My side of the yard

Long time, no post!

2015-04-28T14:09:00.002-07:00

Wow, I haven't posted here in years! A lot has happening around here since posting last, we now have 2 little boys! 5 years old and almost 3. We've relocated our raised beds to another area of our yard. And had put gardening on the back burner since our little one was an "eat everything with in reach and sight" kind of kid. But both of them are now a great help and love being out in the yard.

Also...drum roll please...

We've added 6 chickens to our family! They are now 8 weeks old, and living in their coop full time! I'll be creating a few different posts, probably one garden related, one strictly chicken and one all about the coop! Excited to be back at it!

Here's Toad, a little longer in tooth than she was in our previous postings, and a few of our chicks enjoying the sunlight!

Sunny Day...

2011-05-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday it was so beautiful in the morning that we took advantage of Ez's naptime and got a ton of yard work done. I planted a bunch of seedlings, and prayed for the best. I really hope that we don't get another frost this spring!

I added some weed barrier fabric to the 12" bed, so I could warm the soil up to transplant my squash, pumpkin and cuc seedlings! Did the grid this past week as well with some Jute. Also transplanted a ton of leaf lettuce seedlings. Hope they take, I was lacking patience and didn't harden them of first. So hopefully they'll hang in there! :) Also put a tomato in, and plan to train it to the trellis in the back! Then transplanted some strawberry crowns to the 6" bed, cuz' they were getting crowded in the planter!

So excited for this season, now if it'd only warm up!!!

Spring Seed Starts

2011-05-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

So this season I started using Jiffy Greenhouse seed starting kits. Which I've really enjoyed, they've been super efficient and easy to use, and when you've used all the pellets you can buy replacement pellets! And they are pretty inexpensive, I picked them up at Home Depot.

March 9th:

Beefsteak Tomatoes- sprouts on 3/17, 8 day germ
Basil- sprouts on 3/17, 8 day germ
Cilantro- sprouts 3/21, 12 day germ
Parsley- sprouts 3/21, 12 day germ
Sugar Snap Peas- sprouts on 3/16, 7 day germ

April 20th:

Yellow Squash- on 5/9, all seedlings doing very well @ 1"-3" tall, still in window sill.
Summer Squash
Cantaloup
Watermelon

May 5th:

Cucumber Bush- sprouts on 5/11, 6 day germ for Cuc, Pump, and Pea
Sugar Pumpkin
Sugar Snap Pea
Kentucky Wonder Bush Bean
Variety Leaf Lettuce- sprouts 5/8, 3 day germ

Cantaloup seedlings

Basil, and Watermelon Seedlings

Leaf Lettuce seedlings, and Basil

Tomato seedlings

My Gaggle of Seedlings

Jiffy Greenhouse with Lettuce seedlings

Yellow and Summer Squash Seedlings

May 2011

2011-05-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

So I didn't follow through well last year, as it was a really cruddy year weather wise! But I'm back in the saddle again, and we have some big plans for 'My Side of the Yard'! I'm drawing up a plan on some graph paper today. The plan is to get rid of most of the grass on the veggie side of the yard, and add a bunch more beds made from salvaged pallets.

Also possibly getting ready to build a coop for some super awesome laying hens! I love growing food in our back yard, and am excited at the idea of a higher yield to be able to glean the excess to neighbors, and local food banks/rescue missions!

I have a ton of seeds and seedlings started in the window and am itching for the weather to level out and get warmer! :)

July 2010, Plants on 'roids

2010-07-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

So it has been awhile since I have uploaded, here in the Northwest, its FINALLY summer!

My warm weather crops seem to be doing great, but the cold weather crops have all bolted! No worries tho, I allowed most of them to flower to attract pollinators! I'm really enjoying the garden, but need to buy more seed, because I have so many vacant spaces now! So far this has been a great learning experience! I'll know better what to do next spring!

Here are the most current photos taken today!

Purple Potato doing great!

Carrots

Strawberries soon to be ripe!

Basil Seedlings finally popping up in the heat

Tomato going gangbusters, need to stake and prune it this evening

Brussel Sprout that bolted, attracting bees!

Mint thriving

mmm...Radishes!

