Garden Snapshot: Gopher Control Accomplished!

An overall shot! After 2 full days of work I finally have the "little garden" gopher-resitstant!!

I added in another raised bed...this time with aviary wire underneath so that the gophers can't invade. There is a smattering of herbs, along with strawberries and cucumbers in the middle!

I also added the same aviary wire on top of the entire middle section. In lieu of planting in the ground, I added these terra cotta planter and cocoa shell mulch over the wire.

I still haven't finished this back corner...so the gophers can still attack. Some have gotten in the back raised bed. Yikes! I decided to leave it for now and cross my finger that they don't get to my tomatoes and peas!!

New Alpine strawberries. I harvested this little guy and he was delicious!

 I can't help but love my nasturtiums. I no longer have any left in the ground...they are obviously a gophers favorite treat. They are now relinquished to pots.

They have been off to a bit of a rocky start...but the green beans have started climbing!

My new blackberry plant came with fruit! Now I just have to wait patiently to harvest the juicy berries.

Is this an orchid?

No...it is a geranium! 

I am head over heels with geraniums/pelargoniums and can't get enough. This one smell like mint (acutally kind of like Vicks Vapor Rub).

I'm exhausted and a bit sore from the garden overhaul this weekend...but I'm glad that it's done. My parents are in town and helped out tons in helping me get it all finished. I'm so glad that they are here to share the results with me. It's so lovely and peaceful in the garden now.

xo

Bailey

Garden Snapshot | 4.22.2013

It's been warm & sunny here in Pasadena, CA now for months. I started gardening the first week of January. It's the first time that I've had my own garden and I've already learned a ton.

I've been documenting my progress since February and it's is so fun to see the progression & changes in the garden over the past few months.

My first garden snapshot was bleak compared to what the space looks like now but all I can see is the huge amount work still left to do.

Standing here, under one of the huge trees that shades the lawn, I can see my entire "little garden." It's in the space behind our garage and I've been cultivating it as a place to grow all of the flowers and vegetables that need lots of glorious sunshine (it's the sunniest spot on our property).

A lovely image...yes? But I see war. I'm currently battling gophers (or moles) that have been creating dirt mounds and holes. That have been eating and killing the vines along the fence that I've been trying to grow for privacy. I love critters...but geez guys, give me a break! Don't you know I'm new at this.

I see lots of questions. Should I be trimming off all of the runners on my strawberry plants? or do I want to keep some so that I can have new baby plants? Will they ever flower or just keep shooting off new runners? Why did the snap peas not sprout? Where should I plant all of these tomatoes?

I see worry. Will the gophers ruin everything? Am I pruning these tomatoes correctly? Am I watering enough?

 The nasturtiums are still my beloved. They've started blooming and are getting big! I can't believe how easy they were to plant and how well they're growing despite my ignorance. And the colors. Gorgeous reds, corals, oranges and yellows. 

My other claim to gardening success so far has been my cut & come again lettuce. It looks a bit shabby here...but it was just harvested last Friday (the second harvest). With any luck, we'll get another harvest very soon. 

Speaking of harvests...I look forward to harvesting these bad boys soon. I know that I should have pinched off the blooms to encourage growth but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Oh well. I plan on thoroughly enjoying my 5 homegrown blueberries.

This past weekend, we made a trip to the local ikea, and to OSH to transform our patio into a lounge. Ever since moving our outdoor dining table to the garden, this space has been sad & bare. 

No more! We spent all weekend hanging out, reading, chatting & having these cocktails around the fire pit. Pure weekend bliss.

And finally, my herb garden (rosemary, pineapple mint, spearmint, lavender, peppermint, thyme) is filling out nicely...although I think it may need some basil. You can never have too much...right?

This post was written in response to the prompt "Describe your garden right now", part of the Grow Write Guild onYou Grow Girl. It is the third prompt in the series.

Garden Snapshot | It's Spring!

The big accomplishment that I've made within the past week or so is that I built a bean trellis! The little seeds have yet to pop up out of the ground and I can't wait.

Also, the manure/compost that I've been using must have had spores in it...because little mushrooms keep popping up in my strawberry plants. They're so cute.

The quince is starting to flower! It's lush pink blooms are so lovely.

