The Growing Season Is Upon Us ..
And before we totally miss our window of opportunity this year, as we did last year, we made a #Weekend plan to get out to the local garden center. Were we on time? Nope. About two or three weeks to late, but not totally missing the window. If we waited any longer, then the pick of decent veggie plants would be past. The variety becomes less and less available, as the summer treks onward. Eventually the garden centers throw out what's left over and that's that.
We Made It Though! ..We got to that garden center, despite the brutal hot weather, and scored a few nice hanging baskets and several different types of vegetable plants.
The Hanging Baskets ..
We browsed the multitude of baskets they had in and out of the greenhouses, and ultimately agreed on a purple and pink Petunia variety. These will sort of cascade down a little bit further than how they appear now. Also they usually like full sun, or at least part sun through out the day. The front of our home faces due North, so sun, let alone full sun, is not an option. We've gotten Petunias before, and they've done well.. so finger's crossed!
The pink one will be hanging from the porch
The purple one we have hanging on a decorative tripod thing we bought a while back.
I'll step back so that you get the full view of how they look. I know, not super impressive, but color none the less. A little something to brighten up the front of the house.
What we really need is a little table and chairs or something along those lines. That may make the porch feel more hospitable. Or a bench maybe.
Molly Has The Right Idea! ..
Before I move on, let's take a break and see what Molly is up to. Yup.. Just where I thought she would be, on the couch, in the cool, on her pillow thrown! Smart Girl!!! She says that it is WAY to Hot out for gardening. Better to be lying around and conserving energy...
The Garden Veggies ..
Above We Have The Vegetables .. That we decided on. We didn't want to get a whole bunch of stuff that we wouldn't eat, just for the sake of getting plants, so we limited our purchase. We also didn't want a huge hard to manage garden this year. Just enough stuff to have fun with, eat, and to enjoy growing. That is the plan.
As seen above, I gave them a nice drink of water when we got home. I would be planting these later after the sun dropped down and the temps cooled off. So, I wanted to make sure they would be well hydrated until then.
Later that day.. After the sun was approaching the horizon, I made my move toward the garden. An hour later and the garden didn't look quite as empty as it did earlier. It doesn't look like a whole lot now, but in another few weeks, we should have LOTS of green.
Well, we should have a lot of green.. as long as the Groundhog living under my shed leaves it all alone. Otherwise I just planted some expensive Groundhog food. hehe. I need to trap him and humanly relocate him to a new home before he or she does some real damage to the shed or it's foundation.
THE INFAMOUS GROUNDHOG!
And our empty garden as well as a few birds doing what birds do...
Below are the planted rows of veggies.. I give everything enough space to grow without crowding. They are usually happy and I have enough room to weed and pick the vegetables.
What Did We Plant?? ..
A Single Tomato Plant.. It's only the two of us an Molly, so we don't need much. One plant usually produces too much for us anyhow. It will be just perfect! I chose a spot at the end of a row, to make for easy access to the fruits it will produce. It is sitting right between two strong stakes. As the plant grows, I will tie it up to the stakes for support, as the winds can get kind of strong when summer storms roll through.
I Planted A Few Watermelon Plants .. Next to the Tomato. It is the widest garden our of the four, so they will have plenty of room to fill this area in. I tend to keep them trimmed up and within the edges of the row anyhow. Just wait, these things are going to be 20X this size in a week or two...
If the soil looks a little dark and sort of woody, it's because I mix in a scoop or two of compost when planting the plants. The rich nutrient filled soil, gives them just the perfect blend of nourishment as they are starting their lives of growing.
Lets Move Over To The Next Garden Where We Have Yellow Squash Planted.. The Squash are just babies too, and like the other plants, they will put on a ton of new growth in a rapid fashion. I love grilling yellow squash. I slice them along the length of the squash, into thick slices. I prep them with butter or olive oil, a little Mrs Dash (Seasoning), and then grill to light brown. When they are tender and just about ready to come off the grill, I add a mix of cheese. Delicious!
