My gardening doesn’t improve year to year, it seems to produce less and less each year. Now how does one go backwards like that when one is trying to go forward and improve and expand my garden’s produce?
The first year we moved into the house, I followed an easy idea to purchase bagged soil, split the bags in x pattern and plant the seeds. Wow – it worked! And pretty great too, I had cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, and squash. Yep it was all good!
The second year, husband (Sweetie) dug out a garden bed for me. Woo Hoo, now it is getting real. I planted seeds, following directions on the packages, setting up seed pots and producing little darling seedlings, then carefully transplanting them. Good yield that year!
The third year, still going great, adding some other vegetables I haven’t tried to grow yet and the garden is just growing all over itself with peas, beans, corn, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a few other choice veggies.
The fourth year, bouyed by my successes from previous years, we tilled the garden,and I got busy sowing the seeds, nurturing the seedlings and was ready for the garden to grow, grow, grow! NOT!
An epidemic of slugs which ate practically everything in sight and it was a real poor yield. I was feeling deflated.
The fifth year. Oh, btw, I learned that the seed packets show my growing zone as 8-9, but actually, I have learned that since we live on a bay, straight off the Pacific ocean, it is more a maritime climate, so more like zone 5 – which makes a difference in when to plant what. And this year (this being the fifth year), while the garden did bloom – the squash, the zucchini, the cucumbers, it didn’t produce vegetables — just blooms. Now, I know there were bees a buzzing around to do the pollination in the yard and garden, or I could conclude the bee crisis is the problem. My neighbors didn’t get much but blooms either, so very odd and none of us seem to know the why of it.
I’ll be writing more about our gardening in a maritime climate, and this quick outline was to get the page started.
Wee Garden
My Wee Garden is exactly that, not much more than the size of a kitchen vegetable garden and assorted flower beds with some trees and shrubs. But, it’s a work in progress for me, and what I envision in my mind continues to be far grander than what you see.
For now wsisyg, but as a work in progress, I continue to learn.
Link to my Wee Garden website
Wee Garden Inventory of plants; Bay Center house
Zones, Planting Seasons,
Calendar In the Sunset Western Garden Book (1996, 2001, Sunset Pub. Corp., Menlo Park, Calif.), the western U.S. is divided into 24 Climate Zones. These Climate Zones do NOT correspond to the USDA Hardiness Zones.
Zone 5
Marine Influence Along the Northwest Coast Mild ocean air bring relatively warm winters in this Zone. Minimum temperatures range from 28o to 1o F, although in some year a “big freeze” can cause considerable damage to plants. Zone 5 extends from the Puget Sound area in Washington, including Seattle and Tacoma, south along the Pacific Coast to north of Brookings, Oregon, including Astoria, Newport, Coos Bay.
Perennials
* Delphinium – twice over the years and both eaten by slugs
* Asiatic Lillies -transplanted and they died
* Calla Lilly – grrr, of 5 planted, only one has come back
* Daisies – tall variety, transplanted, doing well
* Carnation – doing well
* Snapdragon – does well
* pansies – does well
* dusty miller – does well
* iris – does quite well
* gladiolas – doing well
* calendula orange flowers – not perennials, but have blooms into winter
* primroses – does well
* ranunculous flowers, red, yellow, white – slugs ate them
* heliotrope – not perennial, an annual, and nice choice
* tulips – after 3 yrs, looks like tulips bloomed this year
* daffodils – does well
* Columbine – volunteered in 2005 and doing well in 2006.
* Foxglove – didn’t come back, trying again this year with new plant.
* Creeping Buttercups – arghh, like weeds, bane of my garden beds.
* Lavender – many varieties
* Rosemary – evergreen actually, and grows to bush size
* sedum varieties
* Hibiscus – 2 plants 2006, planted front rose bed
* Bleeding Heart – white; planted 2006, shaded back side of yard.
* Dahlia – 2 plants 2005; died.
Annuals
* pansies – does well
* petunias – does well
* cosmos – does well
* sunflowers – slugs eat, russian mammoth spectacle if can keep slugs from it
* marigolds – does well
* strawflowers – does well
* geraniums – does well
* allysum – does well
* baby’s breath .. white flowers
* begonias – does well
Bulbs and Rhizones
* iris – doing great
* calla lillies – finicky
* asian lillies – died
* easter lillies – died
* gladiolas – doing well
* hosta – 4 plants disappeared,slugs or died
* hosta type in planters
* tulips..lost them, didn’t produce again. oops reappeared in 3rd yr
Trees
* Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree
* Monkey Puzzle Tree
* Maple
* Weeping Norway Spruce
* Evergreen trees in back yard
* 10 dry root seedlings Natl Arbor membership – which in 4th yr are showing progress. Next spring if they flower, I can perhaps identify which is which. We lost the coloring chart. 3 in front yard, 2 in back yard so 5 of 10 of the tree roots made it.
