hel's hideaway

trellis for sweet peas

helkimchee — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:37:08 -0700

In keeping with my late gardening start, there are some new sweet pea plants in the garden. The plants gotjusttall enough to start grabbing onto things so I fabricated a trellis out of twine this past weekend.

I’ve never done anything like this before, so I just made it up as I went along. I used half hitch, double half hitch, and slip knots to create this:

Looking forward to seeing if this works!

harvest for two

helkimchee — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:33:13 -0700

I dove into gardening kind of late into the year (April/May), so my harvest season is just getting started. We’ve had a pretty regular supply of salad greens for the past month which has been amazing, but I’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of other veggies in the garden.

Fresh zucchini is incredible. Juicy, sweet, crisp! And broccolini cut from the stem - delicious!

Here’s a pic of an enormous zucchini, first cuts of broccolini, and gigantic broccoli leaf (batteries are in the pic for size perspective).

At first, Lucy was interested in the zucchini.

And then I tried to fan her with a broccoli leaf.

She was not amused by the time I showed her the broccoli.

First harvest of cherry tomatoes and mystery pepper!

Cherry tomatoes right off the vine taste like little balls of sugar!

they're growing!

helkimchee — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 11:09:08 -0700

It’s been about a month since the last update on the garden boxes. Since then, there’s been some MAJOR growth explosion - which is good because I was starting to get really frustrated with having a yard full of tiny plants. I stopped obsessively checking for caterpillars and slugs because I just wasn’t finding that many. Turns out, the plants turned out ok! To help them along, I put a nice layer of organic compost (thanks to the city’s free organic compost!) on top of all the plant beds about 1.5 weeks ago.

Zucchini blossoms started to show up recently and…

…tiny zucchinis are here!

Also, the cherry tomatoes and the black russian heirloom tomatoes are starting to come in!

The peppers are thrilled to have all the extra space in their new pot.

And ever since the first lettuce harvest, we’ve had a regular supply of delicious, sweet, crisp lettuce and delicious, spicy, crisp arugula. Amazing! And I think it might be time to start harvesting the collards and kale. Yay!

The money shot.

The yellow pear tomato plant next to the greens box got trampled by Lucy (our dog) a few weeks ago and I have been trying to save it. Cross your fingers that it makes it through the ordeal and starts fruiting!

first harvest!

helkimchee — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:07:41 -0700

first harvest!

garden boxes: update

helkimchee — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:34:09 -0700

Here’s an update on the progress of the two garden boxes.

First one is the “greens” box. The first lesson I am learning with seedlings in a garden bed is to space out the rows between plant varieties next time. While I can thin out rows of the same plant, I can’t really scoot other plants over to make room. Also, will want to leave space for companion planting in the future.

Remember how it looked when I first transplanted the seedlings from tray to garden 3 weeks ago (May 27)? Tiny!

Two weeks later (June 10), the plants started to come into their own - just enough for me to thin them out. Here are before and after shots.

A day after thinning (June 11), the plants seemed to love all the extra room!

I know it can be a bit hard to tell how much they grew in one day, so here’s a side-by-side of the plants as they looked 12 hours and then 24 hours after thinning.

And here is a picture from this morning (June 15), just five days after thinning! Wow!!

Remember the squash box I just blogged about? Here is a picture of the squash plants from this morning. Hooray!

hideaway path

helkimchee — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:56:40 -0700

Last weekend I decided to move the paving stones in our backyard that lead to the hideaway. The previous owners (investment company that fixed up the place) put in a path of heavy paving stones from the back door of the house to the hideaway. However, after we had a wheelchair ramp installed, the ramp cut off this path between the house and hideaway.

I didn’t bother looking up how to do anything and got right to work. I used a shovel to lift the stone just enough to pull it out of its space.

After removing three stones, I temporarily placed the two larger ones into their new spots. You can sort of see in this picture that there is a bit of gravel from where I pulled out these stones. I shoveled this out and place it in the bucket.

