June 2nd, 2011
I planted my garden on May 22nd, 2011. My first garden...ever. I'm anxiously awaiting the first sight of a pepper, or the flowering of my zucchini plant. I check daily to ensure that my delicious fruits and vegetables are surviving in the drastic Georgia heat. To date, I have planted (from back left to front) one basil plant, a Yummy Bell Pepper and a Cubanelle Pepper plant, a Big Beef tomato plant, one zucchini plant, and two strawberry plants. In a separate pot I have a Cherry tomato plant that I cannot wait to sample off of! Gardening has become a new favorite hobby of mine. It's amazing to watch as the plants you dig into the ground sprout up and produce wonderful foods right from your own backyard.
Waiting is the hardest part. For the past few weeks I have documented my garden's growth with pictures. I keep a separate record of everything I planted, the date they were planted on, and when they get watered, which is typically every other day.
Summer's down here in Georgia are brutal and they start in Spring. Days reach upwards of 95 degrees and higher. The rains in the south this year have come barrelling through and left a wake of destruction. Hopefully the future rains will be easier on us. But since rain is so inconsistent, it's vital that I keep my plants hydrated. I usually go outside in the mornings when its coolest and water my plants. There is less of a chance for the water to evaporate as well.
My soil choice was also of great importance. I knew it had to be organic, but there were so many choices. I ended up with Mircale Grow. It's a trusted name and you can't go wrong for the price. But, there's lot of choices, like Farmer D's, which is sold at Whole Foods. I already had a raised bed in my backyard beckoning to be planted in. The existing soil was then mixed and tilled together with the Mircale Grow organic soil. The rest is pretty self explanitory. I dug my holes and buried my plants according to the recommended directions per plant. What I ended up with is my first organic raised bed garden.
My number of plants is small right now, as I get a feel for gardening and what my light/water conditions are. If my plants pull through and survive, next year will be even better. Check back daily for new postings on my garden. Next time, I want to go into more detail on soils, but for now, I just wanted to give you the basics. Hope to hear from you soon!
|
June 10th, 2011
My plants are blooming! On June 7th, I photographed the progress of my plants and noticed a tiny bell pepper. My excitement was unbelievable! My first pepper, my first thing I have ever grown. My cubanelle plant has also begun to flower. I am still impatiently waiting for my cherry tomatoes to grow, but the tomato plant is certainly growing high.
As of 6/7/11, the plant heights were: Yummy Bell- 8.75"
Cubanelle- 10.25"
Big Beef Tomatoes- 13.25"
Cherry Tomatoes- 16.5"
Zucchini- 8.75"
I am most interested in the growth of these plants, but I am closely monitoring my basil and strawberry plants. If all goes well with my strawberries, I plan to turn them into delicious homemade jam. Not only are my peppers growing, but my zucchini has begun to flower! My fingers are crossed that I yield a good bit of edible zucchini. Fried zucchini, zucchini bread, and just simple sauteed zucchini are all on the menu for summer. My mouth waters everytime I take a walk around my garden.
Finally, the rains are coming and I can take a break from watering. I watched the weather channel and watered my garden according to when the storm was coming so I could save most watering for the rain. It saves on my water bill and doesn't over water plants that will just be getting rained on later.
I have also done a bit more searching for organic soils and potting mixes and have a few more brands. FoxFarm is a 100% natural and organic soil mix. FoxFarm and Famer D are both sold at Whole Foods or, if you are not located near one, Urban Sunshine is a site where you can order organic soil, including the two previously mentioned. You may not be that dedicated to organic soil and that's okay, but make sure it's a high quality, natural mix. I'm still a believer of Miracle Grow!