2010-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we spent a lot of time in Olympia, visiting with family and friends. But that meant spending awhile away from my garden, and seedlings! Funny thing is that I actually missed them. I would think randomly, 'i wonder how the peas are looking?...hopefully the compost bin isn't getting gross...how big are the heads on my broccoli?...wonder if my seed starts are sprouting yet?'.

But we did end up going to the Olympia Farmer's Market on Sunday. The weather was a little iffy, but their market down there is AWESOME! There is a permanent building for the vendors, so you can walk around rain or shine, and stay dry! I was able to speak to a gardener about Clematis, and got some great tips for pruning after it goes dormant. As well as learning about Black Orchard Bees, and Bat boxes.

I was also excited to find Praying Mantis egg cases, and purchased one for the garden! I can't wait until they hatch. I've always like Praying Manti (is that the plural form? lol) and am interested to see if any of them hangout to eat the bad critters of the garden! Here's the packaging, from The Lily Pad, Oly. Wa.

When we got back home, I ran out to the garden to check things out, and most of the radishes are ready to harvest! I picked a few and brought them in, and my hubby promptly munched one down, and enjoyed it!

Such a gratifying experience running out there to pluck something from the ground, that I planted from seed, and then to see my family enjoying it. I'm constantly amazed at how easy it is so far to grow our own veggies, and look forward to every new harvest and planting. And love the feeling of seeing a new sprout popping through the soil. Yes, it may be a little silly/dorky. But it's awesome.

I'm a gardening nerd.

Last day of sun

2010-05-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

So today, is supposed to be the last day of sun for awhile, but man, those few beautiful days of sunshine seemed like steroids for my veggies! I also planted 2 squares yesterday, another crop of carrots and radishes! Hopefully they weren't washed out by yesterdays torrential downpours!

Here are photos from today:

Yummy Salad

2010-05-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

Went out to the gardens yesterday morning, and watered. Discovered that my Peas are starting to bloom, radishes are almost ready for harvest, and I had an over abundance of Romaine, Spinach, and various types of lettuce!

So ,along with some homemade Gorgonzola Mac n' Cheese, we had a yummy salad consisting of homegrown greens, and store bought...Almonds, Craisins, and Asiago cheese, with a champagne vinaigrette! mmm. mmm. nom nom nom.

Dinner was scrumptious. And growing your own veg is divine!

This morning I checked on my seed starts that I have up in the bay window, and the cucumbers, oregano, and sweet basil have already sprouted! Thats a whopping 5 day germination! Woot Woot! :)

Sunny Day Gardening

2010-05-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was beautiful! So me n' Ez went outside and hung out and gardened in the sunshine! I even ended up with a little early season color! :) Ez pretty much just layed around in his pack n' play, while I worked away.

I prepped the new 6" deep bed, took the tarp off that had been warming the soil up, and mixed in 1 trowel of compost/square. Then I transplanted the tomato plant, that I had brought in to nurse back to health, in that garden. Also planted a few potatoes, dark purple and yellow.

Watered the deep bed, and cleaned up the veggies, by pinching off unhealthy leaves and debris. I use a bucket of water that is warmed by the sun, and and old gatorade bottle, this way I'm using the least amount of water necessary, and the water goes straight to the roots, and not all over the garden. (Got the idea from Square Food Gardening by Mel Bartholomew)

I had a few pretty ceramic pots that I wanted to use to transplant an indoor pepper plant, and a few other things. So I got out the powerdrill, and used a small drill bit to drill pilot whole into the over turned pot. Then used a larger bit, progressively, until the hole were the right size. I also poured a little water on the holes as I was drilling to keep it cool. Worked pretty well. Not as hard as I thought it would be.

Then I went inside and transplanted my Mint seedlings to larger yogurt cups, from the egg carton I had started them in.

I chose the strongest looking 6, out of the 12, and tossed the others. Then in the carton I started:

Summer Squash- seedlings in 10-14 days

Pickle bush Cucumber- seedlings in 7-14 days

Oregano- 10-21 days

Parsley- 14-21 days

Cilantro- 14-21 days

Sweet Basil- 7-14 days

and

Cantaloup- (in yogurt cups) Seedlings to transplant in 4 weeks.

