tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48456491447477482102024-03-13T19:06:08.828-07:00Irene's Garden Cornerirenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-79743043527409265212009-08-14T09:58:00.000-07:002009-08-14T10:32:50.227-07:00The Strawberry Patch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPvaJfUoE7Kqq9Wt0MHkh5sfwCxYAFf-2o-oZ3ADnTp5yr3bEDO6uXYXWQdpNIrzpuGnpJOzDZ4krEom5AxRtTVr_anzrWbJHNTHCsZBfSo6yt4VS2B33YCd6r8cNpxm4kGk3L3HUQtSc/s1600-h/strawberry+plant.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 165px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 132px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369865247405710370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPvaJfUoE7Kqq9Wt0MHkh5sfwCxYAFf-2o-oZ3ADnTp5yr3bEDO6uXYXWQdpNIrzpuGnpJOzDZ4krEom5AxRtTVr_anzrWbJHNTHCsZBfSo6yt4VS2B33YCd6r8cNpxm4kGk3L3HUQtSc/s320/strawberry+plant.jpg" /></a>Dave and I started our strawberry patch with a few runners from Dave's father's patch. The area was about 3' x 4' originally. Now it is about 3' x 12.' It is lined with 4x4s on the long side, bricks on the 2 short ends and a cement slab on the house side.<br /><br />These edgings allow me to cover the patch with wire to keep out the birds at harvest time. Ha! Being lazy, I've learned to pick the berries just before they fully ripen. They get a day on the counter before being cleaned and stored in freezer bags. This allows me time to amass enough berries for strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberry crisp, and of course strawberry shortcake.<br /><br />Every year I collect the seaweed from the high tide line to top dress the patch. Seaweed is an excellent fertilizer as it breaks down. It acts like straw to keep the berries off the ground where they rot quickly or get eaten by slugs. It also seems to deter mice which love straw and strawberries!<br /><br />When the runners have filled up the space they've been allotted, I move the bricks out another 2,' line the ground with a thick layer of old newspapers, cover with a thick layer of seaweed and lay the runners on top so they know where to go. The next spring the new plants already have a foothold. The following year they are producing sizable berries.<br /><br />When picking my strawberries, I would take the bruised, damaged, partially eaten ones and throw them up against the fence behind my veggie garden thinking this would be easier for the birds. Lol! The plants that are growing there rival my patch! So I pot them up, 6-10 to a pot, to sell out front - <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>instant strawberry patch </strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">for the lucky buyer. </span>irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-22172368490209946152009-07-11T05:59:00.000-07:002009-07-11T07:40:29.426-07:00Gardening For CashHere in good ol' Taxachusetts you are allowed to sell what you grow from your property without setting up a business identity and paying taxes. Don't expect to make big money either. I'm happy to make enough to cover costs of gardening plus a few bucks.<br /><br />I embarked on this avenue through requests from others. Because I don't use chemicals when gardening, I get alot of "volunteers." Volunteers are baby plants that sprout up from seeds or suckers from the previous year's blooms from the mother plants. Not wanting to destroy these, I offered them to friends and neighbors when space in my garden became unavailable. This was fine until others wanted them potted up until they decided where they were going to plant them. <br /><br />Ok. Pots, soil, water, fertilizer and my time cost money that I don't have. Several people offered money for this service. This is how it got started. <br /><br />When I moved in with my Dave 15 years ago, neighbors told me I couldn't grow things because we live on the water. Hehehe, salt water has it's challenges but things DO grow and flourish. Because of the prevailing southwest wind, different climate niches are created throughout the yard.<br /><br />Blue Hydrangeas are a waterfront cottage staple. I propogate these from one plant I purchased 15 years ago. The experts say they won't bloom for a couple of years. Mine bloom the first year. Go figure. They are definately a cash crop and a beautiful addition to any property. They are easy to maintain and bloom all summer. <br /><br />Another is Rose of Sharon. They pop up everywhere from seed. They are supposed to sucker too but I haven't found this to be the case. My original two bushes came from Dave's father's yard. I took them from under a rich pink variety. When they began bloomimg, I had one rich pink and one light pink with rich pink interior flowers. They compliment each other. However, when potting the seedlings up for sale, I don't know which are which until they are old enough to bloom. This takes about 4 years or so. Rose of Sharon likes marshland and attracts hummimgbirds.<br /><br />Each year that you have a potted plant requires repotting into a larger pot with more rich organic soil and a higher price tag.<br /><br />A word or two about customers...<br />Because this isn't really a business, I sell my plants out in front of my fence so that no one will have an opportunity to "get hurt." There is a No Trespassing sign on the gate. Our taxes and insurance are high enough here rivalling a mortgage payment. <br /><br />Most times, sales are on the honor system. There is a cashbox on the fence. Each plant is priced and labeled. I've only had a couple of girls in a black truck think they shouldn't pay for a couple of $1 plants. What goes around, comes around. By doing this, traffic is at a minimum so as not to upset the neighborhood.