What am I planting this year? Actually, that is a great question, and the one that inspired this blog in the first place. It was realized after I made a list of all my plants that I could not fit into a status update on Facebook. So, blog it was!!
SIDE GARDEN-NEW!
Let me begin my saying that this year, as a gift to myself and Mother Earth, I created a new flower bed. It was a lot of hard work, including time spent picking out all the trash, broken bottle pieces, and beer tabs that saturated the soil below. After two rounds of tilling, a re-plantation of the removed earthworms [we didn't want them getting shredded with the hoe!], and a nice manure/hummus treatment, the bed was ready for its flowers.
Since I wanted to see some color in the flower bed as long as possible, I decided on a mix of perennials and annuals. I had no idea what I wanted to get before I headed to Home Depot. There, I made my decisions based on the information on the plants as well as the area I needed to fill. When I got home, it was time for the fun! I was finally able to give my hyacinth and daffodil bulbs a permanent home, instead of being moved from container to container. After planting everything, I covered everything with mulch and basked in the beauty of the new bed I created.
Perennials:
Hyacinth and daffodil bulbs for a shot of early spring color [next year]
Tall and beautiful purple salvia in the rear for height and color through fall
Tickweek, a nice yellow flower that remains low for front cover
Annuals:
Snapdragons in shades of light pink and white
RAISED BEDS
All of the plants below are in the raised bed as of today, Friday April 29, and were grown from wee seeds in the warmth and glow of my loving window sill.
Herbs
Basil
Cilantro
Chives
Parsley
Flowers
Marigolds*
Nasturtiums
Snapdragons*
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Veggies
Beans [2 varieties]
Beets
Carrots
Onions
Potatoes
Pumpkins [2 varieties]
Radishes
*Some bought as full grown plants from HD
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| The raised garden bed all snuggled up for cool nights. |
That's a lot of plants!! Where do I fit them all??
RIGHT BED [from the perspective of the picture above]
In this bed, there are beans and pumpkins for eating; they are the main veggies in that bed. I also planted, for the first time ever, some flowers with my veg. Snapdragons are nestled in between the pumpkins, zinnias create a dividing line between the two vegetables, and marigolds line the side closest to the tomatoes. A single sunflower is planted in the corner to greet passers-by. Lastly, there are some basil plants and nasturtiums to deter the aphids from the soon-to-be-bountiful plants.
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| The right raised bed, home to basil, beans, marigolds, pumpkins, zinnias, and one sunflower. |
LEFT BED
This bed is where the action is; veggie action, that is! Here we have the garden classic tomato, along with many other vegetables including potatoes, onions, radishes, beets [Joey has sticky fingers...a story for another post...], carrots, and our eff-off big boy pumpkin plant. Herbs are plentiful in this bed, including basil, parsley, cilantro, and chives. A single sunflower also found a home in a corner. Snapdragons grown from seeds surround our big boy pumpkin, and will be a nice additions to the full-grown marigolds, as well as marigolds we grew from seeds.
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| The left bed, a myriad of veggies, herbs, and flowers to add a splash of color. |
And that is what I have accomplished in the past two months, namely Earth Day and today. I look forward to keeping you posted on my progress, sharing my tips, uploading photos, and revealing a little bit each day about the very special plants growing with love in my garden.
Definitions
Annual: a plant that grows one season a year; needs to be replaced yearly
EX: snapdragons, marigolds, zinnias, pansies, begonias, daisies, geraniums, petunias, and more!
Perennial: a plant that loses its flowers and/or leaves in the winter and comes back every year; these do not need to be replaced yearly
EX: bulbs [daffodils, gladiolas, lillies, etc], catmint, daylily, goldenrod, hostas, salvia, and more!
One love,
Sara :)
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