September Garden Update

It appears that I missed updating you all on our garden last month. So sorry! :) While our lettuce and green beans are all done producing, this is an exciting time. Between the three tomato plants that we have, two are really producing right now. The larger variety has lots of green fruit on it, so it just needs time to ripen. (The joys of living in the north country.)

 The carrots are also doing really well. It is so nice to be able to go out to the garden and pull a few when we need them. Mr. Cherry has been pulling the onions as they begin to dry, so we are all set in that regard as well.

The geraniums in the front have made a come back and are back to blossoming. And the greenery just keeps on growing.

Unfortunately the wildflower bed is really past its prime. It really looked awesome last month. Peachy and Mr. Cherry harvested some seeds, so we will definitely be doing it again next summer.

How are your gardens growing?

July Garden Update

I thought that it was time to post an update on the garden! You can see the first post for this year here. First of all, the wild flower garden in the front has exploded! It is really fun to see what comes up every year. I am liking this year's flowers even more than last year.

The herb boxes are doing well. In fact, the cilantro has already gone to seed. I need to look into keeping cilantro around longer. And the veggie gardens are also coming along. The spinach is done and the lettuce will be soon. The tomato plants finally took off!

I even found some little green tomatoes coming. Can't wait to bite into a juicy homegrown tomato!

What We Are Growing 2013

We once again have our gardens planted here. It is so much fun every year to watch everything come up and grow and grown. Here are our gardens from previous years. 2010, 2011

We have our two raised beds again this year.

The first has carrots, onions, and green beans. Our onions are going crazy!!!

The second has spinach, buttercrisp lettuce, and two tomato plants. We might add another tomato plant and a pepper plant.

We moved our herb boxes to the yard this year. We had them on the deck last year, but they got so much sun they crisped up and died. This one has basil.

This one has cilantro. I started the plants inside as seeds and transplanted them  a bit ago.

I planted a couple of mixed container sets in the front pots this year. They weren't looking too good right away, but they have settled in nicely.

And the wild flower garden is off to a good start. (If those are indeed flowers and not weeds.)

And here is the flower garden that started it all.
It has been a cool spring here, but the next week is supposed to be warm, so I am hoping for some good growth. It has also been rainy, which is good. Let nature take care of our plants. Keeps the water bill down and saves on some of the work.

Our Garden . . . Year Two

In case you missed it, last year we decided to add a raised bed garden to our backyard. You can read all about it here, here, here, and here. (Wow. I wrote a lot of posts about the garden last year.) Since it was such a success, we decided to not only plant again, but we also added a second raised bed. While we didn't get out there all that early, our plants are coming in strong. (The second bed got an even late start since we needed to wait until my parents could come with their trailer to help us haul the dirt.)

While we planted the herbs in the garden last year, we decided to have them on the deck this year for ease of harvest and to conserve real estate. We talked about hanging planters off the deck rails but didn't like the fact that we would have to put holes in the deck to do so. Then we found some cedar planters at our local Menards one day that we figured would work out perfectly. Being as much of a DIYer as myself, Mr. Cherry decided that he could make some for us instead of purchasing them. While they were just planted, I have no doubt that the herbs will come in nice and strong.

PPPPPeppers

When I updated on our garden last week I neglected to mention this little fella.

Okay, maybe he is not so little. We bought this "inferno" pepper plant at a nursery for 99 cents part way into the summer! He has already given us two peppers and as you can see there are many more to come. We didn't have any room left in the garden when he joined our family so he resides in  pot on the front porch. He seems quite happy with this arrangement, so even though we now have room in the garden on the porch in a pot he shall stay.

The peppers have a little kick to them, but nothing too strong. It is really the perfect pepper for Mr. Cherry and I. We will have to see if we can find another pepper plant next summer for under a dollar!

Its a Jungle Out There

We've got a jungle growing in our back yard. 

Somehow as first year gardeners we have a garden explosion on our hands. 

So far we have enjoyed lots of spinach and lettuce, basil, dill, cilantro, a few tomatoes, and one harvest of green beans. 

Want to know our trick? 

Plant late and use old seeds. 

Seriously, I think that it is a combo of the city compost and the ideal growing conditions, hot and wet. 

I am just hoping we can have the same success next time around.

We also had a few surprises pop up in the garden.

Yes, they come equipped with solar lights.

Thanks to our neighbor, we have some well-lit garden guardians.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We finally got our garden in this past weekend. Before you judge, do know that we live up North where you really aren't able to plant until now. I look with jealousy on all of you whose gardens are already producing. (Yah, you know who you are!!)
I asked Mr Cherry, aka M, to build a small raised bed for our garden. We happened to have a large 12x2 that the construction workers building the house next door left behind. Mr. Cherry knowing that it would come in handy some day saved it. And it is now the sides of our garden. Before we could build the bed, though, we had to dig out the grass in the garden area. Let me tell you, I have a new found respect for the pioneers. That sod busting is hard work! Mr. Cherry and I were out digging until dark Thursday night, to prepare for the building on Friday. When I woke up and looked out at the garden on Friday, I found that our neighbor had fashioned a cross that said "RIP Fluffy." I guess the rectangular mound of dirt had inspired him. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture. My dad and Mr. Cherry built the box Friday afternoon and were also able to brig back one load of city compost to fill it up. Monday night found M and I digging in the dirt.. We bought three tomato plants and many different kinds of seed. We decided just to plant the seed rather than to start it off inside. We'll see if anything sprouts or not. I am counting this year as a rookie year. We will live and learn and maybe get a few things to eat.
I took it upon myself to put a fence up around the garden on Tuesday. I bought some steaks and what I thought was 28 feet if fencing. After pounding the steaks in, I unrolled the fencing. Turns out that it was 28 inches high and 5 feet long. Oops. So, Peachy and I went and bought more fencing. I used zip ties and wire to attach the fencing to the steaks. I was pretty proud of myself for getting the job done, but I knew it wasn't to Mr Cherry's standards. Yup, I was right.
When he got home he said, "Look at that!"
And I said, "It probably isn't what you would do, huh?"
He said, "It is pretty ghetto."
Maybe I will leave the fencing to him next time.