Garden update!
It's been a bit, and the plants are big enough to be identifiable as something other than "that little green thing" and "that other little green thing" and "the one the pillbugs are eating". So I figured it was time to take some pictures.
This is my garden. Not very big, I know. But I've been doing a lot of research into urban homesteading and intensive gardening, and I'm going to see just how much food I can coax out of this little plot this summer.
For reference, it's about 12'x20'.
*****************************
First, there's the dirt patch in the front. This was where I had hard red winter wheat growing -- it grew beautifully, except for the repeated doses of carbon monoxide from the landlord's car. Yeah. So that got pulled up and turned into compost.
Now, that patch is going to be sunflowers and corn. You can just see the tiny two-leaved sunflowers in a ring all around the edge of the dirt patch, and right in the center there's a little green blur that's actually about eight corn plants. They're red sunflowers, and red corn, and there's some red onion in there two, to keep with the theme. Yes, I am planting giant red flowers in my backyard. Shut up.
*****************************
These are just some flowers, nothing exciting. I rescued that geranium from a friend's backyard a couple years ago, and the big frothy looking plant in the back is a wild pea that's trying to conquer the entire yard.
*****************************
More flowers. Some iris, some daisies, a snapdragon...
*****************************
Here's the garlic! I love garlic, as you can tell. There's yellow onions and basil planted in the hollow just to the left of the garlic row (where the handful of wet soil was dropped), and more onions interspersed with the garlic plants all the way down. There's also cilantro and marigolds and calendula planted along the row of garlic (which reminds me, it's time to plant more cilantro! I stagger planting them, dropping a handful of seeds every two weeks, which keeps us in cilantro all summer).
At the end of the row (and out of frame, sadly) is a celery and a very sad parsley. (It got mowed last year, and is having trouble recovering).
*****************************
You should all know what these are! I've got about eight romas, two cherries, and four of this cool square hybrid I made last year by accident. Between the cages and the garlic row will go my chilis and bell peppers, once it warms up a little more.
And in the far back left corner, behind the yellow flower, you can just make out the carrots I'm letting go to seed from last year, and a sage. I'm purposely not weeding as much this year as last year, because I want to encourage the bugs to not only eat the weeds and not my plants, but also I want to see if leaving some ground cover really does increase productivity.
*****************************
Right along the black soaker hose are spinach, butter lettuce, and red leaf lettuce. At the base of the trellis are pickling cukes I just transplanted in today. The slightly taller, blueish-green ones are broccoli. I honestly don't remember what the one that bolted is (the ones with the yellow flowers) but they're pretty so they can stay. I'll be planting two more varieties of cucumber in here along the base of the trellis, as well as my watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and sweet melons. Those will all be trained up the trellis.
*****************************
Another shot down the front of the trellis. There's bok choi in there, and purple kale at the far end of the trellis (not visible).
*****************************
Under the trellis! Starting at the bottom left and going around the edge there's zucchini, nasturtiums, yellow corn, russet potatoes, black radishes, pole beans, soy beans, sweet peas (conquering the far wall!) more nasturtiums, more radishes, and a Japanese watermelon under the shade cover. In the center are blue, russet, and red potatoes in various stages of growth.
And yes, that's a solar panel. The strings of lights on the trellis are solar.
*****************************
A bit of a close-up of the left side entrance of the trellis. The zucchini is still only about 2" tall, but it will soon own the entire yard.
*****************************
And the right side.
*****************************
The back side of the trellis. That's a patch of thyme right at your feet (thyme is so easy to grow!), then grass and some paving stones. There are yellow sunflowers back here (brighter green, between the two stones), and mint in the corner.
*****************************
Closer shot of the back corner. That's a thorned blackberry trained on the fence, which should fruit this year (blackberry canes only fruit their second year, so never cut back the new growth or you won't get any fruit next year! Only cut the vines that fruited already).
The near half of the trellis will be covered in squash soon, if all goes well. Zucchini, summer yellow, and a couple winter squashes (butternut, acorn, spaghetti). The corn will grow up at the edge of the trellis through the squash, and the beans will cover the other half.
That's the mint, to the left in near-permanent shade.
*****************************
Along the back fence. There isn't much here yet -- I haven't decided what, if anything, I want to plant here. It doesn't ever get direct sun, so it'll probably just be edible flowers. There's a thornless raspberry next to the pretty purple flower. Those yellow flowers are oxalis, which have a very tart lemon flavor. They're great in salads, or as a garnish in lemonade.
*****************************
In the back, nearly under the landlord's car, is my moon garden.
*****************************
It's not doing too badly, all things considered.
*****************************
And then in the front yard!
This is the Fennel That Ate Oakland. It's been drooping this past week, and I think it's about time to harvest some of those bulbs.
*****************************
Next to the fennel is my "greenhouse" rack, with spouts starting here for the Occupy Gardens. There's squash and tomatoes and onions and kale and bok choi.
*****************************
On the top, in the full sun, are my sprouts. There's chilis, bell pepper, more beans, lots of melons... the visible plants are red onion and more celery, and that's a summer savory in the pot.
*****************************
And the very front. There's flowers, a caged-in catnip, three buckets of russet potatoes, oregano, and a giant lemon balm. You can apparently make a variety of mojito with lemon balm instead of mint!
So! Those are my plants. I'll update again in about a month.
