Create: A Patio Garden

Sometimes I tend to over research things.  I get so caught up in the details that I defeat myself before I even begin - I don't have that tool, I don't have the skill, I can't keep track of all that!  Sometimes, I just go do things.

Cucumber, Jerusalem Artichoke, and Peas

Once I planted my garden and things started to grow, I realized that my cucumber and peas needed something to climb.  I tried just sticking a branch with lots of offshoots in the peas for it to climb, but the wind liked to twist it and I lost one of my peas that way.

Cucumbers!

With the cucumbers, though, I knew I needed something more sturdy.  A quick look through my yard yielded many fallen branches perfect for making a teepee. 

Since my container was square, I found four straight long branches and pushed them into the corners.  I tied them together at the top with yarn.  Then I took four smaller branches and tied them horizontally to the support branches.  I tied the two opposite sides and then put the last two on top of that.  Then I moved upwards and repeated that process.  I ended up with a teepee with two levels far enough apart I could still get my hand, and watering can, inside. 

I'm hoping that my patio tomato doesn't need a cage, but we'll see.  I'm not sure I can make one of those!

Did you put in a garden this year?  What do you use to support your plants?

Inspire: It's a Garden Thing

The Oath I made this year was to finally plant a garden.  I've been buzzing about it for the past couple of years and it was one of those things that just never happened.  This year, however, it did.  I grabbed a bunch of plastic buckets and made myself a garden.

It's not very big, but it works just fine for me as a starter garden.  The kiddo is getting excited about it, and I now know more for next year.  Next year we might get a community plot and actually put stuff in the ground - but then we would have to remember to go over there.  With it outside my house, I can check on it when I get home every night.

We currently have a couple of small tomatoes ripening, a couple spring peas we've already eaten, and cucumbers getting ready to fruit.  My peppers don't have any growing yet, but I planted them later than everything else. My spinach and radishes failed, but my lettuce and sage are growing well.

It's a joy coming home and seeing those things.  I love just running my hand over my dwarf basil and trying to train the cucumber vine to it's cage.  It's amazing to see a tomato come from a flower. 

Are you growing anything this year?

Mused: Planting Inside

I went out to eat with a friend a few days ago and talked about gardening plans.  Since I can't dig into the yard, I'll have to make due with makeshift buckets and storage containers.  My friend suggested that I ask the restaurant if they had any buckets rather than buying them from the store.  Have you see the price of buckets? 

The store had a couple different varieties of buckets and were happy to sell them to me for fifty cents each.  That is not that much when you are talking about five gallon buckets.  There were some two gallon buckets as well.  I have some square and round ones now that I can plant things in.  I keep thinking they are too small, but they should work just fine.

I got the gardening bug last night and so punched a bunch of holes in one bucket so I could start planting.

Once I had down these, including the four on the sides of the buckets, I went back in and added another couple rounds to make sure that drainage wasn't an issue.  I planted lettuce in this one and spinach in another and put them beside my kitchen window.  Did I remember to take a picture of the dirt?  Of course not, but I'm sure you can imagine what a dirt filled bucket looks like. 

From what I have read, leaf lettuce will grow in shallow containers so I actually wanted something smaller than this bucket for it.  But I couldn't find any of the plastic I had been setting aside for planting.  I have to remember, though, that even though it is one small seed, it will grow up to be a big plant. 

Here's to hopes for a great garden this year!

Inspire: Get down in the dirt

It's the end of February and you know what that means?  That I should have been planning my garden weeks ago.  But I got a bit busy and distracted with other things...  But now I am ready to give it a go!

I live in a duplex and I don't really have a yard.  I take that back, we have a yard, but it's not for gardening.  It's manicured grass and I'm not exactly sure what we are supposed to do with it.  It's great to have the green there, but it's annoying that I can't dig it up for a garden.  On a good note, however, there is cement 'patio' space to the side of each building that currently gets used for grills and parking (because my neighbor hasn't figured out that the pole means stop).  I don't think anyone will have a problem with me taking over some of that cement for a garden.

How am I going to garden on cement?  In pots of course.  I just bought a bunch of buckets from a local restaurant, now I just have to get them ready to hold my garden and figure out what to plant and I'll be golden.

Last year I borrowed some garden space from a friend who lived down the street from my old apartment.  Then, halfway through the year, I moved before I pulled more than some radishes from it.  I really miss the mint I planted.  It was growing so fantastically.  I should have taken a cutting from it but I didn't even think about it.  Why can't I ask for a cutting from my friend?  Because she has separated from her husband and no longer lives there now.

I didn't have time to go to the greenhouse this weekend, but you better believe it's on my list for next week!

Are you gardening this year?  If you don't have a yard, how do you grow green things?  Any suggestions and tips?