Garden Friday

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday.

The weather this week has traversed

from summer to winter temperatures,

but by the weekend, things should settle down.

Our first wicked freeze happened on Wednesday night,

with temps dipping down to 24 degrees.

The Romaine lettuce has been looking delectable,

and here's hoping that the covers placed over the bed

have saved them from any harm.

The brassicas in two other beds should be fine.

Not sure if it's easy to see here,

but the garlic has popped up in the grow bags.

This is the first time I'm using this tool for this crop,

although we have an entire 3X8 bed planted elsewhere with this staple.

before

Earlier this week,

we did away with the center crepe myrtle in this bed.

The dogwood to the left and the other crepe myrtle

to the right will be much happier to have some space.

The center of the bed can be filled with perennials

that love an abundance of sunshine.

after

The rue that was planted just under this tree

has been left intact and is showing signs of growing.

This is one of the host plants for the

black swallowtail caterpillars.

This tower of black-eyed susan vine

will be history after the freeze yesterday morning.

Ah well, it gave us many weeks of beauty

and seed was saved for next year's blooms.

The cotton fields are becoming engorged with

this miraculous crop.

It's just fascinating to me that we can grow the makings of the fabric

that fills up so many rooms and closets in our homes.

I'm a thrift shopper,

and have focused on purchasing only natural fibers for my wardrobe.

Cotton, linen and wool are always my first choices.

A little while back,

I entered a photo contest sponsored by our

local electric co-op.

One of my pictures was chosen to be published

in their monthly magazine,

and they paid me $25 to boot!

This month they are looking for shots

that capture the essence of North Carolina.

This is the photo I will most likely enter.

The intention for me is to connect with my subject,

and hopefully bring joy to others.

I enjoy taking pictures and feel

that it helps me engage more fully

in my surroundings.

(Well, I made it through my first post 

with the new computer.

Thankfully, some of the issues I was having

with the blog have been resolved.

Bear with me as I get the hang of this thing.

Me and technical tools don't always see eye to eye.)

Hope your weekend

is just how you like it.

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday,

where we share what's been going on in our Piedmont garden.

This plant was acquired last year from a local vendor

who decided to get out of the plant selling business

and gave them away for free!

Sure wish I had grabbed a couple more,

because these beauties are giving us abundant color in late fall.

 

The yarrow seems to be bouncing back,

despite our temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

This is one of the best plants for pollinators.

There are also some Shasta daisies and California poppies near the brick wall.

 

The salvia just won't quit, no matter how cold it gets.

I expected this plant to die back with the frosts and freezes,

but it's still popping out color like nobody's business!

 

The liriope is tucked near some of the raised beds

and seems to be unfazed by the cold and wind.

I love using this as a border plant,

because it asks very little and doesn't overtake the spot.

 

The lantana has not fared as well as some.

It didn't like the cold one bit,

although with as many weeks of color as its given us,

I really can't complain.

Hopefully, it will come back next year.

 

The nasturtiums in the vegetable beds are about ready to come out.

They thrive in the heat of summer and give us months of color.

Seed has been saved so that we can plant it again when the season starts up.

 

The loofah was harvested, 

although it had not yet fully dried on the vine.

I am leaving it outside on the porch in the sun,

hoping that it will continue to dry out.

One of my projects this weekend will be to

peel the loofah that are starting to dry,

to see if it's a bit easier to do at this stage.

Most of this will be given away.

 

The leaf mulching has begun.

I began the process of creating leaf piles on the lawn,

so that all I have to do is take our handy-dandy backpack mulcher,

and create wonderful, rich mulch for our beds.

I'll never need to buy mulch again!

The stuff is GOLD!

 

This has been a beautiful fall,

with leaves of every hue gracing us along our way.

Here are a few glimpses of neighborhood trees

in all their glory.

Enjoy!

 I hope you are enjoying some fall color

and the magical feeling that comes with autumnal changes.

Garden Friday

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

Things are hoppin' in the garden.

Let's see what's going on this week...

 Lettuce is still doing well

and will hopefully continue.

Our temperatures during the day have been in the 80's,

with overnights in the 60's,

so I'm hoping it continues so that I can keep on pickin'!

 This Red Planet variety has been grown strictly for baby greens.

They will soon be big enough to add to my daily salad.

This is the first year I have grown mixed lettuces,

and the diversity of colors is quite appealing.

The buttercrunch (seen here) and the green oakleaf

have been favorites up to now.

What a blessing to have such an assortment to grow.

Three red cabbages are holding their own.

This is the first year I've tried growing cabbage,

and I think I will grow more next year.

They store well and I just love adding it raw to salads

or roasting it on a sheet pan as a side.

 This green cabbage is hiding underneath a giant kale plant.

Although the kale has had cabbage worms on it,

so far, this cabbage has stayed clean.

Hope I don't jinx it!

Here's the giant Premier kale plant I was talking about.

It's been harvested for a couple of months now,

but it's finally bolting.

I left it where it is as a trap crop,

to keep the cabbage worms off other things in the raised bed. 

(Did you notice the flowers on the peas behind it?

Whoo-hoo!)

The leeks are planted all around the perimeter on this side of the trellis.

The leek on the left have some smaller crops around them,

while the leek on the right are covered by that same kale plant.

It's easy to see that they are not getting enough sun,

as all other variables are the same.

Lesson learned for next time.

 The potatoes are growing by leaps and bounds!

I just hilled them on Tuesday with more straw,

and they need to be banked again.

