garden walk-through #2

This spring, I have been doing a weekly official walk-through of the garden and taking pictures of each plant. It seems repetitive at times, but what I love is comparing the photographs and seeing how much each thing has grown in only a week or so. The last set I posted was the walk-through from June 4. And these are from this morning:

Dill and chives. Although we aren't growing any cucumbers, they will soon be in abundance at the farmers' market, and I plan to can some dill pickles!

I have to show the gaps in my gardening skills as well as the successes, because I wouldn't want anyone reading to think that everything comes out perfect every time. This is my red raspberry plant, which I bought from a yard sale last month. I planted it hastily in a less than ideal soil mixture because I was out of the mix we used in the raised beds. The soil that the cutting had come from was very clay-like, so I thought it would be okay, but we've gotten a lot of rain and even with a layer of rocks at the bottom of my planter, it was holding a lot of water, hence the leaves that turned yellow. I made some more Mel's Mix, the recommended planting mixture for square foot gardening, and repotted it yesterday. I think it will be able to recover, and I hope it doesn't hold as much water after this, since Mel's Mix is light and drains well.

Oregano! I actually got this oregano plant for a photo shoot last October, and kept it inside all winter. It's going crazy out in the sun.

The basil is doing well. I used some in a batch of risotto I made for dinner last night. Mmm!

The chocolate mint is loving its terrarium, which it's almost outgrown (but I'll just start cutting it back--not a big deal for mint!). I put the lid over it on colder days (we've had some highs only in the low 70s recently!), and take it off when it's sunny out.

My back step. Love the yellow. It's so cheery!

Thumbelina zinnias. I can't wait for them to flower.

The cilantro is growing slowly but surely.

The tomatoes are in need of pruning. I've been doing some additional research on growing tomatoes in square foot gardens, and if they are staked, they need to be pruned quite a bit. Caging works as well and does not have to be pruned but each plant takes at least 4 square feet with cages, whereas with stakes they can be planted 1 per square foot. We'll have to see how this turns out, but for this year at least, the stakes are in the ground and the pruning will have to suffice. Here's hoping the tomato crop is large!

White cherry tomatoes are emerging. I can't wait!



Barbecue grill next to the second bed, which holds eggplant, peas, chard, and salad greens.

Hey, peppers!

Purple beauty eggplant is about to flower! Gretel eggplant is close behind it.

Something is enjoying the arugula, but the rest of the mesclun mix is untouched.

The peas have raced to the top of their trellis, and I suspect they'll start flowering any time now.

Swiss chard is looking amazing!

I may have gotten a little ahead of myself when I bought some cabbage seedlings on a whim and confused them with lettuce and spinach, which can be planted in large quantities of 4-9 plants per square foot, depending on the variety. Of course, cabbage is very different than spinach and lettuce, and I should have realized it was going to be a problem. I'm now looking for somewhere to transplant half of these cabbages to! Oops. But, at least they are doing well at the moment.

Impatiently waiting on the spinach to dry out so I can save the seeds! I love learning new gardening skills/processes.

on staking tomatoes

Building a garden for the first time in a new place gets expensive quickly. Of course, it would have helped if I had started everything from seed in a more timely fashion. Or if everything I had started from seed indoors under a grow light didn't just wilt and die (someone help!? I'm horrible at this!). Or if I had remembered to bring the tomato stakes and garden hoses that Corey and I bought last year for the garden we grew in his old backyard. But, regardless of all of this, we just had to make the best of things. We did build the beds from scratch, using untreated wood. This was easy and financially rewarding, and will last awhile.

We opted to buy some of the seedlings. One way to save on this is to shop around at local nurseries to see who is offering a) locally grown seedlings and b) packs of seedlings vs. individual plants. I prefer locally grown seedlings because they are more likely to do well in my area vs. seedlings grown far away that are meant for many people in many zones to buy (Think of it this way: we used to have thousands of apple varieties in North America, but the average American now knows only around six, and it's the same six across the country. That is because those six can be grown in a variety of zones and are hardy, not because they taste the best. Do you want to say the same for the plants in your very own garden?). Plus they are healthier because they have only been carted around a few miles vs. hundreds or thousands, and that lack of transportation often takes off a little of the cost as well. As for tip B, you can save a lot of money by getting packs of seedlings early on in the season versus one fairly large plant at a time later. This will also make you feel better about having to buy the plants since you'll still raise them up from a small seedling. Additionally, the larger ones are often already flowering if you get them too late, and typically you don't want to purchase these, as their flowering is a sign of stress from being in a small pot, and they're likely not to get any larger once you transplant them. Some of the plants I got in seedling packs were a 6-variety-pack of tomatoes, 6 red cabbage plants, and 9 spinach plants. Each pack was only from $1.50 for cabbage and spinach to $5 for the tomatoes.

