The Cutting Garden

After perusing some flower farmer blogs and visiting our local u-pick flower farm again, I decided to make a dedicated cutting garden on the end of our side terrace.

 

In May I pulled out all my flower seeds--varying ages, most at least 1 year old.

I weeded like crazy, (it had already been rototilled earlier), then planted my little seeds.

I waited, tried to remember to water, and waited.

 

And....not much came up.

These are the first pictures, because most of the summer has seen only very small struggling plants surrounded by (yes) more weeds.

 

So, to begin:

These daisies were a gift from a friend, and after taking a month or two to recover from transplanting, they're actually blooming again!

 

Funny story about them:

I was making a bouquet to give to a friend, and came over for some daisies.

As I was snipping them, I thought, "Wow, you can really smell the compost in this bed!"

Then later, in the car, I really thought I had stepped in something.

I checked my shoes, I was looking for the source of THAT smell.

Oh yes. It wasn't the compost, my friends.

So, fortunately, I have some pretty white daisies.

UNfortunately, those daisies smell like poop.

Therefore, they will have to be moved elsewhere in my garden, because flowers in my cutting garden aren't allowed to stink that bad!

 

My current plan is possibly moving them down the terrace, between each of my new lilac bushes.

Ever-loving zinnias.

These are the best!

They're the 'Cut and Come Again' variety, and they have all sorts of fun and different forms in the same seed packet. As you can see, most were pink this year, but that's okay, too.

 

These bachelor buttons grew from 4 year-old seed!

They sure are pretty, but also are super floppy, which made them hard to use in arrangements.

They must not get enough sun right here.

 

Sunflower mix.

Tall, stately, and beautiful.

I'm still figuring out how to use them in a mixed bouquet.

 

So out of maybe 10 varieties of seeds planted this year, so far I have 3 things growing.

I've got some work to do!

Bottom Garden Terrace Planted

My husband was able to finish the bottom garden terrace and get it all filled up with dirt.

I had purchased tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers a few days ago, so I would be ready as soon as the space was available.

I was originally going to plant the whole space with corn (since I have the room and all), but then I realized that the corn would grow tall and shade the next terrace up.

Plus, my neighbor just planted an entire packet of corn (100 seeds!) in her garden and said they would be more than happy to share this summer.

She's the best!

So...I may have to return my corn seed to the store.

Or maybe just add it to my birdfeeder and save myself the trip.

 

In front:

3 'Gypsy' sweet bell peppers

Yes, I'm trying peppers again.

Maybe 3rd time will be the charm?

I put them right in front by the wall, in hopes that they will soak up extra warmth from the blocks and be first in line for all the sunshine.

 

Behind them: 2 'New Girl' slicing tomatoes

 

In front: 2 'Sungold' cherry tomatoes

In back: a 3rd 'New Girl' & 1 'Oregon Spring' tomato

These are all 'Oregon Spring' tomatoes as well, so there's 5 in all.

Yes, that's a lot of tomatoes, but this is a salsa year, so I expect to use all I can get!

Plus, I want to try canning diced tomatoes and/or tomato sauce as well.

One hill of 'Bush Pickle' cucumbers and one of 'Diva.'

Not sure which is which at this point.

Since I knew it would probably be another couple of weeks before the middle and top terraces would be finished, I went ahead and planted all my squash and pumpkin seeds in 4-inch pots.

That way I can plant out seedlings rather than start from scratch.

I even labeled them.

I have enough for 2 hills of Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, 1 hill each of zucchini, butternut squash and mini pumpkins, a few plantings of "Pumpkin on a Stick," and one random pot that I think has one of each type of seed planted in it (little boy-planted.)

The 3 on the end already growing are the 'Sugar Baby' watermelon seedlings that I started in the house a few weeks ago. I may have to move them to bigger pot before there's room for them to be planted.

Oh yeah, I also planted a few 'Teddy Bear' sunflowers in the empty space behind the garlic, and nasturtiums all along the front of the wall.

If everything grows it's going to be so pretty!