A few of the nasturtiums have really taken off. They are so much bigger now. They're still my favorite "from seed" plant so far this year. 

I've been busy with work & meetings over the past week but I was glad to be able to spend a little time out in the garden today. I planted some more sedum ground cover...I just love the stuff! The spanish blue sedum that I planted in-between the stone path has almost filled together already.

It's now officially spring! Oh happy day:)

I Blame the Birds.

I do...I blame them for making my tiny baby plants their breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Not only are my seedlings their meals...the seeds are as well. After watching my new favorite show, I was inspired to sow some cut and come again baby lettuce. What did I find the next morning? All of the soil that I carefully planted had been foraged through. Oh well...I'm definitely learning my lesson and taking each one in stride. The lettuce has been re-sewn and has been covered with berry baskets.

The only true success I've had so far has been with my nasturtiums. I think they might be my forever favorite since they're my first. Do you know what they are? I didn't.

Pretty...yes?

They're also edible and apparently for me, easy to grow. We'll see how they do as the season progresses. 

I've found out that the birds like them too. So as soon as a baby seedling pops out of the ground, I have to cover it with a cloche (which I use a water bottle cut in half) to keep them safe.

It's a bit trashy looking and not up to my personal garden aesthetic (in an ideal world they all be beautiful vintage glass). Alas, they work and really...that's all that matters.

I love how fast they grow! This one has only been above ground for a few days! I have some now that have 4 leaves!! I consider that quite the accomplishment for my black thumb.

It was a crazy weekend last weekend and so far a very hectic week. My parents are out in Pasadena to visit so there's been plenty to do.

I've not really made much progress in my little garden beyond continually covering seedlings as they pop up but I did acquire some new plants from the Pasadena City College Flea Market last weekend that need to be planted. I also got some nifty new (old) pots there as well (among other things for Antiquaria).

xo

Bailey

Ever-bearing Berries

I hope these little guys are truly "ever-bearing" and give us lots of little sweet red jewels through the spring & summer. They show lots of promise...now I need to figure out a way to deter all of the critters so that we can be the ones to enjoy the little treats.

xo

Bailey

Calamondin Tree

Have you ever heard of a Calamondin?? I definitely hadn't but was immediately smitten with the gorgeous foliage and striped fruit when I found it at the nursery this past weekend. It called out to me and I had to take it and give it a home.

Fortunately, the fruit is still not ripe...so it gives me time to research recipes that use this tiny tart citrus.

Garden Snapshot

I spent a lot of time in my little garden this past weekend. The weather was gorgeous (60-70 degrees and sunny) and perfect to spend outdoors.

I acquired some new plants (a couple of citrus trees, blueberry bushes, a quince tree and strawberries)! I was quite the busy bee. 

You can see that I've planted the little strawberry plants in the cinder block holes that surround what will be a raised bed--once I add dirt. You can also see my new dwarf Meyer Lemon tree on the left. It's in bloom and smells heavenly!

Here is the "overall" shot of the garden as of February 23, 2013. I will be regularly updating with this vantage point in order to record the growth throughout the seasons. You can see what it looked like when I started here. 

I am very pleased to report that my passionfruit vine is looking better and better everyday. Thank God I didn't send it to an early grave with the under-watering in the beginning. I'm now very diligent with watering all of my little plants.

Also, I have more sprouts!! I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see the Nasturiums pop up yesterday when I was watering. I've noticed though that a few of the tender leaves have been snapped off! I blame the birds...

If it continues to be a problem I'm going to have to figure out a solution. Maybe adding little cloches until they're bigger would help.

All of the other little seedlings (which I am now almost 100% certain are poppies), are doing well and going strong. They're still teensy tiny but growing in numbers daily--which is so cool.

xo

Bailey

Daffodils!

A few weeks ago...these little grassy onion like things started popping up in the front rose bed. Thinking they were weeds, I pulled a bit on them...but the buggers were really tight in the ground.

I thought...maybe they're wild onions and tried digging a few up. While they certainly looked like onions, they sure didn't smell like them so I knew that I had something entirely different on my hands.

Once I saw this little wisp of yellow...I was so excited! Daffodils!!!

