Progress Report: Still Alive!





Strawberry: Sequoia



Herb Pot

 

Sunflowers: Solar Eclipse and Incredible 

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

 

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Nasturtium: Milkmaid

Corn: Martian Jewels (1 of 5 pots)

Bean: Blue Lake Bush

Bean: Blue Lake Bush

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

 

Zucchini: Dark Star

 

African Marigolds

Out Came the Sun and Dried up all the Rain...

 

And the (not so) itsy bitsy slugs went up the water spout...

Our pots have been inundated with the rain for nearly a month. The first two weeks, there were at least several hours of dry time between the heavy showers and the plants were at least content with the refreshing drink during early growth.

The past couple of weeks those same plants have endured an almost constant barrage of rain.  Just this week, we saw leaves begin to yellow and the early signs of drowning ready to consume my hard won seedlings, which were becoming large enough to call plants.

A sad pot of snap peas that had endured not only the past month of rains, but two previous wind/rain storms will likely not make it.  I reseeded under the dying growth in the hopes they will spur to life before it gets really warm (we have partial sun/shade spots, so hoping they have a chance).

I did not fret too much as anything that may have drowned was reseeded, will be reseeded, or appeared to be just fine.  But when the yellow leaves began to show on everything, I worried--just a little.

With the rain, the pots are still staged on the patio.  We hope to finish weeding the side beds this weekend and get those pots where they belong (which, with another month of rain, has all kinds of great growth and new things to remove).  The Scarlet Runners shy of their tall teepee and clinging to one another on the overgrown temporaries that will have to be left in place under the large teepee.  They are quite happy, save for the couple of skinny feet at the top with nowhere to go.

 Black Turtle Beans

 Green Onions

 The patio pot staging zone (the DMZ). All set for sidebeds this weekend, hopefully! Good weather on the horizon!

Nasturtium (Empress of India)

 

  Nasturtium (Milkmaid and Alaska Mix (Variegated)

Connecticut Field Pumpkin

Dark Star Zucchini with slug hole.



Nasturtium (Milkmaid) under Scarlet Runners



Nasturtium (Milkmaid)

Black Turtle Beans



Green Onions



 Sugar Daddy Snap Peas



Sugar Daddy Snap Peas



Sequoia Strawberries

 

 

Jersey Blueberry 

 

 

 

The photos are from today as the sun unleashed itself through the dense cloud barrier that has been so dominant these past weeks.  A bit yellow, but looks like everything will survive (at least that how it appears right now). 

Container Colour and Nasties

Container colour seems to have an informal science behind it. Dark is good, dark is bad, light is good (have never read light is bad), and so it goes on about how container colour can impact the productivity of our container plants.

My container garden is large. I am also trying to keep it to as close to organically certifiable as possible (which has likely turned me certifiable in moments). I cannot escape the use of nursery trade pots. Budget disallows my preference for large terra cotta pots or even fiberglass wannabes. Did I mention the terra cotta is also good, but also bad?

Light pots tend to reflect light, thus leaving the container requiring less water on those particularly "warm" days.

Dark pots tend to absorb the light and heat, thus rendering the container a miniature oven for roots and requiring 1-2x, sometimes 3 waterings a day, depending on the latest and greatest information.

Terra cotta tend to leach their moisture, keep the soil cool, and crack in the winter. Personally, I've never had a terra cot pot of any size crack in winter, but I can certainly understand how that could happen. I do know they will keep the soil cool, but the claim that they lose their moisture is beyond me for I've never seen this, myself. Perhaps it is my location(s) that make that different.

My trade pots are black, a near black, and dark gray. This means my stealthy green friends may be warm and possibly be responsible for root scorching as the plants mature . We've hit some grand temperatures between the rain and storms. Even in the mid 60s, those pots are hot to the touch. For this season, I will be able to water at least twice a day and monitor them for hydration and evaporation. For the long term in container gardening, I don't think this is a great way to go, but you've got to use what you have, can get, or afford.

I had a large number of pots to purchase, so I purchased my plastic trade pots in small bulk. I much prefer the earthy feel of terra cotta, but I would have ended up with a few large and lovely terra cotta fixtures on the patio and no true container garden to speak of.

Moving on to the real question that begs to be answered, how do we mitigate the black trade pot?

Optionally, we could spray paint the pots (I was really considering glow in the dark paint, but at 70 pots, the investment did not really seem worthwhile and may have ended up a bit on the cheesy side of aesthetic appeal. 

After all, we do have to look at these all season long!

Alternatively, in staying organic, we bought a truckload of nasturtiums ("Nasties"), Milkmaid, Alaska Mix, and Empress of India. Their companion-friendliness to almost all other vegetables precluded our decision to basically shove a few seeds in every pot.

"Why would you do that?", I imagine you are asking!

Well! It is our hope that the nasturtiums will grow, flowng over the sides of the pot in a pleasing cascade, essentially covering (and ultimately shading) the darkness of the container colour. Voila! Problem solved. Or so we hope!

Of course, it will take a bit for the nasties to fill and spill, but while the seedlings are young, that soil needs to be essentially warm and comfortable. With the spring rains still in the air, moisture is the least of the problems while then nasturtiums take over.

Bonus perk: if our garden absolutely fails, we at least have the nasturtiums to enjoy, both for eating and eye candy!

We may have possibly overdone the nasturtiums. . .

Mothers Day Addition

Asiatic Lilies - no info on the label, unsure of what variety these may be. Beautiful nonetheless and the thought with which they were delivered was so very special--my other half knew I was missing the islands and thought they would brighten my day and remind me of what was "home" for so many years. He did select just the right shades and really made my day with such a vibrant colour choice.

Does anyone know offhand which variety these are?  I have found similar varieties, but not an exact duplicate.

