I now know why gardening can be so addictive. There is so much to learn! I think it’s going to be a life long process for me. I apologize for the advanced gardeners out there–these tips probably seem so . . . “duh.” Without further ado, this is what I learned this week:
“The best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow.” A Chinese proverb which is so true! It only takes a few minutes a day to check on the plants, and usually I don’t have to do anything. But making a daily plant walk is an important habit. I thought I was getting enough rain so that I didn’t have to water, but I noticed one morning the plants were looking a bit droopy. I watered them, and luckily they came back. I caught it in time, but had I not had the habit of going outside and checking on the plants every day, I could have easily lost some of them.
Organic insecticidal soap works. My Asian greens were getting lots of holes in them, so I went out and bought some organic insecticidal soap and sprayed them. No more holes! Well, a few, but at least there is some left for me to eat now.
You can grow plants in shade, but they might be spindly. I noticed that my kale and greens are rather spindly. I’m pretty sure that’s because my yard is a bit shady. In hindsight, the tomatoes that I grew last year had really huge stalks and branches. The fruit was gorgeous but there wasn’t an abundant amount. I’ve decided that’s OK with me. It might not be perfect, but at least it’s something.
Chives are beautiful. It’s almost time to make chive blossom vinegar. For that, just find a pretty bottle, stuff chive blossoms in it, and fill with rice vinegar. Wait a week or two and it is delicious on salads.
Marigolds keep away bunnies and other pests. Note the little “fence” I made for my side garden. We will need to put up an actual fence once the plants start to grow though, since my dogs LOVE vegetables and would eat them right off the plant.
Basil and other herbs are also great for keeping bugs under control.
Some plants don’t get along. In researching companion planting, I read that cucumbers and melons shouldn’t be planted near each other. Cucumbers also don’t like aromatic herbs. Here is a handy companion planting chart that I printed out to help me when I was planning what to plant where.
Hops are persistent little buggers. These are growing strong, year after year. DH uses them in his beer making but I have heard there are other medicinal uses for them.
When planning where to put your garden, keep in mind the location of outdoor faucets. Now that the rain has decreased and I actually have to water, I realize that putting herbs in the front yard was not the brightest idea I’ve ever had. Our faucet in the front is broken, so I have to water with a watering can, which is kind of a drag.
Gardening is fun. Maybe because I am a CSA member so I don’t have to rely on garden production to eat, but with gardening I have a “let’s just see what happens” attitude even though I tend to be more anxious about other parts of my life. Just try it!
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It is addictive, isn’t it? I am really enjoying our container garden this year as a family project. Can’t wait til we can start harvesting! Good luck with your garden! And thanks for that companion chart. I never even thought of that!
I’ve actually done a bit of container gardening myself this year. Lettuce and arugula in a kitchen windowbox and calenula and another lettuce in pots. The containers will need watering at least once a day when it is hot, so you really have to be on your toes!
Great post, I am a new gardener and have been making a daily trek out to check my plants as well and find it a good way to start my morning. I love the thought of the gardner’s shadow.
Thanks for sharing pictures along with your post! I love both container gardening and “regular.” I especially like putting basil and cilantro in containers. We’re going to try marigolds with our vegetable garden, too!
I believe you’re spot-on with the ID of “last year plant” — it definitely looks like thyme. We’ve got several varieties between stepping stone pathways along our (little, manmade) ponds. Can’t beat the smell when we walk on it or brush up against. My neighbor’s very lovable cat, who comes to me and asks to be petted when I call his name, has a favorite place for attention – one of our thyme patches, in which he rolls luxuriosly. When he goes home, his “mom” has to ask “Tuti, where have you been? You smell like perfume!” hehe
One of the varieties we have is lemon thyme, and in summer, I add some to a favorite delicate lemon cookie recipe topped with lemon glaze. If I’m feeling particularly like fussing, I set the teeny-tiny little blossoms in the glaze along with a few individual leaves. These always draw raves on a cookie tray, but take a ridiculous amount of time and require a steady hand with tweezers! Sometimes I feel like bothering to do this, most times not…
On a story interview last week, I got a fantastic recipe for Yellow Squash-Lemon Thyme Soup! Delicate, with a subtle lemon flavor, it’s something I never would have thought of – who would think to puree summer sqaush! The story will be in the next issue of the magazine for our “kitchen visit” feature (the kitchen of local herb expert Connie Hanson for August-September). I write these articles as a neighborly visit with a “new friend” in a general way – don’t usually have the space for specific recipes (they eat up a lot of “white space”), but I may have to find a way to post this recipe. Or email me if you can’t wait until the beginning of August – I can send it to you.
Oh yum, since I don’t have squash yet I suppose I can wait for the August issue 🙂
I am SO loving your blog . . . . found you on Alex’s Feed Me Tweet Me Fridays. Now following you and I do hope you stop by and follow back! I’m a plus-sizer too and am going to click on that button too after commenting. You’ve got a great garden going, one of my passions. I have a weekend garden and foodie blog hop that I’d love to invite you to. No one has entered any gardening posts yet this weekend and I always pick one gardening post to feature the next week. Hope you can stop by and would love for you to consider following back.
Thank you, I’m headed over now!
Didn’t like the idea of buying individual pots for herbs, so I’m definitely going to do them as you’ve done!
The yellow flower is a wild Mustard. Look it up in ur plant book. Not sure where u are, but im pretty sure that is what it is from what i can see. I really is a weed. I guess u could try to save seed from it and somehow make mustard but i don’t know anything about that. lol
enjoy ur gardening, its very theraputic
Your garden is looking great! Thanks for the companion planting chart; that’s going to be helpful.
nice pot in the first picture…nice post keep going