* Mugho pines – planted 2 small starters this yr = 2006
* Japanese white flowering Mt Fuji – planted 2006
* Apple hybrid tree with 3 apple varieties on one tree – planted 2006. (will list varieties here)
* Eucalyptus – 2 trees. planted one in front yard 2006 and one in whiskey barrel planter end of 2005 season.
Shrubs and Bushes
* Rhodedendrons = Eight mature.
* barberry, a small tree or shrub w vivid yellow blossoms and red berries. Oh, why – husband pulled up when we were ignorant of what it was – total loss in trying to re-plant or propagage. Good news though, in the other bed, a shoot is coming up, so may still have a new barberry with it’s internal yellow trunk – medicinal properties.
* Hydrangea = 3, and only 1 lived, 2004. It is doing well in it’s third year
* Lilac = mature, but it is struggling. Lost 2 trunks in Fall 2005, new baby is coming up between remaining 2 trunks.
* Fuschia Tree – does very well, cautiosuly pruned in spring 2005, no need as it comes back in fullness. hard pruned spring 2006 and it still comes back in fullness.
* juniper – mature, tried to propagate 2006; not taking
* Weeping Norway Spruce – doing well
* Lacey Leaf Japanese Red Maple, not dwarf – 2004. slow growing and doing well
* Forsythia – 2005, and doing well in 2006.
* Eastern snowball – 2006, newly planted, we’ll see how it does
* Mallow tree – 2006. perennial, delicate pink flowers on elongated stems.
Herbs
* Lavendar = 11
* Rosemary = 3
* Oregano = 3
* Sage = 2
* Basil – annual
* Marjoram – didn’t make it
* new herb, need name, haven’t used before
* Parsley – annual
* Chives – doing well
* Mint – planted in ground 2006
* Catnip – excellent for perennial w/ purple flowers
* Salt and Spice herb – annual
* Tarragon – 2006 not doing well
* Thyme – have planted from nursery twice, died both times 2005, 2006.
Rock Garden
Planted rock garden in 2004. In it’s third year in 2006, it is looking very nice.
* Sedums, will try to list names of varieties.
– candy tuft = white flowers
– autumn joy = rust color tops in Autumn
– usual array, names not known.
* Lavender – three varieties. Cotton lavender is magnificent as it sprawls and crawls all over the rocks.
* Dracenia – from a small plant to a spectacular centerpiece – sharp and pointed up growing stems.
* Forthsythia – bush, I know, and probably not best at rock garden, but I love to see that first yellow of spring from kitchen window. Planted 2005.
2006, extended the beds in rock garden area as adding additional plants.
* poker plant
* achillibe
* coral bells or lily of the valley
* elephant ears plant (bulb)
* ground cover (purple flower – need name)
* another lavender plant
* rock garden evergreen – yellow flowers (need name)
* rock rose – pink flowers
* iris bulbs (transplants, likely won’t leave in this bed)
* perennial white flowers (need name)
* autumn joy sedum
* upright blue flowering perennial (know name, can’t recall – need)
* delphinium – slugs ate
Vegetable Garden
2004
* Radishes (Good)
* Lettuce (Good)
* Spinach (Good, but won’t grow it again)
* Onions (Good)
* Tomatoes (Great)
* Corn (Good)
* Zucchini Squash (Great)
* Summer Squash (Great)
* Acorn and Winter Squash (Great)
* Pumpkins (Great)
* Cucumbers (Great)
* Cauliflower (way too big a plant, won’t grow it again)
* Wax beans (Great)
* Eggplant (didn’t grow, season too short?)
* Watermelon (didn’t grow, season too short or not hot enough?)
* Green Peppers (Great)
2005
Same as above with new additions;
* Beets
* Turnips
* Snap Peas
* Green Beans
* Elephant Garlic
* Carrots
* Lima Beans
* Elephant Garlic
2006
Same as previous years but miserable failure of entire garden this year.
– Elephant garlic did well in it’s 2nd yr.
– beets growing large and well.
– radishes growing well as usual.
– tomato plant from nursery producing
– all else failed this year, slugs ate the tender plants. twice planted zucchini, squash, cucumbers and slugs got every one. Also neighbor gave me well rooted zucchini and cucumbers and slugs got those also..
– new challenge and problem; combatting slugs! I have been reluctant to kill slugs in previous years, but with the end of last season and this season (2006), I can’t afford to be so merciful.