Epic Fails

How many times, no matter how ahead of the game we think we are, do we inevitably have a batch of seedlings that fail to thrive or seeds that act as if they are never going to germinate! 

The bane of my very existence this year seems to be getting my tomatoes warm enough or in enough light.  Lesson learned.  More light.  Many of the first batch seem to stunt after the first couple of weeks.  While I have seedlings from 4/1, they should be much, much larger than they are now.  Subsequent plantings two weeks ago have caught up with and bypassed those original starts.

I've reseeded my Jelly Bean tomatoes time and again--I will be lucky to get a single plant much less a couple of each, both red and yellow and still at this point, I'll be really lucky to get one.  I was so looking forward to that little grape delight!

Amazing, right?

Nightshades. yes, all of my nightshades, same problem.  Same fixit--start over.  I somehow seem to be determined to provide TLC and CPR to those first stragglers who are slowly trying to nap out of it.  Some because I'm running out of a couple of those varieties... my herbs are not doing so hot, I think that is due to bad environment, they get shoved aside time and again.  They are in the right conditions now, so I hope to not have to bother with them any time soon as they were flourishing previously.

I know we all have some plants that just don't grow for us, whether it is level of care, temperatures, weather, light, humidity or lack thereof, and other environmental issues such as soil--too warm, too cold, too damp, too dry.  The list goes on. . .

As for houseplants, specifically, I've never been able to keep a Boston fern alive for long at all, while my father could keep immense ferns alive for decades. I've never really had a problem with my nightshades, so I'll blame it on being in the PNW on the Western side of the slopes, haha.  C'mon, we've all got to have an excuse! ;)

What are some of your lesser successful germination plants and problems?

Potted Colour Spot

I planned to do everything by seed where possible.  But every vegetable garden needs beneficial flowers for colour, variety, and companion and trap plants.  While I couldn't resist the instant gratification, at least something in here will be beneficial, haha.  Old habits die hard!

 

Wallflower - This died off within two weeks and is making a grand return.  I'd never seen them before and the light scent is simply amazing!

These striking deep purple and orange Violas will always be 'Johnny Jump Ups' to me and I find it odd that not many people know them by that name!

Violas, one of my all-time favorites.  Unfortunately, they did not live through a storm that cropped up in the middle of a nice dry and warm spell.  I think the winds all but tore them out of the soil by the root.

About the (Organic) Contrary Pot Garden



It's been years, oh yes, years (12 to be exact) since I have grown a vegetable garden. Being in Hawaii did not lend space nor time to tending veggies, especially with the vast number of legged and winged creatures that abound on island. Our house plants grew really awesome both inside and out and I will eternally miss my huge fanned white bird of paradise. Alas, I love gardening. I love plants. With a two year old running loose and inspectors constantly crawling around our house, I have not "restocked" the jungle. It is oddly barren for me. I am having green withdrawals. Flower withdrawals. Living things that don't poop, kine withdrawals.

With a two year old with those old medical things in the background, we try to keep her food as clean and healthy as possible and supplement with occasionally through the drive through, lol. She doesn't get sweets too often (rare) or other crap though that girl loves her some good breads in huge ways (I think she's a carbohydrate freak).

However if any of you buy organic, we all know it's financially impossible to eat that clean without breaking the bank (and personally, I will never ever pay $17 for freaking juice, I don't care how pure!). So, we are giving our hand at this organic garden, and if it gets tainted, well--it is still better and fresher than the grocery store produce.

I recently checked the local food coop for what used to be known as a crop share program. Where you pay a set amount and get a large take every week of the seasonal produce from local farmers. Unfortunately, times change and the farmers are charging the same as the store, if not more. Many (5-6) hundreds of dollars for 18 weeks of stuff we may or may not use and without any bulk to freeze or can. (I freeze--I'd be scared to kill someone with a bad canning job, lol). Not such a good deal anymore and that's too bad--one it's not worth it and two, I can grow it myself at half the price for countless times as much. What we can't use, freeze, store, share, or give away will go to the local food pantries as they accept produce from home gardeners.

Being that we lease, we can't really till up the back yard (though it could use it--the one thing they cheaped out on building this house was the back lawn!) So we are going to step into the adventure of container gardening, which most amuses me to call it the "Contrary Pot Garden" while others prefer "_______ (insert last name) Farm."

Our plot is unique--we've got a great patio and at least 80ish feet of river-rocked, (50' full sun, 30ish, partial sun and shaded) sidebeds on which to set some 50+ good sized pots (update: will be over 70+ pots). We just plan to intersperse the pots with veggies and flowers. Wish us luck that the soggy Pacific Northwest weather works with us (zone 8a, region 2, which apparently was once upon a time, zone 7). Right now, my kitchen island looks like a bench in a potting shed! I planted totally against the moon and season on April Fool's just after midnight.

I was thinking then, I may regret this--within the day, we were busting soil top and now, a week later, have 2 and 3 inch seedlings and almost everything has broken ground. I did not imagine having to tend to these things for a couple of weeks, but we have seedlings doing incredibly well already. Everything from asparagus to zucchini and a good handful of herbs we use on a regular basis (ok, the watermelon is a stretch due to shorter season, but worth a shot! (I've never been able to grow one larger than a softball in any previous decade (ok, only a couple)! It is definitely worth the seed to try though). We've got jellybean tomatoes with all the normal fare. I've already learned that such a late decision meant I am paying the same price for seed for a fraction of the seed had I had the forethought to get it direct from the seed companies. *facepalm*

How many of you have ever organic container gardened aside from tomatoes on the balcony, patio, walkway, driveway, corner of the lanai? If you've done any large scale container gardening and have any additional ideas, please share! While gardening is not new, whole pot gardens, are.  I am trying to keep it all companion planted and insect beneficial--so far, so good!