Now For The Peppers.. I planted them at the end of the next garden over. We got four plants. I also planted these next to stakes. When the Peppers really come on and fill those branches, the limbs get very weighted and the plants could topple over. The stakes work wonders! And save me some grief.
Last But Not Least, The String Beans.. Right next to the Pepper plants, I have a row of stakes. You guessed it, I planted 8 bean plants next to these stakes. I will also tie them up as they begin to grow.. That is if the dang Groundhog leaves them alone. I have my doubts and envision another trip to the garden center soon. hehe. I hope not though.
Did you spot the rouge strawberry? hehe
One Last Thing ..
Before I wrap this weekend garden adventure story up, I wanted to give you an update on my Pineapple plant. I cut the top off a Pineapple several weeks ago, ate the fruit and planted the top in the garden. It turned brown, but is starting to push out a few new leaves.. so things are looking good so far! Let's see how it progresses from here.
It's hard to see the new leaves, but trust me they're there.
This Seasons Garden Is Officially In!
Pepper (RIP), fast asleep with his blanky pulled up all snug.
“They sowed the duller vegetables first, and a pleasant feeling of righteous fatigue stole over them as they addressed themselves to the peas.”
― E.M. Forster, Where Angels Fear to Tread
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Hey congats on the garden! We got our final tomato plants in last weekend too. Now it's the weeding part to keep the garden going; my favorite part? Probably not!
Thank you! I HATE WEEDING!!! hahaha.. I sometimes bag the lawn clippings and then spread them around as a sort of natural mulch. Works great at keeping those pesky weeds at bay. Best wishes with your Tomatoes 😋
Colorful petunias and wholesome veggies to grace your home and garden. Molly is right its time to get some rest now.
A pineapple I planted a year ago isn't doing much, I have just rooted another head and I am hoping to see better results.
Happy gardening!
Like Denise @dswigle said above.. Pineapple plants take a LONG time to bloom and produce a fruit. It can take 2 or 3 years for that to happen. Good Luck with the new one!!
Molly loves her sleep 😊
Nice looking garden there! Mine is not looking so great. I should have just went and got plants instead of trying to start things from seeds. I have a feeling I am going to end up with not much of anything this year. The zucchini seem to be doing okay, but everything else is pretty sorry and sad looking. One of these days I will get it right. We are usually just too busy in the Spring and the late frosts really made it hard to know what to do this year.
Have faith.. I think yours will make a come back! lol. It's hard to find the time to spend in the garden messing around and tending to it. And not to mention the mid summer heat. Yeah our spring was cold and weird as well. Not great to get an early jump on things. Good Luck!
Now it is hot as heck and we are looking at being gone for a couple of weekends, so if we don't get rain it might just shrivel and die!
Soak the heck out of them before you leave.. lol. Or bribe the neighbor to come water them. I would offer to help out, but I think I am just a little too far away to be of any help. 😆
Yeah, I will have to water them good. :)
I actually just bought a new nozzle for my hose. Went with the old school brass style.
Hi, Brad! @bdmillergallery
You do know that it takes 2-3 years to grow a pineapple to fruition, right? I love your garden and how you give it plenty of room. I used to have a groundhog at the summer house and yes! They do major damage, so get him out of there! Humanely, of course.
I love those huge pots of petunias! The color is joyful! Haha! Molly is the smart one, hiding inside!
Your front porch looks great and I really like the colors. Sweet Pepper. What a great shot.
Oh my gosh yes.. I know all to well. I had one plant (that I grew myself) for about 10 years. We have had 3 pineapples from it in that time. Not long ago did I finally recycle it. Yikes.. Sorry mr plant. hehe. But I have had another growing in my kitchen for about the last 3 years. I have been keeping an eye out for a fruit. Nothing yet. This new one I am getting started for a friend of mine. Thanks for looking out for me though!!! 😊
Molly is too smart and seasoned for her own good sometimes 😁
Thanks for the compliments!! (awwww Pepper.. Still my heart aches. I was just crying the other day when consumed by thoughts of him.)