<br /><br />Customers like to ask questions. You need to know about your plants. Growing them yourself gives you more insight into their requirements than any tag or research. Most sun-loving plants don't need as much sun as you'd think. Same goes for soil requirements.<br /><br />Customers also mistakenly think you have every plant known to man. I have 60'x20' that is my main garden. Here lives 5 trees, shrubs, flowers, fruit, herbs, bulbs, walkways, a swing for two, a pond, a place to park Dave's truck and a dining area. By mid june, it is a jungle. I like the ground covered in plants. No weeds. Plenty of flowers, fruit and wildlife.<br /><br />Customers also like to request you grow things for them. I do for most of the common veggie plants because the latest practice of retailers is to sell these individually potted at no less than $3.25 each. Jees, it costs you over $100 in plants alone just to have a small veggie garden! 6-pack plants are hard to maintain so they require transplant after a few weeks. Retailers dump them. I usually do 3 plants per 4" pot as this is enough for most gardeners. <br /><br />Customers also like the fruits of your labor. As my own produce outweighs my needs, I set up baskets with my prices/item with bags. There is an elderly population here on the island. They really enjoy being able to walk here to get a couple of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, pears for a total of a couple of bucks. At the grocery store it would cost them over $10. There is a very nice elderly gentleman that comes every few days for tomatoes and a cuke. He always leaves his $2 in the basket with the veggies. He doesn't like the cashbox. Nobody touches his money. <br /><br />This is America!irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-35717711058250201552009-06-29T07:07:00.000-07:002009-06-29T08:15:58.575-07:00Upside Down Tomato GardeningMany sites are promoting using a 5-gallon bucket. DON'T!I tried a bucket 1/2 that size and it's just too heavy and an overuse of soil. Instead, recycle a 12-inch high by 6-8-inch diameter plastic pot. Decorate, paint (non-toxic) or wrap in decorative plastic before you proceed. <br /><br />Turn planter upside down. Center a 1-1 1/2 inch hole. Drill at least 4 drainage holes along edge. Thread a 4' heavy cord or rope through each of the drainage holes so that one end comes up from inside the pot. the other end comes up from outside the pot. Tie the 2 ends together at rim edge. Now you have 4 double hangers. About 6-8 inches up from rim knot these all together. <br /><br />Find a place to hang so you can work on planter. I used a short shepherd's hook. Take a 4" square of sponge or foam. Make a cut to center and then a > off center cut. >----- Take a small tomato plant and carefully coax leaves through the center hole in planter. If plant is larger, gently wash all soil off roots and coax roots up though bottom of the planter. Gently guide the tomato stem through the cut in sponge from inside the planter. The tomato plant is now anchored. Fill the pot with good soil such as MiracleGro, Expert, or Schultz. Until your plant develops some weight, it will naturally grow toward the sun. Don't be alarmed.<br /><br />Now hang your planter in an area that will get at least 6 hours of sun. Make sure your hook or branch can take the weight. T-clothesline poles are excellent. So are the 2x4 headers of a porch or from the underside of tall decks.<br /><br />The theory behind hanging tomatoes is that the pot gets warmed by the sun faster than the ground soil. This promotes faster growth and earlier tomatoes. Since a tomato plant is a vine, free hanging is more natural than staking.<br /><br />Maintenence is more involved. You need to water thoroughly and more frequently than ground grown. Fertilize every other week with a half-strength solution of liquid fertilizer.irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-78865834654085071492009-06-24T03:36:00.000-07:002009-06-29T07:04:37.610-07:00Gardening In ContainersWhether you have a full garden or space limitations, container gardening gives you additional options. Containers like themes. Space limitations allow you to plant containers for need or aesthetics. Veggies can successfully be grown by picking containers that are large enough and plants that are compatable. Good drainage, proper sun requirements, rich soil, water, and fertilizing are all that's needed.<br /><br />You don't need to buy expensive planters, get creative! A bushel basket will do just as well as a half whiskey barrel. A 5-gal bucket will do instead of a topsy turvy tomato hanger and you can decorate it yourself with paint, stickers, or cover it with fabric or a vinyl tablecloth to match your decor. You can add basil, strawberries or nasturtium plants to the top. You can also use an upside down tomato cage with a contractor's trash bag liner! Fasten together the small-end prongs of the cage. Make holes in the plastic for drainage and planting.<br /><br />Make a simple macrame hanger from rope or twine to transform any container into a hanger. Hang from porch, house eaves, trees, shepherd's hook, clothes line...<br /><br />Use a trellis to create a living wall of pots. Pieces of metal coathangers or heavy duty wire can be shaped into loops to hold individual pots of herbs or flowers for a unique presentation.<br /><br />Even in a large garden, containers are used to add height or drama. Invasive plants like mints, lily-of-the-valley do well being contained by either sinking a large pot in the ground or raising above so roots never contact the soil. Creating an herb container is not only beautiful, it allows you to have kitchen door access at cooking time. A window box works very well too. You can just line the box with individual pots of herbs rather than planting them so you can bring them in for the winter.