New England native, Florida resident. Blogging about boating, beach-combing, gardening, camping, and knitting. Work for Zazzle as a designer since 2008.
It’s the beginning of June and the hydrangea buds are beginning to form on my mophead varieties. The paniculatas are full of leaves, but no buds yet. Last year this plant had very pretty, light blue flowers which I used to create some nice wedding stationery in the design set I named “Blue Heaven“. You can see the RSVP postcard below. I hope the flowers will be just as pretty this year, but the truth is, you never know for sure what color blooms the macrophyllas will have.
Last year the Blushing Bride began with white flowers that ended up turning green. I am wondering what color they will be this summer.
Brides tend to prefer either the blue flowers or the light green of the panicled (or elongated) flowers like the ones that grow on the Limelight bush.
Way back when I began writing this blog I lived in New Hampshire. I was new to blogging and I understand why I wondered if it was worth the effort.
I loved living in New Hampshire, but I haven’t had good fortune in this life. Instead of being able to stay where I love and putting down roots, I’ve done a lot of losing (things) and moving (so much moving). It’s understandable that my writing was sometimes depressing, especially when it seemed no one was reading anything I wrote.
My comment to this: Blogging is worth it if you enjoy doing it. Don’t pay attention to the stats too much because everything you do online takes time to pay off. In the meantime, become a better writer. Make more links – within the blog and outbound. Don’t write because you feel you have to, write when an idea pops into your head and you need to write it down.
Now, I am re-reading this post and am answering myself! Just for fun. Life is not much better (but it’s a little better in some ways) and one thing I have learned is that acceptance is very helpful. Whether or not the future (if I dare look) holds hope … or nothing good at all, I keep on breathing and therefore I must keep on going. There is no point in feeling lousy and depressed. Let those days slide on by. Onward! There is no other choice.
Responding to Myself
The “Old Me” is the original post.
Old me: Quite often when I check the blog stats I get a bit depressed. Gardening blogs are numerous. So many of us love to garden and share our backyard adventures, but at the same time gardeners know everything other gardeners know – don’t they?
New Me: Well, not always. And as a gardener, I like to see what other people are growing and doing in their yards. It’s a good way to find help (if needed) or maybe try growing something new.
This used to be my yard! Short-lived fun.
Old Me: This blog began as a hydrangea themed blog. The only trouble is, I have hydrangeas growing in my yard for about 6 months and flowering for about three. So what to write about the rest of the time?
New Me: I think I eventually figured this out because I turned the blog into a general gardening blog. It’s a good thing too because I had to move away and go back to Florida. All my New Hampshire gardening information was suddenly irrelevant! So the blog changed, there was no choice. Grow, change, accept.
Old Me: I write this blog because I love to dig in the dirt. My grandfather did it, my father did it, and so do I. I have the chance to share what I love to do with others from around the world, even if visitor numbers are small. So it’s worth it to blog and share my photos as I plant and harvest. The stats seem to say “you are failing at this”, but I’ve decided I won’t pay attention to that. The outdoors is calling and I’m taking my camera (right after it stops raining).
New Me: Now I have an i-phone and that makes photo taking and sharing sooooo much easier!
This weekend I ordered more dirt and filled up my larger fabric “pot” to create a raised garden for some tomatoes and basil. The smaller one in my photo is planted with beans, and next to that I have used one for growing potatoes. What I love about a raised bed is the fact that there is plenty of good dirt for the roots of the plants. I guess that is one of the great things about a raised bed. Digging in the ground means creating layers of great dirt, over time – and it can take a while if the dirt under the garden is fill dirt, or something else that is not good for growing.
My house was built on the side of a big hill. Fill dirt was brought in to make the site level, as often happens. Fill dirt, is usually sandy stuff and that is what I find when I dig down a few inches in my back yard. You can see that there is little growing in the spot of yard where I put this bag. I used the loam mix that was delivered from Agway along with my own compost and added a little bonemeal, so I know that my plants are in good soil.
This garden has four tomato plants with some basil and one Italian oregano plant. I don’t know if four tomatoes are too many for this space, but I have other tomatoes planted in the ground too. In fact I made another raised bed using cinder-blocks and set that up out front where there is more sun.
That is the great thing about using these fabric pots and gardens – set them up anywhere! Find a sunny spot and add a little vegetable garden. They have allowed me the chance to plant more while I continue to expand my gardens in the ground.
If these black pots can be used year after year, the investment will be worth it. I don’t know much about them at all. Can they stay up all winter, or will I have to empty it and store it? If they don’t last, I will stick to the smaller ones only.
I’ve entered a phase of experimental gardening with fabric pots. Right now I think these things are the greatest idea ever. I’ve wanted raised beds but haven’t had the time to create any so little bags to hold dirt is the closest I’ve come. I planted two pieces of potato in this bag a few weeks ago and as you can see, they are growing nicely.
I am going to admit that I am a dummy when it comes to potato growing. I always thought the potatoes grew off the roots, but I guess they grow from the stem as it shoots upward. I do know that when the tops die, it’s about time to harvest the potatoes. This page at the Food Gardening Guide site has a good explanation of what to expect when growing potatoes.
Next year I will get my potatoes planted earlier as they like the weather cool. I hope this fabric pot works out because it is certainly an easy way to grow them.
Next to the potatoes I have planted some green beans that haven’t sprouted yet. On the other side I have one more pot where carrots are sprouting.
Another plus to using these pots, for me anyway, is that my cats stay out of them. I wondered about that, since they seem to think my gardens are the best place to do their business. I was hoping they wouldn’t think a pot of dirt was their litter box. Next you will have to see my large fabric garden. It’s like this potato holder, but much bigger.
Last summer I had a bug show up on my tomato plants that looked like a little bird turd. I have never before seen one like this. I’m always on the lookout for the worms that grow gigantic and can strip a tomato plant down to stems only, but when I first saw this little bug I dismissed it as bird poop.
Then I saw more of them so I looked closer. They are hard-shelled and I only found them on the tomatoes. So far this year I have found one on the potato plant. None of my tomatoes are in the ground yet. They do eat the leaves, but can be picked off easy enough. They fly if you mess with them, like little lady bugs.
On my New England blog I had mentioned this turd bug and a reader left a message telling me what it is. Look up the clavate tortoise beetle and you’ll see it is one and the same. That page says, “this species appears to prefer plants of the family Solanaceae” which means…what? Okay… I looked it up. Wikipedia says it’s the nightshade family which does include potato, tomato and eggplant.
My tomato plants go into the ground this weekend and I’ll be keeping an eye out for the turd bug.
This is a picture of one of my zucchini plants from last years growing season.
This weekend I plan to get my zucchini planted along with the tomatoes and basil. The little pots are now a tight fit for my growing tomato seedlings and they are ready to spread out. If I can get my big, fabric bag filled with good dirt, I will have extra space to plant the cukes and herbs too. Lack of sunny areas is my biggest problem.
First I need to order more dirt, which I will do today. This weekend will be hot, so I’ll have to get out early and then again later in the day. I think the black flies are dwindling – hooray! So I won’t have them to run me off.
I’m used to working outdoors in the heat. In Florida I had to parse my gardening time into 10 minute increments. I’d dig and weed until I had to go jump in the pool, then go back and do some more. I can certainly work in the New England heat. But the trick to gardening in hot weather is to take it slow and cool off every now and then. And drink lots of water – until 4pm – then switch to beer!
So my weekend gardening plans are to move dirt, plant and water. Then sit back and watch it grow! I can almost taste those tomatoes.
Hydrangeas Blue 