A Little Garden Tour
The bell pepper and eggplant seedlings are now snug in their bags and have started to grow. Both of these vegetables take a long time to germinate and grow so they were started inside in March.
This year I'm also growing cayenne, hot, and Jimmy Nardelo peppers. Might try making my own cayenne pepper powder.
Late last summer I spotted a Red Grape bare root plant at Walmart; reduced to seven bucks to get rid of them. My kind of deal. The art of reviving dead plants has become my past time. Yes, I bought it.
I put it in a grow bag and when I tried to move it inside to protect it I realized that a main root had grown through the bag and into the ground. So, it stayed out all winter enduring the very cold nights and winds.
Look at it now!!! Loaded with leaves and grapes behind all those leaves! I jerry-built a trellis for it. *fingers crossed for it's sturdiness*
This year I wanted to move my strawberries from a huge planter into something more suitable so I purchased this 5-tier Garden tower. It came with wheels but I sat it on another planter so it looks taller than it really is.
These go for up to $300 for the nice, big ones with the deep pockets but I wanted to try this $25 one first to make sure I liked it. So far, I do. I put strawberries, basil, parsley and a couple flowers. I'm getting all of my $25 out of it. You can see here.
I like testing the limits of my Grow Zone (8a).
One of my rare plants is the PINEAPPLE GUAVA but it is neither a pineapple nor a guava. This is the second year I've had it and I haven't had any fruit yet but the flower on it this year is stunning! I only see two flowers so I probably won't get any fruit this year either but that's okay.
Here is more info about Pineapple Guavas if you're interested.
I've grown Sweet Corn a couple times in this little bed but this year I decided to grow POPCORN! It's a specific variety grown to use as popcorn. It's just starting to emerge from the soil.😍
I covered with tulle to keep happy-flappy birds, and curious squirrels away until they plants are large enough. I also threw a couple of Mammoth Sunflower (12') seeds into the corners of this bed too.
I'm growing my cucumbers differently this year. Usually I put them each in a bag and build a trellis so they can climb. This year, I placed them all around a 100 gallon grow bag that already had flowers and a single Swiss Chard plant in the middle. As they grow I hope to wrap them around a circular trellis I built. They look happy so far.
Okra! Love it or hate it. I used to hate it, now I love it. I grow a lot of it each year, mainly because it grows quickly and easily in my hot, humid environment. It's not picky at all, and I have few pest problems with it. I plant it in bags like below and I throw seeds into the ground around the garden where I want to establish some summer privacy.
I have many more things in my garden but for now I want to leave you with this beauty. I had five beautiful old rose bushes in my yard. Last year they all got Rose Rosette Disease except for this one.
Rose Rosette Disease is nasty ... which means you have dig up the plant root and all, and bag it or burn it. It spreads via mites in the ground. I've been babying this last rose bush because it produces a beautiful salmon/coral colored rose that's so pretty!