<br /><br />Dead tree stumps make excellent containers! Hollow out a large hole or several smaller ones and plant some trailers like morning glories or ivy. Eventually this will aid the decomposition of the stump. If you like, just plop a pot on top. Add a shallow bowl for a birdbath or butterfly drinker.<br />A teacup of sugar water will bring hummingbirds or orioles. (1 part sugar to 4 parts water, bring to boil and cool, store excess in fridge)<br /><br />I hope this inspires you to ty something new. I've used kids toys like wheelbarrow, dumptruck, small chair with seat removed successfully as containers and conversation pieces. An a-frame ladder works as a pot holder. The possibilities are endless and thrifty.irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-39320205773315780332009-05-29T19:36:00.000-07:002009-05-29T21:03:49.739-07:00Saving Money And Eating FreshGardening can be easy. Gardening can be hard. Gardening above all should be fun.<br /><br />Preference for me is to make it easy, cheap, and fun.<br /><br />I am an Army brat. Having moved every year or two while growing up, I really appreciate having a home and garden. It's amazing what you can fit into a 120'x 60' oceanfront lot.<br /><br />Let's grow some vegetables. Pick a spot that gets at least 6 hours of bright sun. The popular startup plants for veggie gardening are tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and maybe a pepper or two-salad fixings.<br /><br />You want to plan on one tomato plant per person with an exta for giving to mother-in-law or local food bank. Buy plants by the 6-pack (around $2) as apposed to the $25 plant with the tomatoes ready to eat. Or grow from seed. Growing conditions will dictate when you will be able to harvest tomatoes. Putting them in too early kills the plants or stresses them. They will sit dormant until conditions are right. Because of our prevailing southwest tradewinds on the water, I never get to harvest tomatoes until September. Inland they get theirs in August.<br /><br />Lettuce is a cool weather crop. Plant in early spring and late summer. Leaf lettuce is easy to grow and harvest the leaves as you need them. Head lettuce gets too many internal bugs and we just don't manage to eat a whole head before it goes to mush.<br /><br />Cucumbers can be extra fun. You can let them sprawl across an area, grow them up a chainlink fence, or trellis them. I've even seen them grown over a wall. Sprawling cukes will shape themselves into crescents and strange forms. Upright or dangling tend to grow straight and not have the yellow ground contact spot. You do have to make sure they don't form halfway through the fence or trellis. Cukes don't like wet feet so plant 2 or 3 into a one foot hill of soil. Seed is easy and cheap. Again, one plant per person is good. Pick a size that you will eat.<br /><br />Peppers can be tempermental. Any of the smaller hot varieties grow well. Bell peppers on the otherhand have their good season or bad. I only get 4 or 5 peppers per plant. Half will be big enough to stuff which is good for the two of us. Hot peppers can be very prolific. Choose your taste. You don't need too many plants.<br /><br />Broccoli is another good choice and is grown early. After the initial big floret, side florets will sustain you.<br /><br />Now for the garden.<br />If you have the space, plan 4'x8' raised areas for veggies. Three would be a good start. Get 3 6"x8' planks of cedar per raised bed. No pressure treated, you don't want to kill anyone with chemicals. Cut one plank in half for end pieces to make frames. Although frames are not necessary, they really look good and keep everything neat. Lay down weed cloth or a thick layer of newspaper (soak to hold in place) in 4'x8' areas. Arrange your frames on top. I glue and nail mine together. A wooden stake in each corner pounded into the ground and then nailed to frame makes it pretty permanent.<br /><br />Fill each with a mixture of topsoil, compost, and veggie fertilizer. If you don't use frames, pile the soil. All ready to plant.<br /><br />If you just want to get your feet wet, lettuce makes a nice border plant in a sunny flower garden. Tomatoes planted between the shrubs in front of your house adds interest. A tub of radishes or carrots by the door is fun for the kids. Peppers in the window boxes add a new layer.<br /><br />The flavor of fresh picked veggies is unsurpassed. Even Farmer's Markets aren't as good as what you yourself grow. Watch out, you will be expanding your cooking expertise with unique new ways to use your harvest. <br /><br />Enjoy!irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4845649144747748210.post-90491706771290572752008-02-26T17:09:00.000-08:002008-02-26T17:48:04.825-08:00Combatting The Winter Blues...Snow on the garden acts as a blanket protecting and watering perennials. It also aids the decomposition of mulch and debris. Insects, their eggs, fungus, and disease are also harbored.<br /><br />Now is the time to do serious tree pruning before the sap starts flowing. Make sure to trim off broken branches. Check that evergreens are protected from drying winds and heavy snows. Don't trim spring flowering trees and shrubs or you'll take off the flower buds. Trim these after flowering.<br /><br />Although it is winter, growing still takes place. The tulips, crocuses, and snowdrops are starting to show above ground. The garlic and curly kale are doing nicely. The rhubarb balls of leaves are just itching to unfurl. The clematis is showing signs of leaf buds ready to pop open.<br /><br />You can begin searching for pussy willows to bring in. Take cuttings of forsythia to force indoors for a touch of fresh spring color.<br /><br />Now is the time to plan this year's garden. Browse the catalogs for seeds, plants, trees, and shrubs. Get your supplies together for seeds you will grow indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date.irenen1http://www.blogger.com/profile/07904488791664288933noreply@blogger.com1