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June 26, 2004
Yardwork Saturday
I really love working in the yard. This may be a surprise to John, because I don't often do so, with my crazy-assed schedule at work, but I really do love puttering around with dirt and plants and stuff.
It's been such a joy being home for a week, and to know that I don't have to take off on a plane to somewhere next week, or even the week after!
I went to 3 garden centers today, and bought more perennials for the front yard (I hope that someday we will have no 'lawn" in the front yard to mow - only plants that are groundcovers, or interesting flowering or bushy things).
I bought a lot of Irish Moss to cover my mountain that we created with a tunnel for our future Garden Railway. I bought some coriopsis to plant in places where nothing but mud grows now, and I bought several other groundcovers and a few herbs.
This year, my herb and vegetable garden is all in containers on our deck. John devised a wonderful irrigation system so that he doesn't have to worry about watering my plants when I'm traveling.
I am amazed at how vigorous and healthy my container garden is - no bunnies are snitching my peppers, and no bugs are going for my tomatoes. My herbs are growing like crazy (I'll have to start harvesting and drying some for later, they are growing so fast), and my Kentucky Colonel Mint is overflowing its very large pot. (It makes the bestest Mint Juleps of any of the mints!)
I also have strawberries and peppermint, spearmint and chocolate mint, rosemary, thyme and oregano, basil, chamomile and cilantro. And it is all in pots.
Today, I went to Home Depot and bought a fake clay pot - a pretty one, it's big - with no hole in the bottom. I also bought a fountain kit for it, and we made a nice container fountain out of it.
I have some water hyacinths in my garden pond in the front yard, so I'll put some in my container fountain on the deck, and we will have a nice little garden to enjoy in the evenings after work, with the fountain and all.
I also have quite a few citronella candles to keep the mosquitoes away.
My plants are so big now that our deck is now very private. (we have a very large yard and privacy fence, besides).
I plan to get John out there this evening for a romantic outdoor rendezvous. Lots of candles, a fountain, lots of pretty herbal aromas and also lots of flowering plants.
Maybe I'll get lucky!
Posted by Beth at June 26, 2004 8:20 PM
Comments
That explains a lot...
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at June 26, 2004 8:32 PM
Your garden sounds wonderful!
I wish I had your green thumb! We have a rule in our house... all that does not ask to be fed and watered, does not. Therefore, all plants die. It is sad, but true.
In S.Florida, the romantic outdoor rendevous would be marred by mosquito bug bites in bad places... but I did just get a screened in covered porch! :)
Posted by: Boudicca at June 26, 2004 9:47 PM
If I did not have an irrigation system set up in my garden, my plants would die of neglect, too.
You can put them together for about $20 or $30 and keep adding more tubing and itty bitty drip irrigation things to each new pot.
We have a timer that waters everything twice a day for just a few minutes each time - keeps the containers from drying out.
I would love to have a screen porch, though.
Posted by: Beth Donovan at June 27, 2004 8:53 AM
Please take a picture of your container fountain for us...!!! Pleeeeeeze?? :D
Everything sounds so lovely. I also like to work in the yeard, but not when it's this bloody hot out. ;)
Posted by: pam at June 27, 2004 8:53 AM
I love Irish moss, I planted some when I lived in the Pacific Northwest. It's nice to read about your garden, because it gives me some incentive. Now that I'm in Grenoble, I'm going to have to get a windowsill garden going of herbs and spices. No room for my favorite, roses, but at the very least I can grow some of the herbs and spices that I'm having a surprisingly difficult time finding here!
Posted by: Jack at June 27, 2004 10:24 AM
I have really struggled with mine. I ended up only getting a few ears of corn...the plants just didn't develop the way they are supposed to. The ones I got were very tasty though.
My zuchini hasn't produced fruit yet. The female flowers don't open, the males do. So the pods never get pollinated and they haven't yet started to develop. I guess they females are frigid and need therapy or something.
I'm getting good cucumbers, but I'm having to manually pollinate them because the bees seem to be having difficulty finding the plants.
My tomatos are really putting out the fruit and it tastes wonderful, I have 4 varieties producing at once right now.
None of my pepper plants has worked out. Zero. Very strange because usually if there is anything I can grow, its peppers. I dunno what's up...too much water maybe.
Only about 3 or 4 of the herbs are doing well.
Peas all died from aphids.
The lettuce I got was a poor choice of variety. It tastes kinda bitter. I'll buy a different kind next time.
Carrots are growing, I won't know anything for a while yet on them.
We've had a very wet spring and hot early summer. Already we've had 40+ inches of rain this year. So I've had some weather challenges, and struggled with bugs. I think overall though my biggest probvlem is the seed I got was poor quality. I'm going to buy from BurPee next time. I'm going to spend today pulling out the corn stalks and weeding out a bit, I might go buy some more starter plants if I have time.
Posted by: Calliope at June 27, 2004 11:12 AM