9 Essential Practices for Organic Gardeners

This article from Bonnie Plants tells you the 9 essential things to do if you grow organically in your garden.

9 Essential Practices for Organic Gardeners

Best Gardening Books: Top Ten List

I love books and books about gardening help me learn to be a better gardener.  Here is my Top Ten List:

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Best Seed Companies

As a gardener who strives to only plant heirloom and/or organic seeds in the garden, I have found a few companies that are the best for seeds.  

Here are my Top Ten(in no particular order):

1. Heirloom Gardener: https://www.heirloomgardener.com/
2. High Mowing Seed Company: https://www.highmowingseeds.com/
3. Seed Savers Exchange: https://www.seedsavers.org/
4. Seeds Now: https://www.seedsnow.com/
5. Burpee: https://www.burpee.com/
6. Seeds of Change: https://www.seedsofchange.com/
7. Seeds from Italy: https://www.growitalian.com/
8. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: https://www.rareseeds.com/
9. Johnny's Selected Seeds: https://www.johnnyseeds.com/featured/heirloom/
10. Mary's Heirloom Seeds: https://www.marysheirloomseeds.com/

      

Order some catalogs today, or visit their online catalogs for faster service, and start dreaming of your spring garden!

Small Greenhouse Seed Starting

This year I am trying seed starting a couple of different ways.  I am putting them in my small green house in a south facing window for tomatoes.  Hoping that this works!  I am thinking I need to add a grow light!

April Garden Chores 2017

April is a busy month getting the garden ready for the big growing season.  Here is a list of the chores I am completing this month.

1. Expand garden area by putting down weed barrier and constructing a new fence.
2. Relocate some containers to the new area for better production.
3. Build and add new raised beds.
4. Plant peas and beans in raised beds.
5. Keep up with seed starts...thin out and transplant into bigger pots. 
6. Start some warm weather vegetable starts int he greenhouse.  
7. Plant some herbs in the greenhouse.
8. Clean up strawberry pallet area.  Add replacement plants to the area.
9. Move the old raised bed dirt to the new raised beds I construct.  

Bean Teepee

I constructed a bean teepee and then it added in the small raised bed.  I am going to plant beans this weekend!

Greenhouse Growing Begins

I am so excited that I got my new to me green house constructed with little to no issues.  It is now being used and I already have seed started and some herbs growing in it!  

Container Garden Updates 2017

I have been working on the new expanded garden area.  I have relocated some o f my containers to make the area more productive.  Bonus...It looks more colorful, too!

Strawberry Pallet Update April 2017

Some of my strawberry plants did not make it this winter, so I purchased some replacements.  I  cleaned up the pallet area and planted them on Saturday.  

Let the growing begin!

Garden Area Enlargement and Fence Construction

This last week I spent several hours expanding my garden area and constructing a new fence.  It was very affordable since the plastic lattice was already at my house...left by someone else a few years ago.  I am so excited for my new area.  I am now in the process of amending my raised beds and planted and building some new raised beds.  I have 2 already constructed from found items in my yard!  I love that I am being frugal and getting more growing space in the garden!!!  Here are a couple of pictures of the fence and new raised beds.  

Fall Garden Update 2016

Now is the time to start planting your veggies for fall harvests!  Here is a great article explaining what to do and when to do it! 

Fall Garden Vegetables

Here is what I have planted so far in my fall garden:

• broccoli
• carrots
• beets
• turnips
• lettuce
• kale
• arugula
• peas
• bush beans
• cilantro

These are growing alongside the vegetables that are still producing in the garden like cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. 

 

My pumpkins are also coming along strong!

June Garden Chores 2016

June Garden Chores Included:

1. Weeding, Weeding, Weeding
2. Watering regularly
3. Watching closely for bug invaders...so far none...keeping fingers crossed that this holds true for the rest of the summer.
4. Built 2 more raised beds and planted zucchini and cantaloupe in them. They are growing quickly...must like the HOT weather!  I have caged a couple of the zucchini to grow them vertically and protect them from critters!
5. Planted 3 sweet potato slips in 2 grow bags...hoping that this works.
6. Planted cucumbers and built a simple trellis for them...going vertical with them this year.
7. Harvested the beets...planted onions in their place.
8. Harvested the sugar snap peas from the container...replaced with green beans in same container.
9. Planted more sugar snap peas near the trellis in the large raised bed.  Hoping that they sprout and do well.
10. Planted more lettuce and spinach to extend these harvests.
11. Planted some spaghetti squash...seeing if this takes...never have grown this before.
12. Planted all the tomato (12) and pepper plants (19) I was gifted.  Holy cow I hope these all take!
13. Transplanted and thinned the tomatoes I started from seed.  Have given away 12 of them.  Still have over 80 in starter pots.  Holy Moly...that is a ton of tomatoes!!!
14. Harvest the potatoes.  I was excited because this was the first time to grow potatoes.  I will need to plant more next year! Planted some bush beans in the place of the potatoes.  
15. Harvesting the herbs as needed.  Planted another round of cilantro from seed. I need this for my salsa when the tomatoes and peppers and onions are ready!

May Garden Updates 2016

This weekend I accomplished these garden tasks:

1. Ordered some grow bags for the sweet potatoes.  They should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday.  I am hoping that these work since I cannot till the west area because it is too wet still.
2. Added holes for drainage to 3 new containers in the container garden.  They contain beans, carrots, and onions.
3. Weeded. Weeded, Weeded
4. Added the kitchen scraps to the compost pile.  I now need to stir it and add more brown layers.  Wish I had more dead leaves around here...ugh!
5. Picked a few ripe blackberries.  They are starting to ripen now!
6. Trying to figure out a new plan for the cucumbers, cantaloupe, zucchini, and the watermelon.  I am thinking I will try pallets for the zucchini, cantaloupe, and watermelon.  I might put the cucumbers in one of the 3 grow bags I ordered since I only need 2 for the sweet potatoes.  I ordered 3 because they came in a 3-pack.

May Garden Chores

May Garden Chores Included: 

1. Weeding all flower beds and containers.
2. Planting the salsa garden raised bed.
3. Taking pictures of all the flowers and growth.
4. Putting out and keeping filled the Oriole feeders.  They love oranges and grade jelly!!
5. Harvesting herbs.
6. Planted more herbs.
7. Adding more herbs to pots.  I found some wild chives that I added.
8. Finding some volunteer cilantro plants while weeding and transplanting them to the pot of cilantro.  I have 2 pots of cilantro.
9. Planting all seedlings from their little greenhouses.
10. Improving the soil in the large raised bed and replanting spinach, carrots, radishes, broccoli, and sugar snap peas. 
11. Harvesting the lettuce and planting some more for continued harvest all summer.  
12.  Adding more containers to the container garden.  Planted tomatoes (some plants and some from seed to extend the growing season), carrots, bush beans, more basil, and seedlings from the mini greenhouse. 
13. Added pansies to the rock garden area in 2 pots.
14.  Planted another large blackberry bush that I got at a great deal at local nursery.
15. Weeding, Weeding, Weeding

Growing Cherry Tomatoes

If you grow nothing else this summer, treat yourself to one cherry tomato plant and savor their flavor!

https://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening/gardening/gro

wing-cherry-tomatoes

Container Garden Update April 2016

I have gotten most of my containers ready and planted in...just a few more to go!  Here are some shots of what  I have gotten done so far!

Lettuce Garden Raised Bed Update

Here is what the lettuce looks like this week!!! Pictures taken on Sunday April 24.