Strawberries were transplanted into two straw bales.

I've never had much success with strawberries,

so I'm curious to see how they do.

The blueberries are a new crop too,

and they are doing great.

What an easy plant to grow!

I can't wait to have the first taste.

I see bowls-o-berries in my future!

 Last weekend was a planting marathon!

I got our cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peppers, bush and pole beans,

melon and watermelon all planted.
I had planned where everything would go
and tweaked it as I went along.

 To each new planting hole,
whether in the ground or containerized,
I added these three ingredients:
eggshells, coffee grounds, and worm castings.
The secret's in the sauce.

This is where the melons and runner beans will grow up the arches.

They are in pots and I plan to add flower seeds between them.

I'm so glad we added the arches and I can't wait to see them

with crops covering them to create a food tunnel!

This little corner of our property is right next to the veggie garden.

It's so peaceful to go out there and listen to all of the birds singing.

The assortment of trees we have is wonderful,

as they each attract and house different species.

Our yard is full of clover and I love that the pollinators

have an ample supply of what they need.

More clover, less lawn!

The parsley that made it through the winter with no problem

is finally getting ready to flower.

Plants are so amazing, they are all so different,

but equally beautiful, in all stages of development.

The mailbox bed is framed with iris,

which are getting closer to flowering.

A couple of weeks ago I seeded this bed

with daisies, rudbekia, echinacea, alyssum, sunflowers and zinnias.

Things are slowly popping up.

Spring is such an exciting time!

 I guess this sunflower is a late bloomer like me.

It came up before I planted the front porch bed,

so it must have been dormant all winter.

Better late than never!

Here's a cute lil' fella that seems to have taken up residence

under our outdoor garbage can.
The bonus?
Brown snakes eat slugs!
Yeah, have at it, bud!

What a fun time to be out in the garden.

Food is making its way to the table,

seedlings are showing themselves

and so many flowers are about to bloom

and grace us with untold beauty.

Every day is filled with abundance.

Garden Friday

It's Garden Friday once again
and we have been busy in the garden this week.
Last weekend, the trailer was emptied of its mulch.
Clearly, we will need at least one more yard
to fill in the rest of the veggie garden.
Good thing it's one of my favorite chores!

The bad news this week is this.

Something started to eat the kale in the hugelkultur bed.

A little detective work found these critters on many leaves.

The cabbage worms like the kale as much as I do.

The secret for bug-checking is to  

follow 

       the 

                poop.

Where there's poop, there's a critter.

They were hand-picked and placed in the compost pile.

It is hard for me to squish them, even though I know

they are eating my food.

Thankfully, that particular kale was bolting anyway.

Here's an article about options for dealing with these pests.

A "bug jar" is always kept in the garden,
so that while I am out there watering or weeding,
it's easy to check for bugs and have a place to put them.

 The buttercrunch and oakleaf lettuces have been enjoyed over the last couple of weeks.
It is so tender, sweet and delicious,
without the least hint of bitterness.

The Red Planet lettuce mix
will be picked as micro-greens.
This is the first time I've tried this variety.

 A few things were transplanted from our "greenhouse",
including this red cabbage.
Another new crop for me,
I look forward to eating this favorite.

The thyme I had growing in several containers
surprised me to no end
by sailing right on through the winter with no special care.
It's even happier now that the temperatures are warmer.

 The flower buds were removed from half of the shallots this week.
A little experiment is underway to see if it makes any difference to production.

 With the other half left intact, 
the flowers should yield seeds that I can save for next season.
We shall see.

 The raspberry plants we got from Extension
are filling out quite nicely.
I'm thinking we will need to add more next year.

The blueberries made me jump for joy when I spied them on our plants.
It just amazes me to see all of this food growing before my eyes.

 Our apples are forming,
although I am fairly discouraged,
knowing that without spraying the trees,
there is not much likelihood that they will ever develop fully.
At least the deer might have something to eat.

 The butterfly bed is starting to come alive.
I noticed the gaillardia beginning to bloom this week.
This pollinator-friendly flower puts on a show for six months or longer.

 The lavender is getting ready to flower.
I'm hoping to harvest and dry some of it
to use for personal care products like salves and lotions.



 This two-year old beautyberry is showing signs of life.
It was relocated, as it will be too big for the butterfly bed.
With several on the property,
we should have a lot of happy birds!

The redbud trees that I planted in March are all leafing out.
With rain in tomorrow's forecast,
they will surely grow a bit fuller.

Last year I had planted three hostas near our back steps.
They all disappeared and are now coming back.
Not sure what happened to them.

The clematis is slowly gaining foliage and climbing the railing.
I think it needs to be moved,
as there is not too much sun on the back of the house.

 A lot of clearing out has been started just under the lorapetalum.
This will most likely end up being a second pathway to the veggie garden beyond.
It would be a great spot for a bench or chairs.

The photo doesn't capture it,
but this maple tree is truly stunning.
The layers and layers of bright green leaves are simply luxurious.
I could watch them sway in the breeze all day.

 It's time I learn a lot more about the trees on the property.
This is one of the trees out front,
but for the life of me,
I can't identify it.
I'd say a trip to the library might be in order.
Any good suggestions on books to aid in identifying trees?

A generous fellow Master Garden distributed extra plants she had,
free of charge,
to several of us at our last meeting.
I've got some more potting to do,
but it will be nice to be able to dress up the porch with some spring color.

What's happening in your spring garden?