The garden last week.

Notice the field of tomatoes in the back. Much larger now.

A perfect sunflower.

Gardening is one of my newest favorite things now.  Just look at that sunflower!  It's beautiful.  Last night, Sean and I saw there are more sunflowers blooming now and it is more beautiful than this.

I can't wait to harvest some tomatoes.  Also, I am looking forward to picking the last tomatoes on a plant and then pulling the plant out of the ground to make more room.  The huge tomato bush (20 tomato plants all leaving on each other and making one collective plant) is getting kind of annoying.  I'm ready to harvest.  Clearly, I'm a little too eager. 

Last night while I was watering, Sean pulled out the last of my pea plants.  He picked all the pods of the plants for me to save for next year's pea crop.  We didn't harvest a ton of peas, mostly because I only planted eight or ten plants.  Next year though, I have big plans for the pea.  I also have big tomato plans, but that's a whole different blog post. 

Please note the bug on the sunflower leaf in the lower left corner of the picture.  So everyone knows, it was a real ladybug and NOT an Asian beetle.  It was beautiful, just like the sunflower.  It was bright red (not brown red or orange tinted).  That ladybug reminded me of visiting Grandma and Grandpa McKenzie during the summer.  Grandma would give me a jar to collect ladybugs and I'm talking real ladybugs, before the Asian beetles.  Anyway, on the north side (I think...) of their house had an area that moss would grow.  In that moss I could also find bright pink colored ladybugs.  They were fantastic.  In the jar I would get from Grandma, someone would help me poke holes in the lid so air could get in there.  I would put leaves, grass, and small twigs in the jar as well.  I don't remember how long the ladybugs would live like that, but this memory is starting to get foggy.  I can't remember if Travis ever collected ladybugs either. 

Anyway, the point of the story was the ladybug I saw last week made me a bit nostalgic.  That is all.
How is your garden doing?

Garden pics.

Thanks to Sean for taking these pictures with his cell phone yesterday afternoon.

View of my plot from the corner.

Got these for Administrative Assistants day from the principals. The pot of flowers was so root bound that they were practically dying before I planted them here.  A new flower has just bloomed.

View from the north end of the garden.

Tomatoes and peppers.  There's one tomato plant that was broken by a big rain storm right after I planted them all.  The roots didn't die and it's starting to grow more.  It's in the second row - the one with no cage right now.

Gladiolus and a pepper that was pelted by the rain storm previously mentioned above.

My sunflowers.  They're getting big.  Or as Sean says, "They're giant."

Me and my garden.  What seems to be empty spaces has lettuce, yellow and green beans, and various flowers planted.

As you can see, my plot is full.  Well, full until the beans are harvested.  Growing right now is:

• Three types of tomatoes
• Jalapeno peppers
• One bell pepper plant
• Two cabbages
• Carrots
• Yellow beans
• Green beans - waiting to sprout
• Lettuce - waiting to sprout
• Two types of onions
• Peas
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Marigolds
• Mums
• Sunflowers
• Billy balls - waiting to sprout
• Jumbo zinnias - waiting to sprout
• Bachelor Buttons - waiting to sprout
• Gladiolus

Looking at this list, I realize exactly how much I have planted.  Whoa.

What are you currently growing?

I forgot to mention...

I have a garden plot!  I'll be working there tomorrow and/or Wednesday night.  My plot is in an area of all new plots so I have to turn the dirt and mulch over a bit more than an established plot.  I also need to haul over some compost to my plot. 

Once all of the prep is done, I can begin planting.  That is a good thing.  I need to get shallots out of my apartment.  Boots and shallots do not mix.  She was a sick kitty last Wednesday, which worried Sean and myself a lot.  I also need to figure out some sort of fencing for my peas.  Dad, got any thoughts or anything I can borrow?  Should I buy a roll of steel fencing from Menards and create my own fencing?  If I did that, I could then create my own cages for the tomato plants. 

Hmmm, thoughts? 

Great news!

I received some excellent news via email this morning.  The subject of the message said, "Congratulations You Have a Plot." 

I have a garden plot in a community garden!

(Insert excited squeals here.)

Once I find out how the size of the plot, I can decide what to plant.  For sure, tomatoes and peppers.  Who's excited?!

What should I grow?

Apartment Gardening.

While being optimistic about having a community garden plot, I've begun planting seedlings.  My favorite thing to grow seems to be yellow bush wax beans because once they sprout, it seems they get instantly huge.  I have already given away a couple bean plants and plan to give away a few more.  Sadly, I don't have any pictures of those -- in this next batch of bean seedlings I'll be sure to take some pictures.

While reading Real Simple magazine, every month they have a feature called "Five new uses for..." and in April's issue it was "Five new uses for eggshells."  One of the five new uses for eggshells is as a seedling starter.  So, I thought I would give it a go.

 

This is what I started my seeds in -- biodegradable containers that can be planted directly into the ground.  Well, I was thinking the seedlings need to be thinned out soon.  So, I transplanted some of the marigold seedlings into eggshells.

We'll see how this goes.  I'm hoping it works well.  According to the Real Simple article, the eggshells can be planted directly into the soil and the eggshell will decompose and nourish the soil as well.  Right now, the marigold seedlings I transplanted are looking a little droopy.  I gave them some more water so hopefully they'll perk right up in no time.  Maybe we'll get some humidity and then the plants will really take off!  Last week when the weather was pretty humid for a couple of days it seemed like all of the plants really shot up.

The planter Travis gave to me with four types of cherry tomatoes, two types of oregano, parsley, and cilantro are doing well.  Except for the cilantro which I've managed to kill.  I'm not very upset about it though because I think cilantro tastes like feet/body odor.  Sean is the one who wanted the cilantro.  Gross.

This is a random plant I picked up at Ikea.  I can't remember the name of it right now, but it definitely likes its new home in a full-sun window!

The only plant that is not doing very well is the lemon tree.  It looks in pretty rough shape.  I'm still holding out hope, but I have a feeling that hope is going to be crushed real quick.

As you can see, I've been busy with my apartment gardening.  Right now I have some more bean seeds folded in between a wet paper towel to kick start the germination process, they'll be ready to plant tomorrow afternoon.  I will post pictures of the bean seedlings once they sprout.  Have a good night!

Think Spring.

I've been told I will have a community garden plot this spring.  I'm slightly skeptical because I don't know if the city of Saint Paul has begun work taking out the grass and bringing black dirt in.  I will find out tonight if work has started yet on my way to the garden meeting. 

I'm still pretty skeptical about it though.  Now as a group we are deciding on a design for the garden.  I really wish we could just get the dirt down, stake out plots, and just go to gardening town.  But, that isn't happening yet and I am starting to get frustrated with it.  If I hadn't of paid for my plot already I would just say, "No thanks," but it's too late for that.  Maybe for next year I will look into finding a plot elsewhere. 

I've been told spring planting goal start date is June 5.  That seems awfully late to me.  Maybe I've just gotten used to hearing about Travis's garden and how early things have been planted there.  (He is a little eager, but I don't blame him -- warm weather makes me want to go out planting too.)

I know, I know.  I'm frustrated with it and shouldn't complain about it.  I know Sean is sick of listening to me complain about not being able to garden.  Maybe in the time spent not gardeing I should figure out what I want to plant.  So far I have yellow bush wax beans, yellow onions, carrots, and marigolds started in a seed starter kit.  (I plan on posting pictures later.) 

I haven't decided what else I want to plant.  Hmm....