Monthly Archives: July 2010

Things are finally coming together with our move and I wanted to share some really helpful information on how to keep your garden virtually weed free.

Until this season, I have always used techniques offered in “Lasagna Gardening” by Patricia Lanza. However, the possibility of moving and having to adapt to gardening with containers, has made it a bit difficult to apply many of the suggestions of this method. So I began the process of figuring out just exactly how I can keep the garden weed free.

What I’m about to share will work with both in ground (which we usually do anyway) and container gardening.

As I’m sure you’ve seen in my pictures, all of my plants are in large white buckets. So preparing the garden was actually a bit more simplified this season. The first step is to cut all of the grass down very low. This can be done with a weed eater or lawn mower. With the weed eater, you can actually cut it down to dirt and it will work beautifully. Though this step is not 100% necessary, it does make the next step more aesthetically pleasing. Then use “BLACK” landscaping fabric or weedblock and roll it out in the areas you want to place your plants. I also found this fabric at Home Depot for about $35 per 4 foot by 220 foot roll. Make sure to leave adequate space between rows of the fabric and also make sure it is the “Black” variety and not the “Gray”! I tried the gray last season and it doesn’t block the light, so it promotes the growth of grass and weeds, under the landscaping fabric.

At this point, you can either mark where you want to place plants in the ground or simply place your containers on top of the fabric. If placing in the ground, slice large X’s in the spot for each plant. Dig your hole, place your organic materials, fertilizer, bone meal etc in the hole and place the plant to where the stem is centered at the center point of the X. If placing containers, simply set the container where you want it.

Black Landscaping Fabric For Rows

Now between rows, stomp the grass down or cut it with the weed eater or mower and spread news paper between the rows of black fabric. Overlap the news paper over the top of the edge of the fabric. Water the news paper to make it moist and then apply saw dust, wood shavings or other form of mulch like bark, cut straw or hay, over the top of the news paper. Be sure to cover it completely.

Mulch and Newspaper Between Rows

Now you have a weed free gardening area for your plants to thrive.

Happy Gardening

I’m sure you’ve all watched the commercials about the Topsy Turvy and, if you haven’t already found out for yourself, wondered if they really work. When they first came out, I had already tried growing tomatoes upside down, in a 5 gallon bucket. The tests I did were nothing more than a complete joke and a waste of time and tomato plants. The measly little plants that came from growing upside down, finally produced two tiny little tomatoes on deformed looking tiny stems, where the plants that I had planted in the ground were beautiful, lush and full of tomatoes.

The only question in my mind was whether there was something different with the design of the actual Topsy Turvy. So this year, I managed to gain results with another test, but with actual Topsy Turvys and not my 5 gallon buckets.

During my tomato planting season, I had a huge amount of extra tomatoes, so I shared them with family and friends, so the results I am about to share are from plants that were planted at the same time mine were planted and have been grown only a few hundred feet away from mine.

As you can see, the container tomatoes, in the upright buckets are a bit stressed from our move, but they are doing beautifully. There are little tomatoes on nearly every single plant and some are so loaded with tomatoes, I’m wondering if there is a tomato food bank somewhere local I can donate some.

Container Tomatoes July 28, 2010

Now for the picture of the Topsy Turvy grown tomatoes. Amazingly, the upside down tomatoes look very similar to my previous test in the upside down 5 gallon buckets. The plants do not grow well upside down and as you can see, there are very few branches and so far, no tomatoes. The amount of energy it takes the plants to turn their branches upward, toward the sun, takes away from their overall production and growing season. Personally, I would never spend the money on a Topsy Turvy.

Topsy Turvy July 28, 2010

In searching the internet, I have read some reviews on the Topsy Turvy. The results were similar to mine, so why on Earth, would someone recommend these things when they deteriorate within the first year and they don’t hold enough water to keep them moist for even one day? You can bet you won’t find them hanging around my home in the near future!

Happy Gardening

Tuesday was fantastic. A couple of helpers moved almost ¾ of the garden…What an undertaking. If you don’t have to, DON’T MOVE YOUR GARDEN MID SEASON! LOL.

Now as for some updates, the plants are looking beautiful in their new space. While the move stressed them a tiny bit, they are coming along beautifully well. The tomatoes are everywhere and the zucchini are just about ready to pick the first ones of the season. Winning tomato was Cherokee Chocolate with TWO already harvested tomatoes. They were DELICIOUS to say the least!!! Interesting though, the smaller of the two had a whopping 4 seeds while the larger one didn’t have a seed in it. So I have to await the next ripening tomatoes to save seed.

Cherokee Chocolate July 26, 2010

Cherokee Chocolate Sliced YUM!

The Blue Podded Garden peas are in abundance and so pretty to look at, but the flavor…OH MY!! We’ve been eating them like snow peas. Mammoth Melting Sugar peas are doing very well and just as sweet as ever. I think they have to be my favorite out of all the snap and snow peas, but that isn’t to say the others aren’t absolutely tasty too. Without a doubt, home grown peas are the BEST!

Blue Podded Garden Peas July 27, 2010

As you can see, the plants have a lot more space and I’ll post more pictures when we are completely moved.

Garden July 27, 2010

Happy Gardening

For the past week and a half, we have been harvesting white snow peas. Oh they are so sweet and with not using any type of pesticides or chemicals, you can sit and munch on them right out of the garden! Not many have made it in the house for using in meals, but they sure have been great snacking food.

Heirloom White Snow Peas

While snacking on a few peas last night, though I didn’t take the time to enter the pest away fence and take a picture, I could see a glimmering…almost red TOMATO!!!! Believe it or not, it wasn’t my Cherokee Chocolate, instead, it’s on my Super Sioux, but in defense, the CC is a late tomato while the Super Sioux is a midseason. CC is coming soon, and Buckbees New 50 Day is loaded with medium sized green tomatoes, so any day now, we should have tomatoes from that one as well.

I’ll post a picture of it just as soon as it’s red! WOOHOO the first tomato of the season!!!

Happy Gardening

Well, the move is still a work in progress. Today is the first day that I’ve been able to sit down and write much. The move is going slow with the warmth and heavy furniture, but it is progressing.

We’ve yet to move the garden due to the fact that a fence needs to be in place to keep the hungry deer out, not to mention a recently spotted 400 plus lb bear. Unfortunately, we have deer that eat EVERYTHING, including all those plants that the nurseries swear are deer resistant.

After the past couple of weekends, the garden has just grown immensely. Last evening, I decided to take a picture to show just how few of the buckets are showing in my sea of white. It’s now a sea of green, enveloping the sea of white.

Sea of White Gone Green

Off for now, have to get working on the fence, so Happy Gardening and take care.

We’re finally in the midst of our move. Sorry I’ve been away for a short time, but may not have many updates for a week or so. I’ll keep you posted as to how things are going.

Being away from the house in the evenings, we ended up with a red tail hawk in the greenhouse. It didn’t harm anything, simply knocked over my WAY overgrown tomato plants….took me about 2 hours to pick them all up so they could be watered. WOW I had no idea they would get so tall in their small cups. Another lesson in how they do when not transplanted. As soon as I get a chance, I’ll post a picture of what I mean. We’re talking 2-3 foot tall plants in 3 inch pots.

So wish us luck on the move and I’ll post pictures as I can. Oh yeah, SUMMER IS HERE! Of course it hits as the move starts. So it’s moving in the early morning and evening and sitting in the AC in the heat of the day. No working our way from 60 degrees to 95 degrees, so the blood is still thick.

Happy Gardening!!!