Snug as a bug in a rug

Well, after two weeks of near perfect weather it has now decided to rain. Not the gentle misty rain where you could still get out but the run for your life kind of rain. I can't really complain. It always rains on the May long weekend. It was lovely for one day of the three and I managed to get most everything else in. There is still room for second plantings of kale, peas, carrots and beets.

My little tomatoes are snug as bugs in a rug but since they are covered the rain isn't doing them much good. I will have to try and get there at some point to give them a drink. That is the one disadvantage of tomatoes in the greenhouse. It hasn't been hot so they should be fine. Not really wanting to go slogging in the wet down to the garden. It gets so wet there that instant pools appear along with swimming ducks. Luckily at my end of the garden it stays a bit dryer.

I'm a little worried that I have too much composted manure in my garden and perhaps I should have tried to get more compost. In time I know that it will get better when I get my compost up to speed but hopefully it will be okay for this year. A lot of plants are starting to poke their heads out. Yesterday I saw sunflowers, peas, carrots, lettuce, onions and last but not least the potatoes. The potatoes I think I might have screwed up in the planting. It has been so long since I have done it that I forgot that I guess you are supposed to cut them. When you buy a bag of potatoes to plant it is probably a good idea to share as I had too many as it was and I didn't even cut them. Not sure how this is going to work out. Live and learn. Or maybe something like try not to forget for next time!



I also planted out a zucchini plant and put up a teepee over the top so that scarlet runner beans will grow around it. I want to give something to the little hummers that I see around the garden.

It was dead easy to do and hopefully these guys will love it. I think it looks rather pretty.

Beautiful day

Another beautiful day out there. I headed to the garden early to plant a row of kale, radishes and mixed lettuces and also to water a bit. I took a bit more bee balm (hoping that isn't a mistake) and a miniature iris and some chives. We might be moving from our townhouse and I wanted to make sure I took some plants with me. At least this way I can transplant them slowly and then if we move somewhere that needs plants, I can move them. Some things I have had through a couple of moves so they go with me. Since we haven't officially sold yet they are still mine to move.

It was quite busy at the garden. There a lot of people working and then the second wave of people choosing gardens was happening. I could tell by the people with maps in hand looking at available plots. The same dazed look was in their eyes as was in mine a month ago. My little garden has evolved so much since then thanks to all the help I had. I love, love, love, my new raised beds!

I brought my new collapsible greenhouse and hope that it doesn't either get stolen or blown away. You attach it with pegs but a good gust of wind might just lift it up. I'm trying to warm the soil for next week when the tomatoes will hopefully get planted. This should do for them until they get big and then I will try and rig up something with stakes and plastic. I'm not too handy in the building department but just as long as they are semi covered with some air it should do.

I've been thinking to finish it off I would like to put up a simple chicken wire fence between my plot and the one next door. All the other sides are finished. This would stop critters or running dogs or children from running through.

I would love something like this, but you can't seem to find these old fashioned wire fences anymore, more is the pity.



Happy Gardening!

A piece of Heaven

Monday was spectacular. So warm in fact, that I had to take shade breaks in between planting. The blossoms are out on the trees which always makes me pull out my camera.

I had one more wheelbarrow load of manure to get and I still have room in the boxes. In time I hope to have lots of lovely compost to fill them with. In the morning I went to the woods nearby and gathered up some old leaves for the compost pile. Being the wrong season for raking leaves that is pretty much the only place I could think of to get them. There were lots there and I also picked up a few sticks to be used later to make some handmade tomato supports. A longer trip will be needed to get more. I haven't really had much in the way of compost but I want to do it right so according to the books you need to balance green matter, household peels, eggshells, coffee etc. with brown, which is leaves. I have a nice silver bucket that sits on my kitchen counter that I got from Lee Valley Tools for my kitchen scraps. It works great and has a filter built into the top and is nice enough to be able to sit on the counter. It has a handle and is pretty easy to tote each week down to the garden.



The one thing I am worried about is how much composted manure I have in the plots. I hope it isn't too much. I tried to put some compost in as well but it is pretty difficult to lug too much as my garden is quite a ways from the parking lot. I tried to not put any in where the carrots were going but otherwise there is a shall we say a **** load of it. Oh well, if I keep at it the soil will hopefully get better with time with all the organic material I plan on putting in. Whatever lovely compost I get by fall will get dug in and tucked in with some leaves.

Isn't this a lovely spot with the mountains in the back, picnic tables to have lunch and a rest and swallows to watch swooping in and out of the birdhouses.

I planted sweet peas, sunflowers, delphinium seeds, poppy seeds, cosmos and lavatera. My bee balm has disappeared from the flower bed. I think when the boxes were installed it got dug under and I will have to bring more from home. I love it but it does kind of spread. The potatoes, onions, garlic and some peas and carrots also went in. The main garlic I will plant in fall. A few more things will go in next weekend and the weather looks fabulous! The forecast is for sun at least until the weekend. Only two weeks more and tomatoes and hopefully beans will go in.

Sounds like another trip to my favourite garden centre.