Garden Evaluation: corn, beans, sunflowers, nasturtiums, and peppers

Top Terrace

Corn: top left

Planted: May 28 (1st try), June 27 (2nd try)

Variety: Sweet corn, Early Choice Hybrid, 66 days to maturity

Yield: 1 ear was going to be full-sized, but a little helper picked it before it was ready. All the other ears were picked right before frost, and were very small and not developed.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: I made the mistake of planting some old seed I had left from Missouri. Only one plant came up. So I replanted, but by then, we were a month into the growing season already, which is short as is. So, not surprisingly, my corn was late to tassel out. I saw tassles on corn all over town a good 2-3 weeks before mine got there.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: If I try corn again next year, I will be sure to plant new seed from the beginning. Looking back, I'm sure the month-late start was why we didn't get a harvest this year. Takes a toll, especially with first frost a good 3 weeks earlier than last year. 

I planted them much closer together than the package suggested (more like 6-8 inches apart instead of 1 foot), but that didn't seem to cause any problems that I could tell. I watered 2-3x/week for an hour each time during the hot days of August and September. 

Not sure I will try again. Even if we had harvested one ear from every plant we would still only have around 12 ears. Once again I'm reminded that to get a decent corn harvest, you need a lot of space. Although, there are plans afoot to extend the garden, so maybe I would have the space after all. Still undecided. 

Purple Beans: top middle

Planted: May 28

Variety: Royal Burgundy

Yield: enough to keep the kids happy eating fresh, plus enough for a few meals.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Kiddos loved these! This picture of Jacob says it all. They ate them fresh like crazy, and also liked them cooked. I'm sure part of the reason for that was due to their color change once cooked. I want to put in more next year, just to give them something to pick and eat that is so good for them! And perhaps, with a few more planted, we would get enough for meals, with enough to freeze as well.

Green Beans: top right

Planted: June 27, to replace peppers

Variety: Tenderpick

Yield: with the purple beans, enough to keep the kids happy eating fresh, plus enough for a few meals.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Not as popular for kid-picking as the purple beans, but still routinely nibbled on by little helpers. Good flavor picked small, tough and stringy picked large. Wouldn't mind planting more of these next year as well.

I STILL want to try planting some beans for drying. Maybe I will order some this winter. I'm sure I will need to separate them from the fresh bean patch, otherwise my little ones probably won't let any reach the dry stage.

Sunflowers: top left, behind corn along the wall

Planted: May 28

Variety: Waooh

Yield: One big pretty bunch per plant, with some 1-2 bigger flowers, and several smaller.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: end of September (frost)

Comments: Don't put them behind the corn next time. Most of the time, they were completely hidden and only peeked through when in full bloom.

Instead of planting them in a line, I think next time I want to devote a section to sunflowers of a few different varieties. I'll bet they would have more impact that way and look awesome!

Didn't last very long in the vase--maybe 5 or 6 days.

 

Nasturtiums: top terrace, all along the front

Planted: May 28

Variety: Fordhooks Favorite (fragrant, climbing)

Yield: Very beautiful, cheerful little flowers in shades of orange and red and yellow. Continued bloom all summer to frost.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: None noticed.

Finished: beginning of October

Comments: We rubbed the seeds with a nail file before planting and they all came up! Really liked the scent, although mostly could only smell it when picking beans.

Oh yeah, peppers: top terrace, right side

Planted: May 28

Variety: Italian Yellow Bell

Yield: Nothing.

Pests, Problems, Diseases: Something chomped these right down within the first couple of weeks, and I chose not to replace them.

Finished: mid-June

Comments: Next year I may try peppers again, some hot and some sweet. I still want to see if the warming groundcloth works, before I give up on them completely. Perhaps I need a garlic clove cut in half and buried next to them as well, especially now that Diamond is out of the picture for bunny patrol.

Last of the garden

Jacob and Becca helped me harvest the rest of the potatoes and onions last week.

Then, the forecast said it was going to frost!

Unfortunately, time got away from me all day to go out and harvest the all the other vegetables.

It was a dark and stormy night. (I should have started with that, right?)

I grabbed a flashlight, a jacket, and my trusty basket and went out to harvest whatever I could.

A few more tomatoes.

There were a bunch of green cherry tomatoes, which I left on the vine.

I could have been out there all night picking those off, and it was cold!

Those 3 great big ones were about all I got from the Early Girl variety.

Potatoes--of several varieties.

 Chock full of potatoes and onions.

I plan to peel, chop, and freeze all the onions.

Also, I'm going to peel, dice, cook, then freeze the potatoes.

Otherwise I'm sure they would go bad before we got to them.

