly salt tolerant.




Another wonderful feature of this particular annual,
is that it attracts a multitude of pollinators
including bees, butterflies and wasps,
while being deer resistant.
Being more conscientious about planting for pollinators
is a personal goal.
We strive to support these crucial creatures
in every way we can.

Hopefully, you'll be able to add this lovely bloom
to your garden repertoire.
You'll be glad you did!

It pays to go native!