Progress

Finally the weather is cooperating and the little garden had a very productive few days. John finished up the fence and gate and it is beautiful. I'm loving it! I especially love the curve on the top of the gate. A much better feeling walking up and seeing my little oasis. So much better now that it is lower too.

My hubby and I spent a couple of hours yesterday filling those boxes with composted manure. Four wheelbarrow loads and my back and arms are sore. I hope it isn't too much manure but hopefully with the soil that is in there it will work. I'm going to top dress with a bit of compost (store bought). With any luck next year I will have lots of my own to use. I'm bringing my kitchen scraps every week to add to the pile. I have to go scrounging around to find some leaves for it. It also looks like I will need to get some kind of mulch for the potatoes and tomatoes and straw seems to be the thing to get. I don't even know where you buy a bale of straw. Not something I think they sell at Home Depot or a garden centre.

My paths are a bit muddy due to the wet weather and will need a bit of a fix but all in good time.

I have the day off tomorrow (Monday) and we are due to have another nice dry day so will be off to plant a few things and to perhaps install my little pop up greenhouse for the tomatoes. It should warm the soil for them so I can plant them in a couple of weeks. I noticed that everyone has planted tomatoes in their greenhouses already so it must be okay.

DIY

I have recently become a fan of Pintrest.  I thought oh no not one more thing to waste my time but they have some of the best DIY ideas. This one I love love love. Making a potting bench out of wooden pallets. You know the old pallets you see everywhere and no one wants. I guarantee after these articles come out there won't be any to be had. The following is a terrific idea for reusing materials. I found this cool one on the blog Beyond The Picket Fence at http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.ca/2012/03/pallet-potting.html

Definitely check it out. If we ever move to a bigger place I would love to try and build my own.
I love the character of it and the fact that you could be creative and customize it to suit yourself.

This one is pretty sweet too from the Better Homes and Gardens site http://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/tools/make-your-own-potting-bench/?sssdmh=dm17.591633&esrc=nwgn041212&email=3719075172

Dreaming of Tomatoes

I'm finding myself dreaming of tomatoes. I don't think I have had a good tomato for over 13 years. Growing tomatoes here will be a bit of a challenge and I know I might not get any but it won't stop me from trying.

There is nothing like a fresh tomato. Sometimes I wish I had never had one as it spoils you forever. I buy them at the store but unless they are smothered in dressing or in a sauce they are horrible rubbery things. Even the so called "field tomatoes" that you can buy in the summer still taste like rubber. Nothing compares to a warm tomato fresh from the garden sliced and put in a sandwich with a little dressing, salt and pepper. Heaven! It would be sacrilege to put these tomatoes in a sauce. Fresh salads or just eaten with a little salt are all they need.

Last year I grew a few patio tomatoes on a long hanging basket in full sun the back yard.



It worked pretty good but I found that when the fruit was setting it needed more water than I could give it. I watered it at night but by the time I got home from work it had wilted and I would have to give it a drink twice a day. It really needed water in the afternoon. As a result the tomatoes weren't bad, actually they were quite nice but the skin was a bit tough. In my opinion the flavour just wasn't as good as when they are grown in the ground but the next best thing.

The best place I have ever grown tomatoes was under our bedroom window at our house in Calgary. They got the afternoon sun and were protected right under the bay window overhang when the hail came and ruined my entire vegetable garden. The tomatoes were beautiful. My poor vegetable garden which was doing so well looked like a blender had gone through it. The tomatoes helped.

Apparently there is always blight at the community garden and it tends to spread. A lot of people have small greenhouses at the garden specifically for the tomatoes. I did buy a small little plastic pop up greenhouse but it won't be big enough once they get big so I will have to rig up some kind of contraption to protect them later. There doesn't seem to be much you can do once blight hits the garden so I will just hope that it doesn't happen. The rules seem to be to warm the soil a couple of weeks before, plant deep, keep leaves off the soil, mulch, water from underneath and try to protect them from the heavy rains.

A lot of trouble I know, but oh I'm dreaming of tomatoes.

Raised beds

Early Sunday, John called from the garden and since the weather was good (for a change) he had decided to get going on the frames. He was lost as he had only been there the once and with over 250 plots it is easy to lose your way. I gave him directions over the phone and said I would head over in a couple of hours.

My hubby and I headed to the garden a while later to hopefully see him but just missed him and his helper. My little garden was full of almost all of the boxes neatly assembled. There is still some work to do but it is a wonderful start.

The fence I was a bit surprised at. Different than I had envisioned and larger. I knew when I saw it that it was too big and I would definitely get in trouble unless it was shortened to the size of the others. When I spoke to John he said no worries, he would fix it and bring it down in size. What a nice man, he understood and didn't complain at all. I think it will look great when it is all done and as long as it doesn't shade the neighbours it should be fine. The only shade should be on my own plot and I don't mind a bit of shade. The lattice will be wonderful to grow sweet peas on. It is pretty fancy but time will weather it and make it part of the garden.

The fence and gate can wait and as long as the boxes are done I can get them all prepared next weekend as long as the weather holds.