We don't have the cold storage to really keep them a long time.

I didn't get a picture of the sunflowers peeking out from behind the corn, but they did finally do it.

Picked these tiny corn cobs.

I actually haven't even husked them yet, since I'm pretty sure they will be worthless.

I may use them for an art project with the kiddos tomorrow.

I was glad I had picked everything. I think it has frosted every night since then, with the possible exception of last night.

If I'm going to get another shrub put in the back flowerbed, I had better hurry!

Garden Update

Tomatoes and herbs getting big and bushy.

The oregano is a bee magnet. It is always covered in bees every time I go over there.

Cucumbers are still really struggling. I pulled out another plant that was very sickly looking, and turned the remaining 2-3 so that they would grow into the empty side of the bed.

Not sure what the problem is this year.

Gotta love Jacob's bean-picking method.

Peas continue to surprise me with a few here and there, but are mostly done.

Dug up about 3 hills of potatoes, because the tops had all died off.

We've picked a few onions. I'm not sure when to harvest the rest, actually.

Corn is getting tall.

Jacob picked our one and only ear much before it was ready. {sigh}

Other ears are developing. We'll see if they make it before frost.

Green beans coming on, purple beans still going.

Nasturtiums looking lovely all along the top.

You can't see the sunflowers at all. I need to check on them again.

Side view.

Vegetable Garden

corn, nasturtiums, and sunflowers 

The corn that's leaning over was the only one to grow from the first planting

We had a night of hard wind that made it lean.  

Beans are filling in.

Purple beans starting to flower, green beans still growing.

Nasturtiums in front almost all came up!

peas almost done 

potatoes and carrots getting bushy

onions starting to flower

 one ripe tomato

whole garden

Garden update

Summer has finally come to the Palouse!

It has been in the 90's the past couple days.

So I turned the water on the garden for 2 hours today.

(Also watered raspberries, the shade bed, and the bed out front. oh, and pots.)

Bottom terrace

Cucumbers starting to put on some leaves.

Tomatoes growing taller. There are already green tomatoes on two of the plants.

I think they are both determinate, so I'm hoping the 3 or so on the plant isn't going to be the whole harvest!

Just have to say: I LOVE the marigolds interspersed between the tomatoes. I'll have to do that again next year. Those bright spots of color just make me happy.

Herbs are doing fine.

Zucchini  STILL not up (second planting with new seed not helping, I guess?) 

 Middle terrace: spring veggies

Peas are pulling my stakes down, but other than that are doing great!

We have picked several fistfuls so far.

J and B have enjoyed picking them off and eating them while they play outside.

Carrots, potatoes, and onions looking full and bushy.

I've been keeping it weeded, but it hasn't been a chore.

The thistles are the most persistent.

I may need to mound up a bit more dirt for the potatoes soon, and I probably need to go through and thin the carrots one more time.

Top terrace

Nasturtiums (in front) and sunflowers (back) starting to leaf out.

I think nearly all of my corn is up now that I replanted!

Beans are also going strong!

So the tall beans are the Royal Burgundy that have been in all along.

The ones on the far right are the green bush beans I replanted.

They have almost all come up now, too. I guess it helps when the soil is warm. ;)

Vegetable Garden Update

 I was worried about what I would find when we came home from vacation this week.

It was supposed to in the 70's with no rain the whole time we were gone.

I did not ask anyone to water the garden for me, although I gave it an extra long watering the night before we left.

When we got back, it was apparent that it had just rained. Not sure what had happened the other days.

It gave me some hope that a few things might still be alive and kicking.

Our garden was looking awesome!

Peas, carrots, and potatoes all doubled in size.

As did the oregano. (*Just gave it a haircut today--it's about half the size now.)

Nasturtiums were up. Nearly all of them this time (as opposed to the one we had last year.)

Our "scoring" them with a nail file must have been enough, or something.

 Sunflowers also up along the back of the top bed.

I thinned the carrots on the right side, which I had never gotten to earlier.

Interestingly, they were about half the size of the ones on the left side of the bed which had been thinned. They are 2 different varieties, so that may have something to do with it as well, but I figured it certainly wouldn't hurt to give them a bit more space to work with.

Plus, J and B love baby carrot sticks! 

I am encouraged, though. This is the best my carrots have ever done!

Probably because they have their own space, not overshadowed by beans or other fast growers.