Next, I cut out a patch of grass shaped like the stone. I think I pulled up about a 2"-3" thick rug of it. It literally came out like a rug! I just picked it up and carried it over to where the stone used to be.

Before setting the grass transplant onto the old stone spot, I mixed in some PayDirt soil. Then, I placed the transplant gently on top. I wanted to make sure the grass would have some room to take to the new location so I didn’t mash it down.

I covered the whole transplant area with a little more PayDirt.

Time for the second stone!

I took such special care not to step on the newly transplanted grass. But Lucy walked back and forth over those new spots to show me how helpful could be. Here she is exhausted from all that hard work.

Time to figure out what to do with that third, smaller stone. One plan we have to make the driveway more accessible for chair users is to remove the grass in the middle of the split driveway and replace it with bricks. So, I found a narrow portion and decided to place the third stone there.

(This is about the time I started to realize my shoulders were getting a bit of a sunburn.)

The last transplant is ready to go!

Lucy is so unimpressed.

Done! Stones are in their new spots and grass has been placed into old spots. I even covered up the grass transplant spots with grass clippings from when I mowed and edged the lawn earlier that day. My hope is that it will help keep the spots from drying out.

zucchini bed

helkimchee — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:30:01 -0700

Right after planting the seedless lime tree, I got to work on a little garden bed for some zucchini starter plants.

Here is the target area and the little frame I cobbled together from some scrap wood I had in the hideaway.

All of these plants and weeds must go!

Gone! And spared the sprinkler system hose which will help keep the soil in the garden bed watered. Yes!

Dug down about 8-10 inches below the surface.

Found tons of rocks, a few nails/screws, some bits of trash, and these random items.

Mixed in BumperCrop with the soil, placed the frame, leveled it as best I could.

Surrounded the frame with wood chip ground cover. Plants are ready to go! The two on the right were split from a tiny starter pot purchased from a local nursery. Luckily, they both survived after the split!

Planted!

And here are the plants four days later. They seem to like their new home!

lime tree

helkimchee — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:39:57 -0700

Almost all of the plants (including the lawn) were put in by the previous owner. We discovered that many (if not all) of the plants were quickly planted without much care. So, they looked nice enough in the beginning, but the plants weren’t growing that much. Turns out the root balls were still intact. This worked to our benefit as the plants we didn’t want were easy to remove.

I don’t know what tree this was that they planted, but we didn’t like it. Spent a little time digging – pulled on the tree a bit – and it popped right out.

Now, time to dig a bigger and deeper hole to prepare a space for our new seedless lime tree! Mixed in some Bumper Crop with the existing soil.

The lime tree seemed to be pretty happy in its pot the last couple of weeks. It became really clear why once I removed the tree – the soil in the pot was full of earthworms! Yes!!

Planted and watered.

Planted!

And here is a close-up of the baby limes.

This spot gets sun most of the day. Hopefully, the lime tree enjoys its new home here!

raised bed

helkimchee — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:59:37 -0700

Setting up a garden in the ground - like in the actual earth - seems like the most basic thing to comprehend. So, why was I so hesitant to make the plunge? I was scared! Gardening in pots, planters, and seedling trays meant that I could keep my plants safe from the elements - like unexpected weather, slugs, moths, etc.

Knowing I couldn’t keep this up forever and that my pots would have limited nutrient potential, I decided to create a small raised garden bed. Like a test run. (Like people are not already gardening and farming all the time!)

I picked a small area in the backyard. Removed the ornamental grasses put there by the previous owner and started digging. So many rocks and little bits of trash!

Twelve inches later, I am ready to add new soil. I used Paydirt and Bumper Crop to mix in 50/50 with the old soil. The shovel was too big and unwieldy so I ended up mixing all this soil by hand with this little trowel. Also, the rubber hose in the picture is part of the sprinkler system. It has a few little hoses with eyelets that branch off it to release water into this little garden area. Great for keeping the soil watered!

Time to put in the raised bed pieces. This wood came ready-cut from East Bay Nursery. Put it together like lincoln logs - stick rebar in the corners - done.

