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What I Would Like to Plant This Year

Garden Pics!

Here is my little garden such as it is.  It is only my second year having a veggie garden, and I am pretty clueless, but learning as I go along.

two kinds of winter squash

green beans

zucchini

lettuce

another zucchini and sugar snap peas

peppers and cilantro (which bolted I think)

pumpkins

raspberries

cherry tomato (my first tomato ever!)

one of our peach trees (loaded)

one of our plum trees (plums getting ripe!)

Our pear trees also have a lot of pears this year! 

June Gardening Tips

From:    http://www.almanac.com

Some Things NOT to Do

Don’t cut iris leaves after the flowers fade. Leaves carry on photosynthesis and develop nourishment for next year’s growth. Cut off brown tips and remove the flowering stalk down to the rhizome.

If you’re growing plants outdoors in containers, don’t use a soilless potting mix. Be sure that it contains at least half soil. Or make your own blend for window boxes and patio containers by mixing one part compost, one part garden soil, and one part builder’s sand.

When shopping at a nursery, don’t buy a tree or shrub with a damaged root ball. Inspect it carefully to make sure that it is uniform, not crushed, and a good size. For every inch of the trunk, the ball should be seven to eight inches in diameter.

Unless you’re working your way through knee-high grass, don’t remove those grass clippings from the lawn. Leave them where they fall to filter down to the soil, decompose, and recycle nutrients into the roots

What My Garden is Growing

Getting Rid of Gophers

Deer Repellant

How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden

As their twitching noses indicate, rabbits sniff a lot. Suspicious-smelling substances like dried blood meal can keep them from munching in small flower beds. Sprinkle dried blood on the soil surface around all your plants as early in the season as you can, and repeat after a heavy rain. Deodorant soap shavings placed in cloth bags around the garden will also help to keep rabbits away.

From: http://www.almanac.com

Plant Buying Boo-Boos

From HGTV

Plant-buying boos-boos can happen to anyone. In many cases, people don't realize their mistakes until it's too late. Gardening by the Yard host Paul James reviews several common plant-buying mistakes and offers tips on avoiding them:

Improper Transportation Home

Buying a whole bunch of plants and trying to stuff them into a small car is a mistake because a few plants will inevitably wind up being damaged, with their natural shape perhaps permanently destroyed. No matter how well they're secured or how carefully you drive, chances are your plants will get banged up, and placing plants in the trunk is out of the question. Also, making stops between the nursery and home may cook the plants if they are left inside the car.

The simplest solution is to have the nursery deliver the plants to your door. Most nurseries will deliver for a nominal charge, and for a good customer they may deliver for free.

Another alternative is to borrow a pickup truck, but that can create a whole new set of problems. In the open bed of a pickup a load of plants can shift, causing damage to the plants. The wind can dry plants in no time and tear or even knock the leaves off. James says the trick is knowing how to load a truck, and he provides the following pointers:

• Place plants toward the front of the bed because there is less wind closer to the cab. Secure the plants with a special bar that prevents loads from shifting, or buy a few bags of compost or mulch every time you buy plants; use the bags to secure the plants.
  
• In the case of trees and shrubs, it's best to place them on their side, securing them with a heavy bag of compost or mulch. That way they won't get whipped by the wind. Go straight home with a bed full of botanicals because they will dry out quickly in the sun and wind.

Improper Care at Home

Once home with your plants, it's best to get them in the ground right away; sometimes, however, that's not possible because of bad weather and busy schedules. James provides the following pointers to help plants survive until they are planted:

• Separate sun-loving plants from those that prefer shade. If you have any doubts, place the plants in question in the shade group. Place the sun-loving plants on the ground in an area that gets only a few hours of morning sun.
  
• Place the shade-tolerant plants in an area that's in full shade. Don't place the plants on a paved surface such as a sidewalk or driveway because reflected heat will dry them out quickly. Keep the plants well-watered, but don't overwater them. In most cases it's better to let plants wilt a bit from lack of water than to keep them constantly wet.
  
• Don't leave the plants in their holding area for more than a week or so. Before you bought the plants, they were tended every day. Chances are you're not going to have time to give them that kind of attention, so get them in the ground as soon as possible.

Buying Plants on a Whim

Many people buy plants because they're unusual or pretty, then don't know what to do with them once they get their new purchases home.

Try to go to the nursery with a plan or design in mind--or even on paper.

Relying Too Much on Plant Tags

Some of the information on plant tags is good, but when it comes to topics such as exposure and hardiness, labels can be misleading.

Rather than rely on tags, take the time to ask the staff at your local nursery for more precise information on how plants will grow in your area.

A final plant-buying tip: Once you've put your new plants in their permanent homes, return the plastic pots to the nursery for recycling. If your nursery doesn't accept used pots for recycling, find someone who will.

Spring at our Casa

Pic of my Haul

This is what I have left after we grilled and my hubby munched a bunch. (oh! and our newly remodled kitchen!)

A Bounty

They're growing!!!

My soil

I wanted to answer 'southernbelle's' question about my soil. 

We are blessed to have rich, dark soil where we live.  The land used to be covered by Redwoods, but long ago it was logged and made into farm and grazing land.  I am using soil that was dug up from digging the footings for our new home addition. 

I know some of the things I want to plant require a more sandy soil, like herbs, but at this point I just want to get the seeds in the ground. 

I think we have a lot of clay, but not in the soil I'm using. 

Apart from what is written on the back of the seed packets I am pretty cluless about growing things so any info is greatly apprciated!!!

I do know to plant my mint in a seperate container!  :)

My First Real Veggi Garden!

No herbs!