Also, I am getting better at thinning, as this picture proves.

Good garden of peas! They are up to the top of the supports now!

And have filled in the empty middle and back spaces.

Guess it's a good thing they didn't all come up in the middle and along the back.

Note to self, though: next year I need to plant the sugar snap and shelling peas in different areas, or label them better. There's a bunch that need picking if they're sugar snap, but need to wait longer if they're the shelling variety. Jacob and I picked a few--I had 1 or 2 of each kind.

Even though only a few are actually hooked onto the twine, they seem to be holding the rest upright as well. Works for me.

Corn, Zucchini, Beans Replanted

But first, good garden of peas!

These things are huge!

It's awesome. They're almost ready to harvest--any day now.

At least the nasturtiums and sunflowers are coming up.

So here's what I replanted:

(bottom terrace): Fordhook Zucchini, bush-type plants, 57 days to maturity

Top Terrace:

Sweet corn, Early Choice Hybrid, 66 days to maturity

"Sweet 7-8" ears. Very tolerant of cold soil and great for early crops in short season areas."

I'm hoping that means it will still give me a harvest going in this late.

Instead of planting more peppers, I just filled in the rest with more bush beans.

Garden Bean 'Tenderpick', bush, early & prolific, 54 days to maturity

"Heavy yields of smooth, straight 5 1/2", dark green pods."

Garden all planted

Took advantage of warm weather on Memorial Day and got the rest of the garden in!

I watered it, then in the evening it rained. Perfect timing!

Whole garden

Bottom terrace
I only did 5 tomato plants this year. None of them are Cougar Red, because I missed the plant sale at the University. Better luck next year, I guess.

Here's what I did put in:
Far corner: 'Brandywine' Heirloom tomato, matures in 75-100 days, indeterminate.

Along back wall: 'Early Girl', indeterminate

In front of EG: 'Oregon Spring', matures in 58-65 days, determinate.

2 small plants furthest right: 'Sungold', matures in 57 days (our favorite cherry tomato)

Instead of putting marigolds all in one spot, this year I interspersed them with the tomato plants more. Since I have these nice cages ($6 each!), I'm hoping there will be room around the bottoms of the stems for the marigolds to shine through.

Closeup of bottom terrace, far left corner.

This picture was mainly to show the Rosemary I planted in the very corner:

Rosmarinus 'Roman Beauty'

I'm hoping that the corner there will be a somewhat protected location, that will allow the rosemary to survive the winter. Ht 12", sp. 18", hardy to 10 degrees F.

Also, top right of this picture (above the oregano) you can see the 2 little basil plants I put in: Basil 'superbo,' Classic Italian Basil.

Not much to see here, just the 2 hills of cucumbers, both 'Bush Pickle' variety. Matures in 48 days, fruit size 4". As you can see, 3 plants per hill. We may be overflowing with cucumbers if they all produce well.

I have one hill of zucchini (planted 3 seeds) next to these cucumbers, and a full 1/3 of the bed given over to it. I'm sure it will suck up all the space I give it and then some.

Finally got the twine up for the peas to climb.

I have a few actually reaching for the second string already.

I decided not to replant the back row. Instead I put some flower seeds in--climbers with orange flowers and green centers...thunbergia? something like that. If they come up (seeds take 15-25 days to germinate!) I'll go get the seed packet so I have the real name listed.

Top terrace

2 peppers, both 'Italian Yellow Bell', which I tried last year and wasn't super impressed with. I may put some sort of warmth-holding ground cloth around them, though. 65 days (supposedly).

Yep, a bunch of dirt.

So the rest of the top terrace I planted with sunflowers ('Waaooh') in a row along the wall, and 3 corn plants in front of each, for a total of 12 corn.

Then a section of the purple green beans from last year: 'Royal Burgundy' I believe is the exact type. I was going to plant other bush beans, but my only other bean seeds left were pole beans, and I just didn't have it in me this year to rig up a trellis for pole beans. Maybe next year.

I bought some new nasturtium seed that I plan to plant all along the very front as well. The 'Fordhook Favorites Mix', which are supposed to be fragrant climbers. Hooray!

I just need to rub a nail file on the seeds, then I'll get them planted. (Advice from the back of the seed packet--maybe my other seed didn't germinate very well because I didn't score the seed...?)