2nd Bed, Compost, and Anti-doggie fence

2010-05-11T23:55:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks, of a little watering and nurturing, things seemed to be coming along well. But we had quite a bit of soil left, so I wanted to build another bed! This time, I had read "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. So I had realized that I only needed a 6" deep bed to sufficiently grow most veggies!! And also discovered that I didn't need to rip up the previous sod, I could just put down the weed barrier over it, and that would be fine! Whew, I was excited for it to be even easier this time.

So I went and picked up 2"x6" cedar boards. 2-3' pieces, and 2-6' pieces to make a 3'x6'X6" bed. This time I used long wood screws and a power drill, instead of hammer and nails. I found it to be WAY more simple, and a lot more sturdy. This bed I put together by myself, with no help from the Hubby. Then filled it with the remaining dirt, and also had enough left over to fill a cedar half-barrel for strawberries!

We bought a plastic compost bin, for about $40. I had been looking for one on Craigslist, but couldn't find one that was cheap enough, and what we wanted, close by. That was easy to put together, and I just put the first stuff in there the other day! Dried grass clippings, kitchen scraps, and shredded paper. Can't wait to see it turn into "Black Gold", and also am looking forward to creating less waste as a household, and too saving a little money. We've been recycling most of our waste, and barely fill our small city trash can. So I'm going to call and have them pick it up. And we will just run to the dump every few weeks for the stuff we can't compost, or recycle. (Mostly baby waste)

We bought wire fencing, and metal posts, as well. Which was the least expensive option to keep our stinking dogs out of the gardens! Toad, our female Rot-Pit mix, loves the feeling of moist soil in between her toes. Syrus, our male rednose Pitbull, feels compelled to pee on the corners of the bed everytime we let him outside! So I am happy to have barricaded them out of 'my side of the yard'!

I put in a trellis on the north side of the deep garden for vining plants, and followed directions I found in 'Square Foot Gardening'. Using electric conduit, rebar, and garden netting. It was super easy to put together, and they cut the piping to length right there at Lowe's!

It begins...

2010-05-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

So in April, after our road trip to California to visit Tim's family, we decided to build a raised bed to grow our own vegetables. I was inspired to do so from watching the documentary "Food, Inc.". Our son Ezekiel was born in January, and I really want to start him off on delicious and nutritious food, that won't weigh heavy on my conscience. I don't want to fill him with pesticides, and preservatives. He deserves better than that. Then I got to thinking...'Why do I put that stuff in MY body!?'. So it begins...

We ended up scoring a ford ranger bed worth of soil from a buddy, who was giving up his 'horticultural' endeavors! It was great dirt! Very dark, with Vermiculite, and lava rock for drainage. Went to Home Depot to pick up lumber. I wasn't really sure what type of wood I needed, so I asked the guy in the lumber department what would be best for a raised veggie garden. So he pointed me in the direction of the seemingly most expensive option. Pressure treated 2"x12" cedar boards. He said that it would be good because it wouldn't rot, and would be the best option. I trusted his advice, and had him cut 2 boards to 2-3' 2"x12"s, and 2-6' 2"x12"s, to build a 3'x6' 12" deep bed! After buying the wood, I realized it wasn't the right choice, because: 1. Pressure treated wood, was going to leach chemicals into my soil, and potentially contaminate my veggies. And 2. I didn't really need to have 12" of soil to grow my plants. But since I had already had the boards cut, I figured they wouldn't let me return them. So we went home, and nailed the boards to build the bed, ripped up the sod, lined the bed with weed barrier to completely cover the wood on the inside, and filled the bed. It ended up looking very nice, and took us about a day of work, from going to Home Depot, to finishing the bed. I was surprised at how easy it actually was.

The next day, I went to Lowe's. (Had a bit of a bad taste in my mouth from the bad purchase and advice from Home Depot.) Picked up a bunch of veggie starts, ran home and got to planting! I planted using the Square Foot Gardening method. Even though I hadn't read the book yet. It was the beginning of April and still pretty cold, but planted everything with reckless abandon. Because of this, my Cucumber starts, Basil starts, and one of my tomato plants, did not survive.