And then it came time to stake the tomato plants. They were falling over, they had grown so large! 10 of them, total. Six from that pack, one from a friend, one from a farmers' market, one from a giveaway at school, and one purchased individually. So we managed to get 10 tomato plants for under $10, but staking them always turns out to be a completely different story. Cages were out from the beginning, as the garden is of the square foot variety and there would be no room. Cages are also very expensive, $3-$7 each. Dowel rods from the craft shop seemed affordable at 50 cents apiece (I built the pea trellis from 2 + string) but too slippery, and a little on the short side. Plastic stakes made for tomatoes are incredibly expensive at around $3 a stick. Wooden stakes made for tomatoes were around $2 each, a little expensive but considered briefly due to lack of other options. Finally, I found what I was looking for all along, a package of bamboo rods, $3 for a dozen! This has been the best option two years in a row. They can be reused next year since I won't be moving anywhere and forget to take them. I have heard that bamboo is a good renewable resource since it grows quickly. It's definitely more ecologically friendly than plastic. How do you stake your plants without spending a fortune? How else do you save money when gardening?

2nd annual honeysuckle sorbet

Second annual honeysuckle sorbet! It's my spring tradition now. Served with fresh mint and blackberries this time. Here's the recipe again. It's made from honeysuckle flowers, water, cinnamon, sugar, and lemon juice. So easy! This time I used 1/2 c. less sugar. I don't notice a difference in the quality. I would like to get an ice cream maker and make it in that, so it wouldn't be as icy (it was still icy last time with more sugar). It's still very delicious, however! And I love that it's made from a wild flower, and one that reminds me of carefree spring seasons of childhood, at that.

frost free finally

The frost free date finally arrived in Ohio! And so, we planted the garden this week. My tiny backyard is 300 square feet, and Corey and I built two 16 square foot garden beds in it. The picture below makes the yard look larger than it actually is because I took it with a wide angle lens. Technically more garden beds would fit, and maybe for fall we'll add another. Two is enough for now. We'll have tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, chard, herbs, strawberries, peas, and eggplant! p.s. Check out my new (-ish--got them a month or so ago) yellow chairs! They add a lot of life to the yard. I am thinking of painting a yellow sign for the garden to match them. Trying to come up with a name for the garden...any ideas?



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b&w color process film

Corey with some of our pepper and tomato plants!

My Japanese eggplant!

Grub! Yuck.

Corey and his bike.

Me and my sad, but loved, bike! I'm getting a new one soon so I wanted to document this one, which my mom handed down to me and I used all during college.

These photos are from the first trial of some film I bought on clearance for 90% off! Ilford XP2 Super. C-41 Process black and white. 400 ISO. It turned out perfectly! I love it. Just the right contrast, not too much grain.

More soon. I have a lot.

spring is nice

I've been enjoying this spring season so much! With just about a month left until the real first day of summer, this is what I have been up to lately:

- Tending to the garden.
- Going for evening bike rides. (Corey and I are working on perfecting our route to the farmers' market--it opens a week from Saturday!)
- Picking flowers to brighten up my apartment.
- Cooking and baking healthful meals and treats.
- Organizing my apartment to make moving easier in a few months.

Lately I have been making an extra effort to enjoy the simple things in life, which I believe is an important thing to do. Spring is a good time to reflect on that.

honeysuckle magic

As I get older and wiser (at least I hope that's what I'm doing!), living in tune with the seasons has become a basic goal and desire of mine. Nature has so much to offer that is easy to take for granted when we live as if every season is in existence all year (fresh tomatoes in winter? c'mon!).

This spring, I have been spending lots of time in Corey's backyard (I lack one of my own). We have picnics and thoughtful discussions, and spend many hours in the garden. It's come to mean a lot to me to be able to spend quality time outdoors without driving to a park or taking a walk on campus (because this town is certainly not pedestrian friendly!).

And so I couldn't help noticing the large quantity of aromatic honeysuckles growing along Corey's fence. And when I came upon this article, I knew just the perfect use for them--honeysuckle sorbet. If you like the scent and taste of honeysuckle, you should make this sorbet. It tastes like summers of my childhood. And all you need are honeysuckles, water, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon.

What else have you made from wild plants? This topic has become a fascination of mine.

I've started a new documentary photography project which will take me through the summer. I'm documenting the local food movement in the area. I started with a trip to a wonderful farm yesterday. Here are a few peeks from my digital camera, but I think the true gems are on film so you'll have to wait a bit for those.

Broccoli.

Blueberries.

Lately I have been soaking up spring to the fullest. What I enjoy about spring:

- Leaving the window open all day and not relying on the heat or air.
- Exploring in the sunshine on my bike or walking.
- Picnics in Corey's backyard.
- Small seedlings growing bigger and getting ready for transplanting.
- Short sleeves, flats, and rolled up jeans replacing heavy coats, boots, and gloves.
- Lengthening days.

I'm looking forward to:

- The opening of the farmers' market.
- Harvesting our very own vegetables with Corey.
- The semester ending, which will mean campus is more available for walking and biking purposes, as well as there being much less traffic in town. :)

I've also been doing a lot of doodling and loving it! Here are a few of my latest doodles. I've been experimenting with new borders to mix things up a little.