raised bed and seedlings

We got two 4x4ft raised garden kits at Home Depot yesterday. For just $29 each, they should be a nice start to my home garden. Hopefully the weather will warm up again soon so I can get outside and put them together!

Some of the seeds I put in the mini greenhouse have already sprouted! My little cucumber lemon plants from the Burpee Heirloom, 2010 collection sure are speedy growers! They've already started growing their first set of leaves.

Yellow Pear Tomato seedlings from the Living Seed Co. Heirloom 2010 collection started yesterday. As did some of the winter squash (Burpee, 2009), yellow crookneck squash (Bentley Seeds, Inc, 2009 collection).

Today, I woke to find seedlings starting to poke through from the Swiss chard (neon lights, Burpee 2009), summer savory (2009), borage (2009), and red & yellow pear tomatoes (The Cook's Garden, 2009).

Now while I wait for the weather to improve so I can build my new garden beds, I have lots of work to do. I'm making custom plant markers out of polymer clay, paint, and glaze. I'm also making a few miniature garden gnomes. Check back soon for pictures!

starting my seeds

As I research and prepare to build my raised garden beds, seeds are being coaxed to grow. I put a few of the bigger seeded varieties in a Jiffy seed starter with 72 peat pellets. As long as I keep an eye on them and don't let them dry out, they should do fine. They might need to be transplanted into a bigger space before planting in the garden, but I'll cross that bridge when it comes.

The tiny seeds, like thyme and mint, never seem to work when I plant them. Both herbs are fantastic and I would love to be able to start them from seed in order to get more plants with less money. They just never seem to germinate. As a last effort, I am trying a method that I saw online.

The method seems easy enough. Basically, you just wring out excess water from a wet paper towel, add the seeds, and put the paper towel into a resealable plastic bag. I'm trying 2 sets of each seed to see whether the towel should be folded or not. Check back for an update on the experiment.

When/if the seeds germinate, I'll be putting the sprouts in the "disposable" aluminum takeout containers with clear plastic lids. Once the seedlings have leaves, I'll remove the lids so they can breath.

Let's see how the seed sprouting experiment goes! Check back in a few days or so.

Happy gardening!

raised beds

Last year's gardening experience was rather enjoyable. Other than a few set backs such as the tomato blight and "4 plant eggplant massacre", the garden did well. This year, I decided to make a tiny garden at home too. The decision was easy; I love having garden fresh veggies and herbs right outside the door.

Planning and execution will be a bit tricky, but it will all be worth it in the end. Sunny areas are a tad sparse from numerous trees surrounding a large part of the yard; and the soil quality is definitely not the best with all its clay and stones.

In an effort to combat these obstacles, I'm going to build a few raised beds in the sunnier sections. Websites like Better Homes & Gardens offer tips and discuss the many benefits of using raised beds.

Check back later on this week or next to see how I decide to make my raised garden beds. I have a lot of research and price checking to do.

shadow box goodies

The Shadow Box is one of my favorite greenhouse/nurseries and Saturday's trip to this spectacular gardening center was delightful! With its stunning array of plant life, knowledgeable staff, and all things garden-related, the Shadow Box is sure to please. The 3 large greenhouses and outdoor area are a plant lover's dream.

Rows upon rows of beautiful greenery fill the 3 large greenhouses. The picture below is just a sampling of the green splendor you can witness through a visit to the Shadow Box.



Since it is still pretty early in the year, I restrained myself and only picked out a few plants and things to bring home. (If I had the space, I'd probably bring home the entire greenhouse. Plants are awesome!)

As a person that likes to try new things, I picked up a few different flowers I've never tried before. The spider pink African Daisy (osteospermum ecklonis) looked pretty neat, so I thought I'd see how one does in the flower bed. Depending on how it takes to the soil, I might pick up a few more. We shall see.

I also picked out 2 different double impatiens to plant along with some trailing plants in hanging baskets. The appleblossom variety will be planted with a soft green licorice plant; and the red star variety will be planted with a laguna sky blue lobelia.

The mini red rose bush was too cute to pass up so I also picked up one of them. Everything on the little plant is identical to a regular size rose bush, just miniature. It even has its own mini thorns. Such a cute plant. :)

To wrap up the trip, we picked up a few peat pellets (they are fantastic, I'll have to go back for a few more), a package of garlic bulbs, and some seeds. Now I just have to get my seeds started.


Here I am with my first batch of Shadow Box goodies. :) Happy gardening!

shadow box!

Yippee! I'm off to the shadow box for my first trip this year. Check back to see what fun garden stuff I picked up.

eggplants

Let's take a moment to silently remember our fallen plants taken down by malicious little pests. Dreams of delicious produce destroyed by the tiny jaws of harmful insects. This is the damage a colony of flea beetles can do in very little time. I tried everything from beating them with a stick to giving the poor plant baths in effort to get rid of the pests. Alas, sadly, nothing could stop their reign of terror. Then, like magic, they disappeared!

The joy of their absence didn't last long. "Teenage" Japanese beetles (not quite a beetle, yet not really a grub worm either) decided to move in and finished them off. The poor plants and I didn't stand a chance!

Due to the terribly failed attempt to save a single eggplant from the onslaught of pests, I seriously contemplated removing them from my garden plans altogether. After all, with that kind of pest wreaking havoc on them, how could I possibly grow a productive eggplant?

Well, as I was reading through various companion plants, I found an article about garlic. One of the perks of planting garlic (other than the delicious recipes in which it can be use) is that it deters various garden pests like beetles. I also read that catnip deters flea beetles. Therefore, I'm going to give the eggplants another try and plant them next to some garlic along with a healthy bunch of catnip. I might put the catnip in pots so it doesn't spread as much throughout the garden. Only time will tell if it will work.

marigolds

Claims have been made regarding the benefits of planting marigolds as a companion to vegetable gardens. They are supposed to repel various unwanted guests such as aphids and beetles, and some have gone so far as to claim that planting a row of them around the garden can help to deter nibbling bunnies. From last year's experience, I can honestly say that they do not seem to help with flea beetles AT ALL. However, nothing seems to get rid of those horrible, eggplant destroying pests so I won't hold it against them. All in all, the flowers are small, pretty, and attract beneficial insects, like bumble bees, to the garden. They will be invited back this year.

counting down to outdoor garden season

Yay! With gardening season just around the corner, I'm going to The Shadow Box this week! I'll just be picking up a few packets of seeds, dirt, and starter trays this time around. The adorable little seedlings with all their delicious potential will have to wait another few weeks until the threat of frost has passed. I can hardly wait to start planting!

This year's garden adventure will include most of last year's plant participants. However, I decided to cut a few from the line up and replace them with more feasible alternatives. The cayenne and tabasco peppers will not be making an appearance this year (unless they come up as volunteers), and I haven't decided whether I will be planting eggplants again. The hot pepper plants were cute, but I never really used the peppers for anything. I like eggplant, but the plants didn't make it last year. First they were attacked by flea beetles. Then "teenage" grub worms destroyed what was left of them. So, unless I can come up with a better way to grow them, they will not be part of this year's garden.

The offspring of last year's tomatillo forest will probably come up as volunteers this year. They are quite tasty and I enjoy using them in salsas and other dishes. I just have to keep them from taking over the entire garden this time around. Last year, I ended up being glad that they took over a good part of the garden because the tomato blight didn't have a noticeable effect on them.

More garden plans will be shared soon. As we wait for outdoor garden time, do you have a garden? If so, what do you like to grow in your garden?