Let me start with the flower boxes. This was my first year growing flowers from seed, and I have found it very rewarding. I always thought that growing flowers from seed was super hard so I never attempted it. Turns out I was right, however I managed to successfully grow snapdragons, impatients, pansies, petunias, and geraniums. They key is to start them early. I started all my flowers late January, and some, like snap dragons and petunias, just started blooming a few weeks ago. I'm pretty sure I started them early enough, I just failed to transplant them into a larger container in a timely fashion.
My dad and I had a greenhouse production with lights going on in our basement this year (check it out here), as we grew our entire garden by seed. We were so concerned with the vegetables, the flowers got forgotten in their small start-up containers until well after they should have been transplanted. I know this because I re-potted my impatients in a timely fashion and they started blooming in February. Yes, I neglected the others but they all bounced back fine. Next year I will make sure to pay a little more attention to the flowers!
Another thing I discovered about growing flowers is if you are planning on planting flower boxes, either start the seeds in the boxes you are going to be planting them in, or if you start the flowers in starter trays, transplant them directly as little seedlings in their eventual respective home. My dad came up with this genius idea, and it made my life so much easier. Once it was warm enough, all I had to do was put the flower boxes outside already planted and growing! I love easy, especially when there are over 200 other vegetables to plant!
Now let's move onto the garden. I'll start with our herb garden in boxes on our deck that my dad personally built himself. Last year was the first time using the boxes, and we forgot to put drainage in the bottom of them so nothing grew. They sat in water for about a month before I realized a lack of drainage was stopping the herbs from growing. This year we fixed the problem, and they are thriving. Chives and oregano are two herbs that will come back every year without any re-seeding, so keep that in mind. Again, I love 'easy' gardening, and nothing is easier than plants that come back by themselves! (My oregano did take much longer to start growing this year, we think it was because we had an exceptionally cold winter. This year I am going to put my oregano pot in the garage to keep it from all the heavy snow and shield some of the cold.)
Next up: our sunflower and bean patches. Sunflowers bring me such joy to watch grow and bloom because they are so big and seem to take on personalities. Before you think I'm crazy, let me explain how sunflowers actually follow the sun throughout the day so they in the morning they are facing the east, and at sunset they are all facing west. Now most plants follow the sun, understandably so, but because sunflowers are so large (and most enthusiastic to get direct sunlight it seems), they are the most noticeable. Sunflowers also grow at an alarming rate and I love how they become giant green plant pillars in a few weeks.
We usually grow peas around the sunflowers because we like to conserve space in the garden, and because sunflowers grow extremely tall very fast the peas won't block their sunlight as they vine around the stems and fences. Pea plants are very easy to grow and they always produce A LOT of peas. They also have a very short life cycle, so you can replant them two or three times throughout the summer, depending on where you live. Our first round of peas is starting to wane, and it is almost time to rip them up and plant a new batch. My aunt, who is a master gardener, told me to lay the pea stalks on the garden aisles so they will decompose over time and replenish the nutrients in the soil. Genius! I am all about natural ways to keep the garden well-fed.
Moving along to our pepper patches. Peppers grow slow. Very slow. You need a lot of patience with pepper plants, but it is always well-worth the wait. Last year was the first year we started growing our pepper plants from seed, and boy did it make a difference in the harvest. I have never seen pepper plants with so many peppers before! We plant our pepper plants closer together than recommended because we have found that it forces them to grow taller faster, and also helps stabilize the plants from the wind and rain. I'm very excited for grilled peppers, roasted peppers, and stuffed peppers that are fresh picked from the garden!
Our squash plants line the outside of the garden on two sides. We are growing butternut squash, buttercup squash, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, zucchini, and pumpkins. My squash plants are one of my favorite parts of the garden. I am squash crazed, and will eat squash in just about any form. We even have squash growing in the front of the house! All of our squash plants have their respective fruits growing already, and I am anxiously waiting for them to ripen.
We are constantly having to redirect the vines of the squash plants because they seem to have a mind of their own and creep into other vegetable patches where they don't belong. These plants are very stubborn and we have to make sure we are checking on them frequently to keep them under control. All our rogue squash plants are thriving, and we are still waiting for their fruit to develop to know what type of squash they are. I love veggie surprises!
This is our pumpkin patch. I decided that I wanted an entire pumpkin patch so I an have a selection of pumpkins to carve for halloween. Also I love pumpkin pie. We are hoping to have a lot of pumpkins this fall from both types of plants: a sugar pie variety and jack-o-lantern variety.
I love the way the pumpkin vines grow. Nature is an art; just look at how beautifully the feelers look before they unravel to grab the nearest fence to climb!
Here is our cauliflower and cabbage patch.
I absolutely love the color of the red cabbage plants. I am surprised the cabbages are doing so because they were one of the plants that survived the flood. Obviously, they are extremely hardy. I want to try to make my own sauerkraut this year out of some of the cabbage harvest. That should be an adventure. If anyone has a good recipe, or experience making sauerkraut, please leave a comment!
Now let's talk greens. We are growing buttercrunch and leafy green lettuce, dino and curly kale, red swiss chard, and collard greens. I have been loving waling into the garden to pick my lunch/dinner. Big salads of baby lettuce and collards with fresh peas has been a staple lunch for me while I have been making a combination of sauteed baby kale and swiss chard with dinner. So delicious! Not relying on the grocery store to have a good batch of kale stocked feels so good.
When growing leafy green plants, it is important to prune the plants while they are young in order to give them enough room to grow into mature plants. Most leafy green seeds are extremely small and therefore it is too hard to separate each seed while planting, so we sprinkle the seeds over the designated patch. We allow the lettuce seedlings to get to about 3-4 inches before we start pulling plants out to allow room for a full lettuce head to develop. By waiting for the lettuce to reach 3-4 inches, when you pull most of the plants out, you can cut off the roots and eat them! I am slowly eating my way through the 7x2' buttercrunch patch and 4x4' leafy green patch. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Last, but certainly not least, there is our tomato patch. I won't talk too much about our 125 plants (not including numerous potted plants on our back deck) because I'm sure my dad will be discussing them very soon. What I will say is they all have tomatoes growing, many already in the ripening process, and some we have even already harvested. There is nothing like a fresh tomato from the vine. We are well aware that in a month or so we will have tomatoes up to our ears and are going to have to start drying, canning, and freezing like crazy!
I hope you enjoyed my long-winded tour of our garden. Feel free to leave leave a comment below, I'd love to hear about your garden! Until next time, I hope you are having a wonderful and produce filled summer.
~Margaret
