Thursday, March 29, 2012

Spring...Glorious Spring!

So as I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have much to tell you. Sadly, the rain is still falling and falling in buckets, so I have not been allowed to play in the dirt much. As I showed yesterday though, I did get my starts started so they would be ready for when the sun finally comes out. My son and I have been having some fun as well with a product I found here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/3-7-years/e9d4/?pfm=Search&t=root%20vue  We love us some ThinkGeek.com and I couldn't resist when my favorite geek website introduced a gardening "toy" for my kiddo. The Root Vue Farm is a bit pricey considering what you get but it is a PHENOMENAL way to get your kids into gardening and all the wonderful things that happen when you plant a seed. I have to admit...I am equally as excited each morning as we pull the viewing shield away to reveal how much our little roots have grown.  Excitingly, the radishes sprouted almost immediately and began to grown loooooong roots. The carrots and onions took a bit longer to sprout but have successfully started to grow and show roots in the root viewer.

All in all, we are pleased with their progress and now my little man can see what is happening to all of my starts right now. No more mystery under the soil....the magic has been REVEALED!! (Muahahahahahahaha!!!)



I will continue to update you on our wee sprout's sprouts as they grow! So stay tuned!!! :)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

It is beginning....

Oh man...so much has happened this month in the way of gardening! I wish I could remember to post more often. I am hoping I get better at this. Anyway, gosh where to start...OH RIGHT...my starts...I actually did get them started:

I used those seed starter pots that let you just put them right in the ground instead of unpotting them. And to label the pots I used old plastic knives we had laying around from some party a million years ago and a sharpie. Not terribly sophisticated...but it got the job done. I had considered writing on the outside of the pots with the sharpie but decided not to considering they would be saturated with water a lot of the time. So far...they are doing quite well. Although, I had hoped to see more sprouts by this point but unfortunately, the sunshine has not been terribly cooperative so I am having to rely on cloudshine to get the job done for the moment. I had occasionally stuck a heating pad under them and they are close to a register for additional warmth. I am confident they will do JUST FINE. (That is me trying to convince myself that I won't have to go out and buy starts in a month or two.)

We did have one lovely sunny day that was around 60 and I was able to get out and work in the garden again to get it prepped and ready for this year a bit more. I cleaned out a few more weeds...yay. And moved the boxes around a bit to bring in some new special friends for my garden this year. I am very excited about this year's turnout for the gardening season. I will be laying down pavers to facilitate me not tracking as much mud into the house this year...I hope and bought 2 apple trees. Yes...I said that correctly...apple trees. Not just any ol' apple tree though. These babies grow in pots. They are called columnar apple trees and they grow up about 4-5 feet and produce apples off the main column/trunk. Here, check them out:  http://www.onegreenworld.com//product_info.php?cPath=1_12&products_id=155  These guys are the best for eatable plants!

As you can see...the paver project is still a work in progress. Sadly, I can't quite count in my head well enough to buy the right amount of pavers and sand that is needed for the size of my new garden so it waits for yet another sunny day for me to finish...my fingers are crossed for this weekend. In the meantime, it is all shaping up to be a spectacular growing season here in Oregon...and in my lovely little oasis in my backyard!


I have big plans for the layout of the new garden this year...stay tuned...more to come!

Happy Gardening 2012!!!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Just as a note...

I would like to add to the post from this evening but instead of editing it I will make this a separate thought.

Last year's garden wasn't the giant success I had hoped it to be. It did well for my first year and I was able to see where I needed to improve but all in all the yield was...well...not worth the time, effort, and money put into the whole gardening thing. The experience though...priceless. Plus...I made some awesome Giardiniera with a few of my peppers. I was able to do a ton of canning of berries I bought elsewhere and I pickled my pickles and even pickled my snap peas. I recently got to open one of the Curry Pickles and YUM!!! A must try...really!

So was it a waste...no...the experience and the little bit of yummy food I got out of it was worth all the toil and money I put into it. Plus, this year...I am starting out with what I think is a BEAUTIFUL garden plot to work with.

Happy gardening to everyone this year!!

It's that time of year...

Okay, so clearly...I am not terribly good at keeping up with a blog. Sadly, I am also not terribly good at winter gardening. I can be honest with myself now...winter and me are just not friends...I don't like the cold. This winter, instead of cultivating beautiful fall/winter broccoli and sweet onions and fall spinach...I grew weeds, mushrooms (not any of the good kind) and some slugs. They were all delightful...I found them the other day when I finally uncovered my garden for the first time since the frost hit back in October.

Needless to say, it is finally time to garden again! Which means it is also time to blog again (I promise, I will get better at this).  The first sign that it was time to garden soon...my beautiful orchid baby began to show buds again. I really just don't care what anyone says about orchids mine loves me. I give it plenty of water and it sits in a window with direct sunlight in the afternoon and it grows like a weed! Don't be afraid of your orchids...I give it a good dousing of water about every two weeks, sometimes more often depending on how dry I think the house is feeling or how dry the soil looks. My best compass for my orchid...a bamboo plant sitting in the same window. When the water level drops below the rocks and I need to rewater the bamboo...I water the orchid. They are both happy plants!



As for my garden, I have plans in place...and a new garden decoration that I can't wait to install. Last weekend I cleared all of the mushrooms and weeds. I gave a little love to the one broccoli plant that refuses to give up even though I really tried to kill them all off this winter.  I gave a once over with some sulfur to help reduce the fungus that has OBVIOUSLY (hello...I grew mushrooms) grown in my garden so that when I plant my new foods I am starting with a good strong soil. I also purchased some good organic slug repellent and put some down just to help remind the slugs that this is MY garden...not theirs. I have high hopes for doing my starts some time this week/weekend. Since we are still getting some nasty cold nights I will start them in the house, let them get stronger, and then transplant them in hopes that this year I can plant from seeds instead of more mature plants that I don't know where they have come from.

I made a new friend at the local farm store and I plan to pick his brain now and again. He seems really knowledgeable on organic gardening and based on his potential age has likely been doing this for a while. *fingers crossed*

YAY! For garden season!! Oh...before I forget...I also planted some flowers this year in the front yard area. I have 3 planter boxes and will also have 6 round planters, 2 of which have volunteers from last year already coming back. So, bring on the sunshine and lets see some pretty blossoms and yummy food!!!