I love that these little gems required no effort and were such a lovely surprise. Now, I just need to figure out how to keep care of them!

Also...a few little seedings (or weeds with my luck) started peeking through the dirt in the first area that I scattered seeds (on 2/5/13). There are so many that look the same that I'm very hopeful that they are indeed my Shirley poppies!

They're so teensy tiny, I circled them for you. Will keep you posted....

xo

Bailey

Oranges for Everyone!

The other day, our neighbor John recommended I lean over our fence and take some of the oranges from his tree (there are tons). I thanked him and told him I would take him up on the offer closer to the weekend, when I could actually do something with the bounty. Now come the question...what to do?

I'm thinking tea or possibly flavored salts.

It's so fun to see that the tree is already coming back to bloom while the ripe fruit awaits picking!

xo

Bailey

Spring Blooming Branches

All winter long, this little stick of a tree at the end of our driveway has been leafless and bare. Of course, I figured that come spring, it would once again get leaves but imagine my surprise this weekend when I found these gorgeous buds flowering! I can't wait for it to be in full bloom.

I'm not sure what type of tree this is since it was inherited with the house...it so lovely though!

Anyone have any idea what my blooms might be?

xo

Bailey

Friends in the Garden

I've spent a good deal of time this week/weekend in the garden. While there isn't much growing (yet) it's still quite a lovely place to be.

As I've spent more time sitting outside, I've noticed just how many different birds there are singing & dawdling around the garden. The one that's really caught by heart though is the hummingbird.  There are at least two (I've seen them together) and they are colored differently. Perhaps they are friends...or mates?

This little guy was enjoying my lavender topiary this morning. He only stayed around long enough for one quick shot.

My garden all started in early January with a Passion fruit vine (Passiflora edulis "Nancy Garrison").  I do not have much of a green thumb (although I am working hard to train it in that direction), so after being in the ground for a week or two it was starting to look kind of rough. 

I thought it was maybe the cold snap we had...or that something was attacking its roots. I was a worried plant mama.

One day, Emma (my business partner), came by the house and took a look at the vine. She said that all she thought that it needed was a long soak with the hose. We immediately turned on the faucet and let it get a nice long drink.

Ever since, I've been giving my vine lots of water. I also added a bit of fertilizer and organic mulch so that it would stay moist longer.

Overall, it still looks a bit scraggly but there are signs of new life on the vine. Little leaves are sprouting out in many places...promises of future growth!

I look forward to the day that this vine has so much growth that it covers our ugly fence. Until then, I will take the small victories and try to keep it alive.

The seeds that I ordered online (all but one) came this week in the mail!! I'm trying my hand at lots of varieties of poppies, as well as some other beautiful varieties. From my research, I learned that you want to scatter poppy seeds early in the season (or even the previous fall) in order for them to germinate. They don't like to be transplanted or grown in pots...so this seemed like the only option.

I prioritized my poppy plantings first so that I could get them off and running. My first batch was planted on 2/5/13, so 5 days ago. It will be interesting to see when & if they sprout. My worst fear is that nothing happens or that birds have eaten all of my seeds (since you don't sow them but on the surface, they are susceptible to that). Only time will tell.

So far, I've managed to plant up about 1/3 of my "little garden" (the one behind the garage). You can see above that I've staked off where I've sprinkled seeds so that I can keep track and not over plant (haha...as if--with my luck, nothing will grow). I like that there are a few plants anchoring the bed (so far 2 scented geranium and 1 current bush). 

The other project I took on this weekend was setting up a raised bed. I will be sure to share images as I have them. I really think that it helps define the space & will be good since there is a weird, huge root running through that side of the bed.

I am excited to also try experimenting with propagating in the future (geraniums, lavender, succulents, my current bush)! Who doesn't like free plants?

Speaking of free plants, I am very lucky to have inherited this Yellow Jessamine vine with the house. It really wasn't anything at all to look at a month or so ago but has recently bursted into color. It also smells divine, sort of like jasmine but different.

The hummingbirds love this bad boy too! The blooms are fairly small but there are so many on each branch, the whole thing looks canary yellow from a distance.

That's my snapshot of the progress so far here. I welcome any suggestions or tips that you may have for my little outdoor space.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

xo

Bailey