Thanks for catching up with me. Next time, I will discuss safe, natural pesticides for those pesky bugs (especially on my basil!) See you then!
|
June 24th, 2011
Rain, Rain, go away! Well, rain is vital for the plants during these hot summer days but the forcast for Georgia has been rain! My garden is loving it. But to my dismay, my basil plant has been slowly eaten away. My quick solution: water and dish soap. Yes, it's that simple! For my problem at least. I used a large plastic cup and filled it with water and enough soap to bubble. After a few days I've noticed a slight improvement. There are no new bites on my plant but it hasn't begun to rejuvenate. Only time will tell if this truely works! Other options for insect control include Neem Oil. Neem oil is multi-purpose. It can be used as a natural insecticide, a fertilizer, as part of skin care, or medicine with hundreds of uses. Safer® Brand BioNEEM® Multi-purpose Insecticide & Repellent is organic and kills on contact. Get out there and grow something!
|
July 10th, 2011
It's official: My plants have made a comeback! After my basil plant had been eaten to literally, nothing, I scoured the internet for a quick fix and found that a quick cup of dish soap and water can help alleviate some beetle issues. See, once a beetle dies in the water mix, it almost acts as a warning for other bugs. Now that I have waited for more than a few days I see a big improvement. My peppers are flowering again and sprouting new leaves. I'm still waiting around for some zucchini. A flowering zucchini plant is a beautiful sight in the garden. Now, if only I could grow one! My cherry tomatoes are still my pride and joy and I all but given up hope that I will bear strawberries. I haven't quite figured out what conditions cause certain plants to thrive and others to do not so well in the same environment. Why haven't my strawberries done anything?! Why did the beetles only eat my basil and peppers? Will my big beef tomatoes produce more than a few small ones? While I sit in anticipation for some big tomatoes and maybe a zucchini, my research continues. Next time, learn why some plants just do better than others. Until then, happy planting!
|
July 22nd, 2011
Houston, we have a red tomato! My cherry tomatoes are ripening beautifully and so far I have one ready for enjoying. I have about 7 more that are still green but it's only a matter of time before I enjoy their deliciousness. On the topic of tomatoes, my big beef plant is producing three tomatoes. They are nice, firm, but a little small. Patience truly is required when gardening. For my cherry tomato plant, it takes an average of 65 days to mature. The tomatoes grow to about an 1" in diameter which mine are certainly doing! The big beef tomatoes take about 73 days and grow to a large size of about 16 oz. Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of sunlight. In this particular area of backyard I only get about 4 1/2 hours of sun, which could explain my lack of strawberries. To my surprise, my tomatoes are really blossoming. Since I planted my cherry tomato plant in a pot, I can move it according to where the sun falls.
In addition to tomatoes, I have finally, after waiting many long days, grown a little zucchini. It may be small, but hopefully it will fill in nicely.
Strawberries are meant to be planted in the beginning of spring, when the ground is easy to work with. I planted mine on 5/22/11. Maybe had I planted a month earlier my strawberries would have produced. I've done some research on growing strawberries, and I found a few great sites to help. http://www.ehow.com/how_2000_grow-strawberries.html gives step-by-step instructions. Check out, http://gardening.about.com/od/fruitsberriesnuts/a/Strawberries.htm. It is packed full of great, useful tips and info. In fact, I just read that strawberries should not be planted where tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant have recently been. Maybe I should have researched before planting my garden, but, hey, you live and you learn. Next time, I plan on having pictures of my very own produce to show. Til then, get some dirt on those hands!
|
 |
| Zucchini (7/22/11) |
|
|
July 31st, 2011
Just check out my pics!
|
|
 |
| Mini Garden 5/22/2011 |
|
|
 |
| Cherry Tomatoes (5/22/2011) |
|
|
 |
| The Mini Garden (6/2/2011) For details on what is planted please refer to my journal entry from 6/2/2011 |
|
|
 |
| Cherry Tomatoes (6/2/2011) |
|
|
 |
| Yummy Bell Pepper 6/7/2011 |
|
|
 |
| Zucchini (6/10/11) |
|
|
 |
| Cherry Tomatoes (6/22/11) |
|
|
 |
| Big Beef (7/10/11) |
|
|
 |
| (7/22/11) |
|
|
|
