First Planting

Had an old chest - thought it would be a good stand for some flowers.  Like the way it looks as you walk into the garden.

Used an old play structure for my entrance into the garden.  Will be planting some grapevines which in years to come will cover this structure - will take a few years though.  On the left side my son made a trellis out of slats - will take another shot of it once something is growing on it.

So far have planted some Celebrity tomatoes, Manitoba tomatoes and Cherry Roma tomatoes, some basil, summer savory and Lebanese cucumbers in this bed.

This is under the flowering crab apple tree. Day lillies.

A little rooster I picked up at a garage sale and planted some ivy in it.

Planted some mint (to help ward off mosquitos) and some flowers.

The view as you come into my garden.

Starting the garden 2011

Well worked a bit on the garden - still lots to do......a little robin kept me company....

A Visit to Hill Side Green Center - Quyon

Gilles Marcotte, owner of Hillside welcomed me to his lovely greenhouses. I was so excited to see his new way of growing. You can visit at 315 Clarendon St., Quyon, QC

There were Beans ....

Tomatoes......

Row and rows of them and so tall.

And cherry tomatoes too!

Lebanese and English Cucumbers....

Peppers just ripening on the vine.

Red

Yellow

Orange

Also beans and radishes.Here's my friend Venetia Crawford being the taste tester. Delicious!

Most fascinating were the aphids on a plant near the vegetables. Was told that the pests that bother the plants really like these aphids and then don't eat the plants. How ingenious!

There is also a bee box. The bees pollinate the flowers. They used to use an electric toothbrush but the bees are much better at it. Gilles lets then out for 1 hour each day.

Hydroponic lettuce - how interesting

What a great system. Almost looks like eve troughes.

Gilles took one tray out to show me - notice the water coming out the end.

It's a process starting small in spongy holders for four weeks until they are transferred to the big white trays.

At different growth stages

Was great learning all about the vegetables. Thanks Gilles. You can view his site: http://www.hillsidegreencenter.ca/index.htm

I will have to go back and take pics of all the flowers.

Until next time......Happy Growing!

Planting second garden

Well, back from camp and I know it is late to plant but I am planting anyway - see if anything produces since I have old seeds to use up. Today planted 1 square of Summer Savory, oregano, head lettuce, garlic chives, parsley, spinach, onions chinese dacong, butternut squash, summer crookneck, basil, cosmos coriander cantelope, echinachae and 2 squares of carottes, turnip, beets, spinach, dill, and 3 squares of yellow beans, and 4 of lettuce.

I still have squares left, so tomorrow I will plant some flower seeds and leave a few squares for beans to plant next week. I love beans from the garden.

The first bed is doing fine. The broccoli has little heads already. The beans and peas have all sprouted and are 2 or 3 in tall.

I am pleased so far.

In the beginning

The Before

The After

In the beginning

I have read "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. Patrick (my son) helped me build the boxes a few weeks ago. Used the wood from the greenhouse. Mel's mix - vermiculite, peat moss and compost. Purchased 5 different composts - sheep, cow, shrimp, mushroom and seaweed. I got slats free rom Hodgins in Shawville. It should be 6 inches but I think I only have 4 in. Hope it works.

Cost: $25 compost, $17, $7 sale at Canadian tire - tomatoe plants- yellow and cherry. $10 nails and hammer. Vermiculite - still owe Marcottes for this - didn't have a price at the time. $15 peat and compost at Golden Lake, $5 seeds and $6 tomatoes. $85 all together. Need to buy more peat moss for the other bed. Using old seeds. Cheaper than getting it disked in the fall and plowed in the spring and a lot less work.

Today I planted pepper and Broccoli - 2 per sq foot (was supposed to be one)

peas and yellow beans - 9 seeds per sq ft

Melon, 1 per 2sq ft, Tomatoe was to be 1 per 9sq ft but I mostly have cherry so I put 1 per sq foot

Summer savory 4 seed /sq ft

ThenI cut the grass all round and then whipper snipped - It was a jungle out there. Will post pic tomorrow of progess.