Author: Eloine

Gorgeous day before a storm

Eloine

I just put a trellis up for the cucumbers that have sprouted along the left wall. I got all the sprinklers in and the soil mixed so I am assuming in a matter of minutes I’ll be able to fill up these bins!

I bought some seed tape yesterday of some Cherry Belle Radish. They say it was 15 feet however it didn’t even reach around the edge of the bin so that was no 15 feet! I am going to also transplant my summer squash in that bin since the radish will be ready in 22 days and the squash will be ready in 65 days.

Ready to Plant!
Ready to Plant!

Here are some pics from iphone. The seed tape. My mom happy in her garden doing some weeding and the spinach from my bee boxes that are now growing. I put some lettuce containers over the lettuce to speed up the growing of the lettuce sprouts since it’s still a bit cold.

seed tape
seed tape
Happy gardener
Happy gardener
Lettuce covers
Lettuce covers
spinach sprouts
spinach sprouts

Transplanted or started seed

Eloine

Seeds I just started:

  • Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard (sowed directly in large bin outside)

Started indoors

  • Summer Squash Green Tint Patty Pan
  • Cucumbers Babylon Hybrid
  • Sunflower Helianthus Annuus sunspot – supposed to be small and chunky –
    good for containers
  • Senorita Hybred hot pepper
  • Miniature Chocolate Bell sweet pepper
  • Japanese Trifele Black Heirloom Tomato
  • Sweet Pea Currant Tomato

Plants I transplanted

  • A flat of red lettuce at the base of the wisteria
  • Better boy as well as a early girl in bin (see covered photo for protection from frost)
  • 9 cauliflower plugs
  • Some begonias in outside raised bed

Red lettuce 1red lettuce close upphoto3

Rose leaf problems

Eloine

I have several different kinds of roses and the leaves of all of them look like this. They looked this way last year and only mildly looked better. Any ideas?

My guess is that it’s black spot as described here Some chemical solutions described here

I might try some to save these plants but I am guessing I just have to rip everything out and start over. I want to figure how how to prevent this from happening again before I do.

Getting ready

Eloine

Got bird netting all over the frame so I can cage myself in and the birds
out!

Drilled many holes on the underside of my containers. I made them fairly big.

I laid weed cloth on the bottom so the sand does not go through the hole.
The containers on sitting on top of pallets so they are off the ground

I started to fill the container up to the indents on the side with washed
sand for good drainage Read more →

My new composting bin and tool holder

Eloine

Just put this together today and now am trying to thaw out. It’s 51 degrees out there and lightly raining so I am all wet. I secured the sides together with an angle bracket and the door which is another pallet is secured but bungee cords. The sides hold the shovel very well. I got the idea from this cool little book called Easy Garden Projects to Make, Build, and Grow It also tells you how to make an easy aerator. It also suggests to paint it dark green to visually dissapear so once it’s stops raining that is what I am going to do.