After filling it, I realized just how small this little bed was. So, I took the small tomato starter plant (yellow pear tomato given to us by friends) and planted it just outside the box.

Time to transfer the seedlings! As I removed them from the seedling trays, I tried to choose the heartiest ones. But during transfer, some of them broke at the roots. These are the ones that didn’t make it. Sad.

And these are the ones that did! From left to right: assorted lettuce, spinach, arugula, and broccoli. After I took this last pic I added collards and kale. They’re all pretty close together because I don’t expect all of the plants to survive the transfer. Plus, I can thin them out if they start to get big.

Also, see the marigolds? The guy at the nursery told me that marigolds make a great companion plant for any garden since aphids looooooove them. He said that a flower can literally be covered in aphids - and when that happens to just pluck the flower and compost it. Plus, the high numbers of aphids will help attract beneficial insects. So, I planted a few on either side of the garden box in the hopes that my veggies will be safe!

Note to self: The idea of companion planting is brilliant! Definitely something I want to learn more about.

Next up on my gardening to-do list: plant a seedless lime tree I recently got, create another small bed area for squash and zucchini, weed, weed, weed.

seedlings

helkimchee — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:47:51 -0700

After a couple of failed attempts at getting things going in the seedling tray, I think I have finally figured out how to keep these little buddies alive. Lessons: check the weather daily - one really hot day can kill all your sprouts; get really good starter soil; use a spray bottle to water plants; talk to the plants.

Here are some shots of my progress (and setbacks).

hooray, lettuce sprouts!

fried lettuce sprouts. sad!

new batch of lettuce sprouts planted 05/10!

hooray, one young broccoli sprout survived after the tray got fried by the sun!

repotted.

I was nervous that the broc stem might be weak after the one super warm day. so, after i repotted it from the tray, i replanted it deep into the soil. and behold, new growth!

and now, adventures with arugula!

babies!

after splitting some of them up.

the initial sets of collards and kale were fried as well. SO SAD. here are pics of the next batch planted on 05/07.

kale.

collards.

also, i finally got baby spinach and regular spinach to grow!

baby spinach planted 05/06.

regular spinach planted 05/10.

and finally, a view of the seedling trays as of a few days ago!

more sprouts!

helkimchee — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:53:58 -0700

You guys! I brought the greenhouse seedling tray indoors the last two nights and the seeds love it! Here are some before (9pm, May 3) and after (8am, May 4) shots of some newcomers!! Look what can happen in just 11 hours!

salad greens:

collards:

arugula:

first sprouts showed up today!

helkimchee — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:35:46 -0700

first sprouts showed up today!

hideaway planning

helkimchee — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:02:36 -0700

I’m really excited at the idea of having my own hideaway, but the steps to get it to hideaway status seem so overwhelming. Just sitting down to write my thoughts on it have me stuck.

Yesterday, my friend Teri sent me a hideaway idea. Amazing! I guess I’m not the only one who wants a garden hideaway.

I will need to dedicate a future blog post just for hideaway brainstorming. Also, send me your awesome ideas!!

weeding

helkimchee — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:04:57 -0700

I only recently discovered how much I enjoy weeding. It’s a practice of so many things for me: patience, posture, perseverance. Interesting - all Ps. Anyhoo, I discovered that when done well, weeding can leave an area weed-free for quite some time! This leaves more nutrients and space for the plants you want to keep, but it also allows for the weeds left behind to grow completely out of control.

Here is a small section in the backyard that I started weeding a while back, but didn’t finish. See the one bare spot at the bottom right? See the out of control weeds everywhere else? I went right to work!

Lucy stood guard to make sure no other weeds tried to jump in while I was hard at work.

Done! The ornamental grass was moved to another bed and I pruned old growth from the undersides of the 3 plants in front. Found a slug - was grossed out - removed it.

