I’d like to ask you to please lift up my city in prayer. We’ve had a lot of rain these past couple of weeks with more in the forecast. The river banks are swollen and parts of our town is starting to flood. My home church has lost power this morning and it’s basement, where the children’s classes are held, is flooded. I just pray that the rain would subside and that people will not be left in ruin as in years past.
As for my gardening, I am really pleased with how this season is going so far. What’s been great is that I’ve been saving quite a bit of money in groceries. I’ve only had to buy a few items at the farmers market as I’ve been harvesting a steady supply of lettuce, green onions, radishes, and as of yesterday peas and chinese kale. Having raised beds for my Spring planting has made a huge difference in production and the home made compost has encouraged growth. One thing I have noticed is that the trees in my parent’s home are overgrown and casting a bit too much shade. I feel if they had more hours of direct sun my veggies would mature quicker. My father is seeing the need to prune his tree, so… I’m crossing my fingers he does it this year or next. (If you’re reading this papi… wink… wink… 😉
Plots at the folks home
In the first bed, I have 3 different varieties of squash growing and onions.
My Grow Boxes. I can’t wait to see how these do. In one I’ve planted 6 cucumber plants and in the other 6 melon plants. I know… according to the directions I can grow that many plants in one box!
My raspberry bushes quadrupled in size this year! There are already berries ready for picking! The kids love running out there everyday and eating them right off the bushes 🙂
I was given raspberry starts last year and to my surprise they were a yellow variety.
They are very sweet!
New plot I dug up. I planted 9 more heirloom tomatoes and 1 more tomatillo plant.
My front patio filled with containers of annuals. Mostly different varieties of geraniums and begonias. My favorite display of flowers in Spain ;D
I could really use help in this area! I’ve planted sun perennials in a space that is clearly shade. Any recommendations of what I should plant here? Any help is WAY appreciated. One thing I do like are the snapdragons that had just dropped all of it’s flowers before I took the pic 🙁 They came back from last year and are gorgeous!
Wow…amazing! How do you have time for all of this? Props to you!
Bravo Diana! You are exemplary of a self-sustaining ideal.
How do you have time for it all? I love the raised beds and I'm sure the soil warms up quicker in them which should help the veggies grow faster.
In your little shady spot I would think it would be a nice place for lush ostrich fern. Just let it take over the whole space. And the best part is, it won't be able to escape (it sends out underground runners). And once established it would be very low maintance.
I hope the weather cooperates. I am so super darned impressed!!! WOW WOW WOW. That's all I have to say. Wow.
I want some peas to much on hope the rain slows down in your neck of the woods love your house, oh I started a blog talk radio I would adore it if you would be a future guest!!
love Rebecca
I will have to try the sack of potato idea next year. The raspberries look great! Thanks for showing the garden pictures. I have to weed first before I take my garden pictures. -Tien 🙂
I forgot to tell you to plant herbs in your shade garden. My basil plant thrived when I moved it in the shade so I moved all my herbs to a more shaded area. -Tien
I'm excited to see what happens to the potatoes too! Happy so far!!
Everything is so lovely, Dianna!!! You have inspired me!! I am going to post my garden pictures soon….
Thanks Dianna!! I love your site soo…
LOL – I brought home the ceramic address thing from Spain my last trip, too! I've just got to figure out where I want to put it! We sort of have two front doors, and I can't decide!
BTW, for your shady little spot – I personally *adore* ferns and hostas and begonias – all love the shade, and are lush and fabulous. I have a dream of having a garden that doesn't get raided by deer one of these days so I can have hostas again!
Great work! On the melons in the grow box – you could trellis the back 3 up the side of the house and let the front 3 trail out onto the lawn. Melon vines get big and go and go and go out. It's not so much the soil you need to worry about but the perimeter. That's why I love doing mine in the coffee sacks. If you have room anywhere you can do them that way.
As far as shade flowers/plants – hellebores, hostas, Japanese grasses, camellia, ladys mantle, hyacinth, akebia, evergreen huckleberries, heuchera, rhodies, fuschias, bamboos, nandinas, mints, astilbes, sweet woodruff, mosses, ferns would all be lovely.