Submitted by Sandie Griego on Sun, 04/20/2014 - 19:30
We got a ton of things accomplished this weekend. I harvested the garlic I planted last November. They don't look like garlic so not sure if they just need to dry or they turned into onions.
I turned over all the dirt in my garden to soften it before planting. I made my first trip of the day to purchase tomato and pepper transplants. I always get 4 tomato plants, 3 sweet pepper plants, and one TAMS hot pepper. I got those planted, then planted seed for yellow squash, zucchini squash, spaghetti squash, green beans, okra, cantaloupe and watermelon.
I always put some type of wind break over my peppers until they grow. I also put tomato cages around my freshly transplanted tomatoes. After the vines grow during the summer, the weight wants to push the cages over. I learned to tie them together to support all 4 cages. Last year, I also hung red Christmas ornament balls from the cages, This helps to fool the birds. If they are attracted to the red color of the tomatoes in the summer, the red balls fool them into thinking they have seen the red and it is not food. It helps but not fool proof.
For the first time, with the help of my wonderful hubby, we installed a drip irrigation system. We sat down together and planned out what we would need. I had purchased a beginner kit for a raised bed garden. This planning session was to make a shopping list of items needed that were not in the kit. Trip number 2 for the day was made. We did get about 90% of the drip system installed, but changed our plans as we got into it. Trip number 3 was made around 7pm.
Today, I finished the installing the drip system. This picture is of the new bed we made earlier this year.
Notice on the far end of the bed is a kid's swimming pool. Last weekend, we brought home 8 blueberry bushes. We love blueberries so thought I would try my luck. The lady I purchased them from, owns a blueberry farm and chose the variety for my location. She said I could keep them in the pots they were in, for 2 years but I needed to pile pine bark mulch around the pots. This keeps the pots cooler in our hot summer and the pine keeps the soil acidity levels correct. We normally don't allow pine bark near our house because of termites. We use cedar mulch. Termites don't like cedar. To contain the pine bark mulch, I purchased the swimming pool and poked holes in the bottom for drainage. The drip irrigation also goes to the blueberry bushes. Rain barrels are in the plans.
This is the new compost bin my hubby made for me. I provided him plans for several and he picked this one to make. The front piece lifts out for easy mixing and shoveling. The top is in two pieces so I can easily add to the compost. The plans are for him to make two more to replace the two I have been working with. The first compost bin I ever had is this green one on the right in the picture below. It was made by Rubbermaid. I don't believe it will ever die. It works as well as the day I purchased it at Elliot's Hardware many years ago.
The compost bin in the middle I purchase two years ago and the lid is broken and won't stay on - thus the bricks on top. On the left is my brand new one built by my hubby. When he builds number 2, I will start transferring the contents from the broken one and dispose of it. I also need to do something to keep the grass away from them.
So this year, I have a new garden bed, a new drip irrigation system, and a new compost bin. Call me Happy, Happy, Happy. In two weeks, things will look very different in my garden beds.
And now, a picture of my hero, taking a break on our patio.
If anyone has any words of wisdom for me about rain barrels, I would love to hear them. We are under severe water restrictions where I live. We are only allowed to water our yard on one day twice a month. My garden could not survive on that. The city will allow me to water my vegetable garden more often with a drip system but I still have to pay for the water. Rain barrels are definitely next.