June, Well Done!

I have been in so much anticipation for the bounty I received this morning...  This is the actual first harvest...

My set up this season has worked very well... But there is tweaking that I need to do...
I want to make rearrangements for different placements of plants and making of new beds... One bed, only of tomatoes, one bed only of peppers, a row of squash, cucumbers and eggplants in the buckets.. Also a bed of lettuce and the likes...

Learning of what veggies I truly love to grow and eat will be of help to know how many plants I need to grow..

I love bell peppers and well the success of having them haven't been...

     But the tomatoes have been beautiful, heavy and juicy...
My herbs all but cilantro have provided such great flavor, no success with it...

I have not checked on carrots yet, but I have some coming, Lettuce was successful enough but pests
came to feast...

I have had a run-in with stinkbugs on my squash errr... but since I found them, they don't dare to show again...lol

So it's a bit in shock and yellowing but , I'm giving it fertilizer and a little iron, I think it will help some...

But, making a better container soil, and using this system is probably the best idea as of yet!

These beans are amazing, I think having another couple tubs of them would be better for making meals with them... I'm think they work harder having to produce such long beans that its only a few at a time.. So more beans the better...

Cantaloupe is a survivor for sure, I don't have a drip hooked to it so I water it myself, and well getting the amount of water to it probably isn't enough, but it continues to do well...

So far so good in the Tangent Garden....

Journals

Garden Journals


First of all,

I am so very pleased with how the beds are coming along... the Beans look tall and ready to reach  high...

My tomatoes are blossoming with  bright leathery green leaves, the herbs suffered just a bit when
I split them in half, but gaining strength...

The squash and cucumbers are kind of resistant to things as of right now but, promising...

But really the fruit trees are quite happy and blooming, mainly my pomegranate, no flowers for my blackberry bush though, a bit of a bubble popper, but strawberries are nice and red, plumping up...

Peaches are amazing, we netted them so we have a chance at them before the birds...

I'm still concerned about the lime tree...  I'm assuming that is had or has Chlorosis..  A nutrient deficiency... I used an iron nitrate for this problem, and it is said to fertilize once a month with citrus fertilizer in the growing time... So that's what I have been doing...

The peppers are already flowering,  yay!

Peppers with flowers

Tomatoes being happy

Journals


I asked a question in my last post...

How many of you keep garden journals?

I suppose it is a common thing when growing a garden, is it not?
I have been trying to maintain one...

I really want it to be fancy, eye appealing, and fun to read...
I'm not sure how to make it this way, well, if it's to be functional...
So I'm winging it...

I would safely say that we can have it anyway we want though...
I began by:

Naming My Journal, it helps to make a real connection to the project at hand...

Drawing a little and having fun with color, adding some stickers, ribbon and quotes...
I press herbs and flower in the journal and put some thoughts, dreams and ideas
along with the usefully information...

This way I can remember the season's hard work and energy put forth for a successful
next time...



Here are some of my typical drawings:

Nothing special... just fun...

Latin Name:
Rubus Fruticosus

Blackberries








Butterflies:
Latin Name

'Papilio Pulcher'

My favorite insect in the garden....

Beans 

I planted "taste of Asia", I think that I did plant them to soon, but well... they are doing ok!

Then of course,

Tomatoes...

I planted "Better Boy."    Heirloom, " Mortgage Lifter, "  also Cherry Tomatoes...

These were "Early Girl" 2012...
Very productive for zone 9

Unfortunately, "Early Girl" variety were not available this go around,
no bell peppers plants this go around either... Had to make due with only a
couple green and couple red...

Bees

Latin Name:
"Apis mellifera"

And, well of course, Bees are needed aren't they... I hope that the realization of how needed they are
comes to be apparent...








So off to come up with more thoughts and information to insert into the "Tangent Journal"...

Happy gardening..

The Up's...

Rain...

March 1, 2014, began beautifully...

Weather was rainy and cool not cold...
Planting happened in the perfect way...
It was the most ideal time...










Tomatoes
bell peppers
basil and marigolds


~In the other bed, I seeded

lettuce
Radish
carrots
spinach
jalapenos
and banana peppers...


I even seeded cat grass for the "kids." (my cats)

In one of the hanging baskets I planted cilantro... I love cilantro.
I know that it bolts fast, and I really don't have much luck with this herb, but I love the taste in my salsa...

I have parsley, oregano, thyme....

Asian beans too... They will grow 26 inches long or more.. These will stand up to the weather we live in...

I have started and maintained a Garden Journal...

How many of you keep garden journals?  Does it help?


It seems to help me.. I come across recipes for fertilizer and composting ideas... Container planting ideas and even how to make the garden beautiful... Although my yard is still a generic yard I am working at it...

I also love to surf Pinterest for more Ideas...



March 12, 2014

It is the middle of spring break, the weather is just lovely... I have been on a daily venture of getting Tangent back in shape, Hubby has really been a support, (you know, the boot to my uh-hmmm!).. I am so incredibly
happy that he has, I mean, look!!!

