More to Come

 


More seeds to be planted....jalapeno and bell pepper (since my last batch didn't germinate), green onion and for the herb garden sweet basil, dill, rosemary, oregano & lavender.







Thanks to J&S for the awesome additions for the garden! These were an Easter gift....I can't wait to get cooking with them.

 

Garden Beds

Yesterday we finished making the garden beds. Instead of tilling up the yard to remove the grass, we decided to go with garden cloth to line the beds. This will help keep weeds out better than tilling the area.

Once the calculations on size were done, we figured a yard of garden mix will do just fine. Instead of buying bagged soil, which would have ran around $160 we went to the garden wholesaler to purchase the soil in bulk. This way we paid less than $34 with tax. If you have the means to transport it, you can come out so much cheaper doing it this way. 

All that's left to do now is lightly water the soil and let it settle before we transplant the seedlings.

Reclaimed Beds

We were blessed with some reclaimed wood that was perfect for building our garden beds. With just a few cuts of the wood and a few screws that we had already at home, my sweetie built 3 beds for our soon to be planted gardens.

Tomorrow the garden cloth will be laid in the beds and then the garden mix soil will be added. It looks like we will need a little over a yard, so instead of buying bags of soil we are going directly to the landscape company & loading it in the truck to haul ourselves. This is going to save us over $125.00. Now that's smart gardening!

Seed-sation

There is no better moment than when you look at your seed cups and find green! Beautiful green seedlings poking their heads through the soil.

 

It's been 4 days and we already have lettuce seedlings growing. I am so excited!

Look....there's the start of our cucumbers! It's such a proud time in our gardening fun.

Garden Sundries

 

 

 

The sunny summer-like sunbeams were definitely out in full force yesterday. I couldn't think of a better day to bring my little seeds out for their first taste of GOD'S natural light.

Since the garden beds are not ready yet, I still haven't been able to plant my Better bush tomato...

Nor has I planted the Red Hot Cherry pepper. But soon, very soon they will find their new home within the layers of earth on the property. Yes, it looks like my ivy next to it has seen better days. I am trying to nurse it back to health after the winter weather took it's toll on it.

 

 

 

Here's the latest update on the Apple tree, Rose bush, Persimmon, Pecan, Live Oak and Cypress trees. As you can see the Live Oak and Cypress are still patiently awaiting their turn to be planted as well. Soon, they too will be transplanted into the ground.

Trees & Roses

Back on November 11, 2012 I was the proud recipient of 4 free trees to plant on my property. 

 (left to right) Native Pecan, Persimmon, Live Oak, Cypress

The Persimmon was planted a few days after I received it but due to the winter weather setting in, I didn't plant anything else until recently. The Pecan was planted on February 28th, and so far it seems to be doing ok even though it's not even been a month yet. 

Our County Extension office held their annual plant sale so my Dad picked up a new breed of apple tree that was cultivated to grow in our area, called a Carnavale Apple. Meanwhile, instead of getting fresh cut roses for Valentine, my sweetie bought me a rose bush, Chicago Peace, that we can plant and enjoy season after season. Even though daylight was fading fast on us, we managed to get them planted back on the 18th of February. 

 10 days later we already have new growth on the top of the tree

 Mid way up the tree we have more new growth

 Lower branch with new growth

 

Here is the latest on the Chicago Peace Rose, Native Pecan, 

Carnavale Apple as of February 28th.

Seeds, Seeds & More Seeds

Wednesday I made a trip to Kroger for my grocery shopping. I had been needing to purchase or order my vegetable seeds but just haven't done it yet. Well , who would have thought that I would find Burpee brand seeds at the grocery store! I picked up a few packets and thought to myself that this morning seemed like a good time to start planting my garden seeds.

 

Using small disposable cups and some Miracle Grow soil, all the seeds were planted. I ended up with 53 cups in total. So far I have Roma & Big Boy tomatoes, Lettuce, Cilantro, Spinach, Yellow Crooked Neck Squash, Zucchini Squash, Jalapeno & Habanero peppers, Bell pepper, Cucumber & Blue Lake Green Beans. I still need to get my herbs, which I plan to do oregano, rosemary, basil and sage. I might even try my hand at lavender as that has always interested me. 

  

Since my seeds need to be in a lighted area yet the outdoor night temperatures still fluctuate I didn't want to take a chance of hurting the seeds growth, so I decided the best thing for them would be to keep them indoors in a well lit room. The best room for this turned out to be the guest bathroom. The light from the window is perfect and I can keep the light on at night if need be. It may be a little unconventional but whatever works! LOL

 

 

Things have officially been planted & given their first watering. I so can't wait until the first signs of life start poking through the soil. Next step....building my garden frame beds & prepping the soil. My compost is looking wonderful too!

Composting

Back in August last year we picked up a composter on clearance at Sam's. It certainly does pay to shop at what they consider the end of the season. We have steadily been adding to it and thus far we have had some good results. The only real issue we've experience were the coons & possums that kept trying to burrow under neath it to get the 'goodies' out of it. We have since solved that problem. Once we get the garden beds built, hopefully this weekend or upcoming week, I will be able to add the fresh compost to the garden mix. What a joy it is knowing that a little hard work in the beginning will yield some of the best results down the road.

Welcome to the Heart of My Garden

Welcome to the Heart of My Garden. Although I have gardened in the past, I am no where near an expert. I am simply a hobby gardener that loves to play in the dirt. This online garden blog is the place where I will journal my gardening fun. I will share my trial & errors of planting and eventually harvesting. But as with anything, you have to start somewhere. Today I went shopping at Sam's and happened upon some beautiful 3 gallon vegetable containers that I just couldn't pass up. So to jump start my garden I picked up 2 different plants....a "Red Hot Cherry" pepper &  a "Better Bush" tomato.

Even though we are having warmer temperatures during the day, we still have our cool nights. Therefore, I won't plant them in the ground just yet. In the meantime, they will be nurtured and cared for as is in their 3 gallon containers.