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How does my garden grow?

1/13/2011

2 Comments

 
I mentioned my cabbage plants, which are in one of my 13 Earthbox planters. I also have an asparagus bed in a "square foot garden" block " and I have blackberries and raspberries planted in the ground and 3 blueberry plants I will get in the ground first time we have an unseasonably warm day.  I LOVE "edible landscaping".  I would like to plant some fruit and nut trees, but  probably not too soon.  I can't do much with fruit trees, unless they are dwarf or espalier.
 
I HIGHLY recomment Earthboxes. I have some that are 10 years old. The planting mixture Mel Bartholomew recommends for his square foot gardens is what I also recommend for the containers.  His recipe is 1/3 MIXED compost (several different types blended together like chicken manure, cow manure, earthworm castings, etc.), 1/3 vermiculite (You need to get a giant bag from a landscape supply place--last I bought was a bag almost as big as me, but very lightweight and it was about $12.), and 1/3 peat moss (get a big compressed bale from Home Depot or somewhere).  Mel says if you have good compost, you don't need additional fertilizer. Earthboxes say to add 2 cups cheap chemical fertilizer or organic fertilizer.

"Garden Patch Grow Boxes" are similar to "Earthboxes. See http://www.insideurbangreen.org/garden-patch-grow-box/ and www.earthbox.com

You tube also has some "do it yourself Earthbox type planter" videos for self-watering planters made out of 5 gallon buckets.  You have to invest in a few tools, even if you get the buckets for free.  Here's an example http://greenroofgrowers.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-make-two-bucket-sub-irrigated.html and www.globalbuckets.org

I really like the Tendergreen cucumber and Burpee's "Burpless"--picked small, these are much like the small, almost seedless "persian" type cucumbers I get from the internaitonal market.  I really don't like the English or standard American cucumbers much.

I usually grow okra, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce, eggplant, and maybe something else...squash vine borers always kill my squash and cucumbers before I have harvested much and I think injecting the stems with Bt and planting a successive crops every 3 weeks is the answer for a continuous harvest.

It is wonderful to grow and eat your own food! It is also therapeutic and a rich, ongoing educational experience  for the kids!
2 Comments
julie inan link
1/13/2011 01:20:46 am

i envy people who like to garden, it is not something that interests me at all - well, i like the idea of it but not the actual implementation, and we have a fairly decent garden in this house. reading your blog entries reminded me of how much i enjoyed blogging, so, after a long gap i wrote today http://jottingsbyjools.blogspot.com/ if you would like to pop by. x

Reply
Lydia
1/13/2011 04:43:48 am

I checked out your blog--good for you! And your daughter's blog is nice, too. You've got one bright girl there. I'm sure you are very proud of her.

Gardening...well, my husband likes the big, traditional row-type garden, but it's too much work and takes the fun out of it. The earthboxes are great for me. Little effort is required, and on my worst days, I can send my kids to top off the water or pick what's ripe. no weeding is required. I also had squash bugs really bad last year--I need to be more ruthless this year when I see them popping up.

Blogging is great--it's like writing a letter or making a phone call for all your friends at the same time! And you can post pictures as well!

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