Updates

It has been a while since I have updated and because of this sad fact, whoever reads this is in for a long narrative. At least there are pictures. After this, though, I'll try to get back on track, because I'll be caught up to date. Mos def.

I was surprised, about a week or more later after the last post (around July 18th, I think, you can check), with the quick growth of all these things. Surprise leads to pictures:

Watermelon:

Tomatillo:

More Peppers:

Daisies (picked these up the day I took the picture and planted them with the geranium I got for free at church!):

Umm... don't remember. But it finally has flowers!

Avocado and pineapple sage:

Soy and Scarlet (?) Beans in my garden's corner:

Black Plum Tomatoes:

First Cucumber (looks like it's been crowned!):

Marjoram (foreground) and flowers:

More tomatillos (once they FINALLY started setting fruit, they really took off!)

Heavenly Garden Approach:

Dianthus:

Ground covers in one of my favorite containers:

Yarrow in full bloom:


Since then, there has been a lot of progress. I now have six watermelons (and, oh my goodness, they are so cute when they are this tiny; the little green stripes show up almost immediately!) and many more cucumbers (and finally lemon cucumbers are on the way!). My very cool beans have their bright red flowers coming out and the hummingbirds love them. Even though they aren't finished opening, the hummingbirds try to wrestle them open with their beaks. Silly things, there is a feeder to the right!

I got some advice a while back about my blueberry not growing (all summer it has just sat there, green but not growing). I asked at the forum I often visit, gardenweb.com, and got a reply from one of the most trusted and knowledgeable gardeners there, Al. He told me to place a wick in the bottom of the pot in one of the drain holes and then elevate the pot, which I immediately did with almost all of my larger pots. I am amazed- the little blueberry has sent off a lot of new shoots and they are all growing wonderfully now. The strawberry pot, which has had more problems than all my other containers combined, is thriving with its black beans and strawberries now, as are my trees. I definitely have to thank him for this and remember it for next year as I start out!

I also have switched potting soils, which I think has been a great help for the plants I have repotted into larger containers, like my oranges and avocadoes. I use Gardener's Gold now, which I found at Western Gardens here in SLC. It's great because it is super rich in nutrients (organic- they use worm castings and other things to boost up fertility) and it is well-draining. Certainly more expensive than the stuff I originally planted in, but so well worth the results and the lack of headaches!

The tomatoes are getting going- there were problems with blossom-end rot with some of them in the beginning, and even though still edible, were quite unsightly. I also have cracks and catfacing on some of the older ones of one variety, but I believe this goes back to when I left the USA for about 5 days and left the watering to friends. Water fluctuations can cause both of these things to occur (as well as lack of calcium for the blossom-end rot). I will remember to add some extra calcium for next year when I plant, perhaps in the form of crushed eggshells for my tomatoes and peppers.

Peppers are doing great, and are the size that I could pick, but I'm waiting for them to turn colors.

So here's the latest pics, hot from the digital camera.

Cucumber curl:

Views from my door, Left to Right:





Windowboxes:

Another windowbox (with yarrow):

Wildflower box and that plant I can't remember:

This guy:

Beans now:

Their flowers:

Lemongrass:

My favorite box of groundcovers:

Citrus:

Cucumbers spilling over stairs:

Nasturtium:

Cucumber flower madness:

The first cucumber:

The first lemon cucumber:

Little Pink Flowers:

Strawberries blooming again:

My first watermelon (that one I showed earlier!) and some of the others that have come along:




Lettuce:

Burbank Slicing tomatoes:

Yellow Pear tomatoes:

View of flowers:

New blueberry growth:

Oregeno with lavender and sage in the background:

Yet another window box:

Lemon & Lime basil and black beans in strawberry pot:

Strawberries and marigolds:

Nasturtium and wallflower with my downstairs neighbor's deck (just a view)

Another view:

Peach tree (L) with the apple tree (three types on one!) (R):

Mint with watermelon flower:

More pink!

View of garden from stairs looking east:


Overall, for my first year, I think it's been a success. I have learned so much just in the few months I have been doing this that I think next year will have tremendous results comparitively (and more learning opportunities, of course!).

What's new...

Today I decided I needed to update as there have been some good changes along with the ones I posted yesterday. The first thing to update on is...

