I'm happily working on plans for stepping up my indoor plants this winter, focusing on edibles of course. How to grow seeds indoors is a great intro if you'd like more than just hanging ferns and window sill flowers.
The two semi-protected planter boxes I've placed outside the front door of my house were the 1st two that I made the same size. Not just for looks, they're the boxes that I'd like to make cold frames for. I haven't yet, but this is a good idea of what they will look like. There are quite a lot of cold frame ideas on YouTube, also, but I'm hoping to find the cheapest & easiest way for myself.
Digging Up Beds
Today I started digging up 1 of 3 garden beds. I had planned to dig up at least 1 section of a raised garden bed where snap peas luckily successfully grew this year. Out of simple curiosity I wanted to know how far the roots "really" went down. I dug and dug carefully at first, then quickly because the rain was dropping on me and I'm afraid I might melt. The "Sugar Lace" snap pea root that was the biggest root of them all grew at least 9 inches down. It could have grown deeper, and I'm almost sure it did because the root tip looked a bit broken off. It was hard to be sure with mud on it. Oh well, at least it seemed to do okay in the 12" deep bed.
I was wanting to find out if the root went down into the poor excuse of dirt that is under the good expensive dirt the box is filled with. First of all I wanted to know because I'm planning on trying to grow snap peas in containers - and have the containers be deep enough, yet no more deep than absolutely necessary. Second of all I wanted to know because I have very horrible dirt in the backyard where I had built my 1st ever raised garden boxes this past Spring. I had been a bit worried that deeper rooting plants would be thrilled with the soil I had bought from the local nursery dirt delivery service, and then just wilt & die once the roots hit the "real" dirt underneath.
The rain and thunder working in cahoots with the setting sun forced me indoors with only 1 sugar lace snap pea unearthed. I don't know yet if I'm curious enough to dig up another one of these plants if and when the rain ever stops before Spring. Digging in mud does not appeal to any of my senses in the slightest. But I thoroughly enjoy digging in good moist dirt with every fiber of my being & soul.
I remembered a rule I found on the Interwebs about not planting peas or beans in the same dirt 2 years in a row (maintaining healthy garden soil). Granted this was the first year I attempted to grow either, but just in case I kept dirt separated as I dug it out & filled up many different types of indoor pots. The ideas I have about planting things indoors this Winter are the only things keeping me from being depressed while I practically destroy the nice little garden box areas I worked so hard on this past Spring.
It was a sad day at the end. I am already thinking more seriously of greenhouse ideas & practicalities. Temperatures are under 40 at night, the true sunshine is all but gone with the sun's changed orientation hiding the direct sunbeams behind neighbors' tall trees, peas and beans are done producing edibles, seed pods have been collected for next year, the rain has started and probably won't stop until next May, and there seems to be little chance of the last bunches of tomatoes ripening. Oh how I will miss working in the backyard. I miss it already.
I was wanting to find out if the root went down into the poor excuse of dirt that is under the good expensive dirt the box is filled with. First of all I wanted to know because I'm planning on trying to grow snap peas in containers - and have the containers be deep enough, yet no more deep than absolutely necessary. Second of all I wanted to know because I have very horrible dirt in the backyard where I had built my 1st ever raised garden boxes this past Spring. I had been a bit worried that deeper rooting plants would be thrilled with the soil I had bought from the local nursery dirt delivery service, and then just wilt & die once the roots hit the "real" dirt underneath.
The rain and thunder working in cahoots with the setting sun forced me indoors with only 1 sugar lace snap pea unearthed. I don't know yet if I'm curious enough to dig up another one of these plants if and when the rain ever stops before Spring. Digging in mud does not appeal to any of my senses in the slightest. But I thoroughly enjoy digging in good moist dirt with every fiber of my being & soul.
I remembered a rule I found on the Interwebs about not planting peas or beans in the same dirt 2 years in a row (maintaining healthy garden soil). Granted this was the first year I attempted to grow either, but just in case I kept dirt separated as I dug it out & filled up many different types of indoor pots. The ideas I have about planting things indoors this Winter are the only things keeping me from being depressed while I practically destroy the nice little garden box areas I worked so hard on this past Spring.
It was a sad day at the end. I am already thinking more seriously of greenhouse ideas & practicalities. Temperatures are under 40 at night, the true sunshine is all but gone with the sun's changed orientation hiding the direct sunbeams behind neighbors' tall trees, peas and beans are done producing edibles, seed pods have been collected for next year, the rain has started and probably won't stop until next May, and there seems to be little chance of the last bunches of tomatoes ripening. Oh how I will miss working in the backyard. I miss it already.
Good Fern Info
Oh how I love ferns, but they can be a hassle when I forget the basics. Here's to sharing great info on ferns! Though I wouldn't recommend eating them, they sure are pretty!
Putting the Garden to Sleep
That's what I feel like I'm doing, just putting the outdoor garden to sleep for the winter. I very much like reading things like this telling what to do when "Old Man Winter" is on his way. The reminders like these are the types of things I need to be reminded of each time:
"Don't, however, chop and plow weeds. Their seeds will overwinter in the soil only to sprout up at the first sign of spring."
"Don't, however, chop and plow weeds. Their seeds will overwinter in the soil only to sprout up at the first sign of spring."
Storing Tools with PVC
I've been collecting more tools over the seasons and been struggling to keep them organized - where I can find them without moving a few to get to one. This is a super great cheap idea I think: http://lifehacker.com/5918917/keep-your-garden-tools-organized-with-a-pvc-storage-rack . So I felt compelled to share it!
Window Boxes Simple
I just read: "Using window sill flower pots inside of the window boxes eliminates messy plant transfers."
Funny how it never dawned on me that I don't have to fill window planters with dirt, just put pots into the boxes & nobody will know the difference - except of course me, when I don't have a mess to deal with for transplanting time.
Funny how it never dawned on me that I don't have to fill window planters with dirt, just put pots into the boxes & nobody will know the difference - except of course me, when I don't have a mess to deal with for transplanting time.
Mystery Plant: Mustard
One of my most common mistakes is forgetting to label seedlings - or labeling them and then losing the label between watering days & re-arranging. Thankfully one of the mystery batches of seedlings finally grew big enough to show it's true leaves so I could try to figure out what it was. Mustard greens, like these: http://www.folksgottaeat.com/2011/06/wordless-wednesday.shtml (about half-way down the page) though mine have no flowers yet. They used a recycle bin to plant in, and actually it doesn't look half bad :)
Fall weather has me rushing to finish up all the lose ends outside, so apologies for not posting pictures along the way. I put off everything but the garden, so the rest of the yard suffered. It's high time to re-seal the windows, power wash the driveway, clean gutters, pound in any lose nails, fix the fence, etc.The last couple of weeks of work have been exhausting with little progress in sight - but shortly there will be rainy days so now is the time to finish.
After next week starts the indoor planting in full swing, so that should be fun and a lot less tiring, too! I can hardly wait to start having fun with plants again.
Fall weather has me rushing to finish up all the lose ends outside, so apologies for not posting pictures along the way. I put off everything but the garden, so the rest of the yard suffered. It's high time to re-seal the windows, power wash the driveway, clean gutters, pound in any lose nails, fix the fence, etc.The last couple of weeks of work have been exhausting with little progress in sight - but shortly there will be rainy days so now is the time to finish.
After next week starts the indoor planting in full swing, so that should be fun and a lot less tiring, too! I can hardly wait to start having fun with plants again.
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