Crossposted to Dreamwidth. http://andmydog.dreamwidth.org/16199.html with
comments
This is my garden. Not very big, I know. But I've been doing a lot of research into urban homesteading and intensive gardening, and I'm going to see just how much food I can coax out of this little plot this summer.
For reference, it's about 12'x20'.
*****************************
First, there's the dirt patch in the front. This was where I had hard red winter wheat growing -- it grew beautifully, except for the repeated doses of carbon monoxide from the landlord's car. Yeah. So that got pulled up and turned into compost.
Now, that patch is going to be sunflowers and corn. You can just see the tiny two-leaved sunflowers in a ring all around the edge of the dirt patch, and right in the center there's a little green blur that's actually about eight corn plants. They're red sunflowers, and red corn, and there's some red onion in there two, to keep with the theme. Yes, I am planting giant red flowers in my backyard. Shut up.
*****************************
These are just some flowers, nothing exciting. I rescued that geranium from a friend's backyard a couple years ago, and the big frothy looking plant in the back is a wild pea that's trying to conquer the entire yard.
*****************************
More flowers. Some iris, some daisies, a snapdragon...
*****************************
Here's the garlic! I love garlic, as you can tell. There's yellow onions and basil planted in the hollow just to the left of the garlic row (where the handful of wet soil was dropped), and more onions interspersed with the garlic plants all the way down. There's also cilantro and marigolds and calendula planted along the row of garlic (which reminds me, it's time to plant more cilantro! I stagger planting them, dropping a handful of seeds every two weeks, which keeps us in cilantro all summer).
At the end of the row (and out of frame, sadly) is a celery and a very sad parsley. (It got mowed last year, and is having trouble recovering).
*****************************
You should all know what these are! I've got about eight romas, two cherries, and four of this cool square hybrid I made last year by accident. Between the cages and the garlic row will go my chilis and bell peppers, once it warms up a little more.
And in the far back left corner, behind the yellow flower, you can just make out the carrots I'm letting go to seed from last year, and a sage. I'm purposely not weeding as much this year as last year, because I want to encourage the bugs to not only eat the weeds and not my plants, but also I want to see if leaving some ground cover really does increase productivity.
*****************************
Right along the black soaker hose are spinach, butter lettuce, and red leaf lettuce. At the base of the trellis are pickling cukes I just transplanted in today. The slightly taller, blueish-green ones are broccoli. I honestly don't remember what the one that bolted is (the ones with the yellow flowers) but they're pretty so they can stay. I'll be planting two more varieties of cucumber in here along the base of the trellis, as well as my watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and sweet melons. Those will all be trained up the trellis.
*****************************
Another shot down the front of the trellis. There's bok choi in there, and purple kale at the far end of the trellis (not visible).
*****************************
Under the trellis! Starting at the bottom left and going around the edge there's zucchini, nasturtiums, yellow corn, russet potatoes, black radishes, pole beans, soy beans, sweet peas (conquering the far wall!) more nasturtiums, more radishes, and a Japanese watermelon under the shade cover. In the center are blue, russet, and red potatoes in various stages of growth.
And yes, that's a solar panel. The strings of lights on the trellis are solar.
*****************************
A bit of a close-up of the left side entrance of the trellis. The zucchini is still only about 2" tall, but it will soon own the entire yard.
*****************************
And the right side.
*****************************
The back side of the trellis. That's a patch of thyme right at your feet (thyme is so easy to grow!), then grass and some paving stones. There are yellow sunflowers back here (brighter green, between the two stones), and mint in the corner.
*****************************
Closer shot of the back corner. That's a thorned blackberry trained on the fence, which should fruit this year (blackberry canes only fruit their second year, so never cut back the new growth or you won't get any fruit next year! Only cut the vines that fruited already).
The near half of the trellis will be covered in squash soon, if all goes well. Zucchini, summer yellow, and a couple winter squashes (butternut, acorn, spaghetti). The corn will grow up at the edge of the trellis through the squash, and the beans will cover the other half.
That's the mint, to the left in near-permanent shade.
*****************************
Along the back fence. There isn't much here yet -- I haven't decided what, if anything, I want to plant here. It doesn't ever get direct sun, so it'll probably just be edible flowers. There's a thornless raspberry next to the pretty purple flower. Those yellow flowers are oxalis, which have a very tart lemon flavor. They're great in salads, or as a garnish in lemonade.
*****************************
In the back, nearly under the landlord's car, is my moon garden.
*****************************
It's not doing too badly, all things considered.
*****************************
And then in the front yard!
This is the Fennel That Ate Oakland. It's been drooping this past week, and I think it's about time to harvest some of those bulbs.
*****************************
Next to the fennel is my "greenhouse" rack, with spouts starting here for the Occupy Gardens. There's squash and tomatoes and onions and kale and bok choi.
*****************************
On the top, in the full sun, are my sprouts. There's chilis, bell pepper, more beans, lots of melons... the visible plants are red onion and more celery, and that's a summer savory in the pot.
*****************************
And the very front. There's flowers, a caged-in catnip, three buckets of russet potatoes, oregano, and a giant lemon balm. You can apparently make a variety of mojito with lemon balm instead of mint!
So! Those are my plants. I'll update again in about a month.
Crossposted to Dreamwidth. http://andmydog.dreamwidth.org/16199.html with
comments