Lemon-Drop's Gardening Adventure

[Sally PB]

Your peas are off to a good start! They will happily climb up the chicken wire fence you have there.

Good job! It looks nice.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I like your wagon look. But it seems to be in a lot of direct light which is fine for some plants but vegetables like some shade or they fry too much. Luckily veg is plentiful and cheap in shops because they can be a burden to grow. I prefer cherry trees and blueberry bushes which regrow every year and are very low maintenance.
Strawberries are great too but they like a bit of shade like the left plot is getting. I find it challenging to grow things in full sun, strawberries and fruit bushes/trees are what work for me, veg goes on the shady borders if I can be bothered for a few carrots. I think I will go with growing some sunflower seeds this year, they are easy and sunflower seeds are expensive. I find I need to pay attention to what survives long term at mine, like strawberries in pots are nice but long term they only survive in the ground cause I forget to water them

Thanks, most of the time its shady (aka rain) because of Washington's downcast drizzly weather, but we are getting a odd bit of sun. There are a lot of trees, so they get 8 or so hours of sun, (when it is sunny) and about 4 hours of shade. (Some years where I am, we get 300 days of clouds a year!) If they don't seem to be thriving, I will try and figure out some shade stuff. Good luck with your plants this year!

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Your peas are off to a good start! They will happily climb up the chicken wire fence you have there.

Good job! It looks nice.

Thank you! I was noticing that the peas seem to be thriving!

 

[BReeder!]

Have you considered laying a formal path? You don't want to be walking on soil that you want to plant in as it will get compacted. I used hardwood mulch in my garden to "pave" formal pathways. I use straw between rows as mulch and I walk on this but I don't plant between the rows. If I want to plant something there next year or rearrange rows, I till the area to loosen the soil again. a brood fork could also be used if you wish to avoid tilling.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Have you considered laying a formal path? You don't want to be walking on soil that you want to plant in as it will get compacted. I used hardwood mulch in my garden to "pave" formal pathways. I use straw between rows as mulch and I walk on this but I don't plant between the rows. If I want to plant something there next year or rearrange rows, I till the area to loosen the soil again. a brood fork could also be used if you wish to avoid tilling.

Ok, I will consider this! The garden is pretty small, but I guess I don't want to be walking on the soil if I ever want to plant there. Currently I just avoid the plants. Thanks!

 

[Sally PB]

^^ Good advice!

After I saw time lapsed photography of a root pushing through dirt, I vowed to never walk on "their" dirt again.

Still, tree roots can and do break up cement...

Plants amaze me.

 

[BReeder!]

Just a word of warning... Nobody talks about garden math. It can become a "thing" too.

Haha! True. Here's our past 6 years of garden math in a nut shell.
At our old house we had two raised beds, 8'x2' and 12'x2'. Then I built a 3 tier triangle bed that was about 4' on each side with a 2'x2' square on top. Then I added flower beds out front and snuck a small one in the back.
That was in the city. Now we are in the suburbs with a lot more space. The garden started as 30'x35' and later reconfigured to 24'x55' plus an annexed 7'x12' area for the compost piles. And we are now adding fruit trees in a 30' long bed along the fence on on side of the yard. Flowers around the house out front. A new flower bed along the front of the garden fence and duck run. The list goes on...

 

[BReeder!]

Ok, I will consider this! The garden is pretty small, but I guess I don't want to be walking on the soil if I ever want to plant there. Currently I just avoid the plants. Thanks!

maybe a 2' wide path down the center just, leaving a horseshoe shape 3' wide all around. think of a "U" shaped garden with the path in the center of one side. This way you can reach everything in the growing areas from the path of from the outside of the bed if necessary. You could also pop a sprinkler right in the middle of the path then to water the bed or wrap soaker hose around the grow area.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

As you may know, I have been sprouting cucumber seeds. Here’s a picture. They’re getting quite big!

When should I plant them? I’ve heard at 3 weeks or so. So at this size, how many more days?

Also, I have no clue what this is. It’s on most of the pots.

 

[BReeder!]

As you may know, I have been sprouting cucumber seeds. Here’s a picture. They’re getting quite big! View attachment 2630431
When should I plant them? I’ve heard at 3 weeks or so. So at this size, how many more days?

Also, I have no clue what this is. It’s on most of the pots. View attachment 2630434

Thin then to one plant per cell ASAP. Then keep them in the light and moist (not saturated) until their true leaves grow. Those round leaves come from the seed. Wait until the next set of leaves is developed before transplanting is possible.