I have a few more items to do, we need to "net" the peaches, and figs...  load up on more soil to complete the bed... I need to plant the onions...  I have more seeds to plant... I am just going to go plant happy...
Plant anywhere and everywhere... I want to have plants all over eggplant, peppers basil, other herbs... I want yummm and delicious scent all over the garden...

As soon as the seedlings get their true leaves I think I can plant them in the buckets.. The buckets will
have the cucumbers, and a squash, and an eggplant...

So soon Tangent will be mature and strong... Cant wait!!!

Well, whats the saying? "Off like a dirty shirt" or is it "Off like a prom dress"? whatever... Off to work more areas to plant... but first get these weeds under control... geeze

Happy Gardening

The March of my Schedule...

I am so ready to get the plants into the ground... I mean raised beds...

Pomegranate waking up! 

I have the plan...

According to Farmers Almanac, the favorable days are...

March 10th and 11th...


Which will be great because, It will be Spring Break for me...  Yay!!!!


The selected plants are going to be planted..

Plants                                     

6 pepper plants                                    
4 tomatoes                            
2 marigolds                            
                                             
2 thyme                                
2 oregano                              
2 parsley                                                            
2 marigolds                            
                                             

Seeds

Lettuce
Radish
Spinach
Carrots
Cucumbers
Squash
Beans
Eggplant
Onions

1 Avocado tree

Next...

Water lines will be done...

Buckets will be washed up and drilled... I think I am going to add a couple more buckets...
All of the cucumbers and squash will be in them...  Oh, and eggplant...

Weeds are being put in check...

Compost has been added to my black berries and Peach tree and Lime tree...


With everything in check and on schedule...

I can't wait to see the garden emerge into full life....

February, really 6 more weeks...

     February 2, Ground Hogs Day,  Imbolc, for some, and Superbowl Sunday for others...

     February is probably my favorite month,when it comes to seeing spring's arrival! Well, if it were to be spring yet, but 6 more weeks of winter, really?...  I however haven't really any complaining to do... It's the places with the crazy cold and snow that have to wait for 6 long weeks more...

     Every year in February one of the most charming little flowers, appears.

     Chamomile, it pops itself up from the ground very consistently. This dainty & lacy little flower is culinary and medicinally so effective... We would benefit so much from it, as a good percent of most people could, huh?

     A friend of mine calls it Manzanilla among the most common names... She used it to help her babies belly aches... and still includes it as part of her go to teas...

     Chamomile- The herb that has been used for anxiety, stomach aches, and even eczema since ancient times...

But this is also the time to say make sure to seek a Doctors advice over this herb, there are concerns for people that could be allergic, and don't use if your pregnant and nursing...

     I have let this flower go wild in my yard for sometime, I get so excited  to see it every year...

Well, anyhow, It has began to grow again and I am in great anticipation for the little flowers to emerge..

Raised Garden

     We finished step 1-3 almost 4...

     I had juggled my crude diagram a little, and I think this way will work a lot better...

     We will be finishing up the rest of the soil needs... Coming up with the right combination of soil and nutrients will be researched... I know this is a science of sorts, so experiments will always be in the works...
Then, we will start step 5, the water lines next...


On another note, guess what is showing promise?

Yep!

Peaches!!!

    The tree flowered and there is an abundance of blooms...

     My only worry, right now, will be birds... I need to prep for birds, keeping them from eating and pecking holes in the luscious orbs will be a challenge...


Netting, netting will be a choice to try and keep the peaches safe and birds at bay for starters...

Wish us luck for that...






 

   
    

Through the Crossroads

Stomping through my crossroads, I'm finally at a point of a great start, beginning, or "conclusion";
(a beginning of the end of my crossroads)... I don't know ... But it is good I know this much.

Look what the season is... finally..

Time to start a whole new garden season.... Yay... I remember writing about troughs
in the last post.. I started to pursue this concept.... I love the looks, the simplicity...

Then the realization of availability and cost popped my bubble...

Well, I hit the proverbial wall... when the investigation began, we found spending $180.00 or more on them, unappealing... so with more reading and research and then more concept investigation,
we came up with....


Ummm, not too proud of my so called garden... It has seen better days...

BUT...

Cinder blocks...  I haven't been on the dedicated journey of making the beds my priority... but we got out there over the weekend and made a plan..

We cleaned up the area, scaled a plan, and bought the first load of blocks

     Here it is now and on its way to glorious new beginnings...

A rough positioning of how it will be...

We will be placing cardboard down first, before the soil

   

 
I mentioned that I made a list and plan.  The thought of only the veggies I know I will use...

Peppers             Spinach                  Basil            
Tomatoes         Onions (Green)      Radish        
Cucumbers       Jalapeno                 Marigold
Squash              Banana Peppers     Cat Nip
Beans                Carrot                      Bee Balm
Lettuce              Thyme                    Oregano         
Parsley 

   


















    My crude little diagram of what I have planned... I know, it's hard to read...
But before all of the fun things like planting happens,

I need to follow the plan of course

The steps

1. List & plan
2. Position
3. Cardboard
4. Soil
5. Water lines
6. Plants

With step 1. done...  next will be, you guessed it...

Steps 2 and 3...

I need to be ready at least by mid February, some of the plantings begin at that time...

No pressure, right?

Right?