I’m not quite sure what to plant here, but I think a raised bed will do well since it will help keep the house foundation clear of any excessive garden growth, unexpected guests (read: pests), and constant moisture. The area gets a nice amount of sun early to midday, but is well-shaded the rest of the time. One issue that stands out is that the dryer vent is located on the far left, making the ground very dry and hard. Any suggestions?

starting with seeds

helkimchee — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:03:01 -0700

Warmer weather has arrived! I want to take advantage of this time before it gets too hot to see if I can get a head start on growing some veggies at home. I’ve been checking out a few neighborhood nurseries and was surprised to find that the only ready-to-go plants available were tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, beans, and squashes. Maybe that’s a rookie assumption. I picked up a few plants (which I’ll post about later) as well as some packets of seeds, a mini greenhouse seed-starter kit, and a bag of soil.

To start, I got seed packets of mixed greens, spinach, collards, and kale. Those collards seeds look small (see that little brown dot?),

but the other seeds were even smaller! The kale seeds were similar to the collards seeds, but the mixed greens looked like little splinters and the spinach seeds looked like poppy seeds.

The little greenhouse has eight sets of tiny 9-square spots to start seeds in

and a big plastic cover to keep things warm and safe.

According to the seed packets, sprouts should start to show in 7-14 days depending on the plant. I planted lettuce and spinach on 4/23 and collards and kale on 4/24. Here’s a close-up of spinach on 4/24.

And the winner is spinach! The first little inkling of growth showed up on 4/27! It actually looks like a little root (top right square) at this point.

I plan to start another set of seeds in 10-14 days to keep a steady supply of greens on hand! Also, I’ll have to get going on prepping a space outside for any new plants. So exciting!

working on my brown thumb

helkimchee — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:04:53 -0700

While I sort through all the grand ideas I have about the hideaway, I’m using this time to learn and sort through gardening tips, tricks, and general green-thumbery. I’ve discovered a real love for working with plants whether I’m pruning, weeding, or arranging cut flowers. Here is an office gardening project I’ve been working on:

birthday rose plant

On April 5, a coworker bought me a beautiful little rose plant.

I forgot to water it before leaving on Friday, April 6 and came back to a little pot of death on Monday, April 9.

With its wilted stems and crunchy leaves, it seemed impossible to revive. So, I gave it a drastic haircut. By Wednesday, April 11 it was showing signs of life!

Here are shots of it April 17 and 19 after adding some used coffee grounds to the soil.

On April 20, I moved it to a new terra cotta home!

It seems like there are four little rose plants in here. Two are doing great with their leaves and new buds along the stem - while the other two seem to be slowly fading away. It’ll be exciting to see what happens over the next few weeks!

how this got started

helkimchee — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 22:38:00 -0700

in the weeks leading up to my birthday, i was asked, “who would you like to be involved in your birthday – whether they live here or not? who do you wish could share it with you?” i had no idea why. i had no idea what was in store for me.

people i wanted to share my birthday with donated funds to give me the biggest surprise of all! on my birthday, i was presented with over $1100 to fund a “backyard hideaway” project. i had no idea this was in the works! i was totally blown away!! still am!!!

i’m so excited to create the perfect little retreat for myself. not only will i be working on the physical space (pictured below), but i’ll also be trying my hand at gardening in the spaces around it.

so, i have lots of people to thank and lots of work to do! this blog will help keep track of my progress (and keep me on track). thanks to all who have provided encouragement, support, guidance, and love. you help remind me that the stretch is much farther than my arms can reach.

BIG THANKS to the backyard hideaway project donors!

Alice, Andrew, Ann, Ashley, Azusa, Betty, Cyn, Di, Elaine, Ellen, Emily, Eric, Hannah, Hsuan, Jacquie, Jennifer, Jess, Ji, Jocelyn, Jun, Karla, Kim, Kristina, Leebs, Linda, Linda, Liz, Love, Lucy, Narinda, Peter, RJ, Sansan, Sarah, Suzy, Sva, Tania, Teresa, Ted, Teri, Unhei, Wileen, Yvonne.

thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!

and props to the fundraising duo, Mia and Stacey!