Doug found a pepper yesterday! It's just a small one, but it surprised me because it's on a plant I grew from Costco mini peppers, and we've been growing it since February or so. It started blooming when we put it out in May (wouldn't hold its blossoms before that) but even when it blossomed, they would just fall off, even if pollinated. So I decided to use it as a trap crop, to lure the pests and things away from the other, more productive plants. Seemed to work, I pretty much neglected the pepper, but it continued to live! Huh... now we've got fruit. So I decided the poor thing needed a little TLC, and I pinched off all the nasty looking leaves (leafminer, blotches, aphids, etc., etc.). There were a bunch of them, but as I was going through, I discovered we have a rather nice size pepper growing in the midst of all the leaves. Very cool. Never thought that plant would do anything.



Besides that, there are some new flowers in my wildflower/butterfly windowbox. I like these ones. They kinda look like the blanketflower that grows down in S. Utah by the sides of the road. This is good, because I have been trying to get some to grow by seed and haven't been successful so far. (Maybe these are them, though, and I just am not seeing the light, here!). They are one of my favorite flowers because they are native and so that makes them even more beautiful to me. I'm not a fan of fancy non-natives like roses, no offense to any one who loves them.



Also, the new beans are vining up nicely in place of the deceased sugar snap peas. I still don't know the name of the second one that I planted, but the first are soybeans (for edamame or however you spell it).



The oranges are going to be transplanted today into larger homes. I discovered roots growing out of the bottom of one of the containers- I think it's about time. =)



The basil/pepper concoction has finally taken off, but I think the basil more-so than the peppers in this container. These are peppers from real seed, not from the peppers I bought at Costco. Not that those are not real seed. Obviously.

I tasted the basil yesterday and yummm... it's lemon and lime basil and it really did have a hint of that lime (that's the one I took a leaf from). Very nice!



Today I discovered that I will never use Miracle Gro Organic brand soil again. I kinda knew it right after I bought it- I bought it out of desperation because it was late at night and Home Depot was the only thing open. It is WAY too heavy. Most of my plants have suffered the consequences of being repotted in it. I have read some horror story reviews about it as well... people finding metal, plastic and other trash in it. So I guess it's not really organic at all! I think I will be replanting most of the plants I put in that stuff in something I found at Western Gardens that I really like- Gardener's Gold. It drains really nicely and the plants seem to love it. It has worm castings and other great stuff right in it. It's a bit more pricey, but the pay off is worth it- healthy plants that don't need as much attention from me (which doesn't mean they don't still get it, ha ha!).

This fall, though, I think we are gonna try composting ourselves. Or maybe earlier. I've been reading alllll about it from library books. Seems easy enough.

Anyway, the desert windowboxes are looking good!! Mostly. Some plants are having a hard time, but I think it was because they were mislabeled somewhat as 'drought tolerant'. Anyway, the grasses (alkali socotum or something) has really taken off lately, super bushy and green. Nice for a desert box! The Indian Rice grass, something that if I had enough of, I could grind into a great bread flour, has set seed, so I am collecting that for next year. The yarrows are growing great, and one of them has even started showing blossoms. It attracts a lot of beneficial insects, so I am looking forward to that (still no sign of the dive bomber mantis from yesterday).



One of the avocados is growing great, the other, in the same pot, has been really struggling. The leaves are light green and just today I noticed that they were turning brown in spots. I am going to replant in separate pots today (and larger, as well). The other one is great, though. It's so fun to have some "tropicals" here in Utah. Reminds me of home.



The watermelon vines have really taken off lately in their new home and location. I tied up some cord on the staircase railing to make a trellis for them, and they are climbing right up.



They've had a lot of flowers lately, but no fruit... except these (which are so little, will they really ever be big watermelons?):



And no surprise, but my mint is really loving life right now. I mean, it's mint, so really, that's a given, but I'm happy about it. There are three kinds there: Mint-the-best (okay, that's a dumb name), Spearmint and Pineapple Mint. So far, Mint-the-best has lived up to it's name. The Pineapple mint smells like pineapple, but doesn't taste too much like it. Maybe as it gets more used to its home and spreads, the younger leaves will taste more like it. We'll see. I just really like it's bushy dense green foliage. It's so cooling looking, if that makes sense. It looks like it would be right at home under a forest canopy up in BC or something. Ahhh, BC.



So many things have finally started to set fruit. I have begun researching fertilization more closely, and have decided that some of these things I am growing need more phosphorus to set fruit, so I'll give that a go (fish emulsion and seaweed extract).