– new challenge; the borage/comfrey I planted from seed in 2004 came back again in 2005, but in 2006 it was popping up all over the actual vegetable garden space and in rock garden bed. Researching it, seems it has that characteristic, has some underground growing mechanism, and is next to impossible to entirely get rid of once it starts that system. Groan — been trying to rid of the perpetual creeping buttercup and creeping morning glory and wound up planting another permanent creeper. Had I known, never would have planted. What have I wrought with one package of seeds?!
Berries
* Strawberries = 6 in 2004; 3 lived, bought 3 more 2005; doing well in 2006 although so far few to no strawberries. Time to transplant to more permanent space.
Compost and Fertilizer
* kitchen compost, scraps
* purchased bags compost
* Used Sam’s last year 2004. Miracle Gro this year 2005. None 2006.
* Using purchased top soil both years, split bag one year; garden space this year.
Seeds and Preserving Seeds
* Sunflowers
* Green Pepper
* Cucumber
* Zucchini
(great, but I’ve misplaced and can’t locate the preserved seed packets in 2006)
Roses
* 1 miniature in 2004 w/ red, pink, coral roses on one bush
* 3 packaged root climbing roses 2004, 1 yellow Peace Rose, 1 traditional climber with small pink roses and 1 hasn’t bloomed yet so don’t remember it’s rose color yet. It bloomed, and is a deep burgundy.
* Bought 3 more packaged root rose bushes 2005; planted in front bed, 2 lived = pink buds and yellow buds but coral buds died.
* Bought another root rose 2006 for front bed; it’s struggling.
* Bought climber, yellow, to plant in raised railroad tie bed as permanent anchor. Now have permanent hydrangea, permanent climbing rose, permanent catmint, permanent yarrow. And permanent lavender in the brick post column.
Indoor Plants
* Spider plants
* Jade plant
* Rattail cactus (died)
* Flowering cactus
* Philodendrom
* Scheffelaria (bush size now, 5 yrs old)
Propagating
* Harry Lauder Walking Stick Tree = 3, already 2 died, premature cutting away from mother
* Spider plants
* Yarrow, volunteers from seed blowing
* 2006, tried again, most all failed. Cotton lavender may have taken; pussy willow tree (my Mother’s yard) may taken, cedar shrub may have taken.
Garden journal at Dave’s Garden and also at Wee Garden website.
Decorating Yard n Garden
* old shoes, planter
* storebought stakes w/ ornaments
* decorative trellis = 2
* windchimes
* swirls
* stepping stones
* yard sales/flea market items as bowls, urns, baskets, old garden gloves
Weeds and Pests
Arghh on the Slugs! Also the creeping buttercups.
Grandmothers still teaching; ‘The Three Sisters’ gardening
I absolutely did Not know this – but I do now. I have often heard of The Three Sisters, without full recognition of the relationship. I will be planting my corn, beans and squash in a quite different pattern this year. In fact, I think I will plant it in that sunny space behind the house and actually name it My Three Sisters Garden. I came across this in my morning reads – attributed to a post at one of my listserv groups by Sweet Spring Farm.
*The Three Sisters*
The “three sisters” of New Mexican agriculture, corn, beans, and squash,
were hundreds of years ahead of their time. This system serves as the basis
for inter-cropping systems currently being used around the world as tools to
increase agricultural productivity in areas facing food shortages. Why is
this such a successful system?
Simply stated, each of the three sisters serves an important role. To
understand the system, one should first consider the three plants
seperately. Growing corn in rows is a good idea but wastes valuable planting
space. Beans require some sort of support system and must be staked up to
grow. Finally, both squash and corn require additional nitrogen in the soil
to produce adequately in New Mexico’s typically sandy soils, which are also
prone to losing valuable moisture due to evaporation.
As corn reaches for the sun, beans may grow up the strong stalks and the
necessity of building a support system or frame is reduced. One must plant
corn some distance apart, leaving the ground bare; however, planting squash
between the rows of corn reduces soil moisture loss as the squash foliage
acts as a natural mulch, reducing soil temperatures and helping to “hold”
moisture in the soil where it may be used by the plants and not lost to the
atmosphere. Finally, beans have the unique capability of being able to “fix”
atmospheric nitrogen, pulling it from the air and improving soil nitrogen
status; essentially, “fertilizing” the other two sisters.
Contributed by Dr. Dann Brown, Professor of Botany, Eastern New Mexico
University
http://ddl.nmsu.edu/kids/webquests/3sisresources.html
Growing Potatoes in Garbage Can (or other similar container)
Okay, I wanted to try this last year, and so another growing season, and perhaps this year.
From a poster (thanks Bree) on one of my listservs – the simple explanation and then the detailed explanation with link to site.
We have been growing potatoes in containers for years and it is really easy. You need to put drainage holes in the bottom and broken clay pot pieces to help drain water off the roots to prevent root rot. Add some rich soil (we compost all left over veggies from the kitchen) then plant your potato eyes. As the vines grow cover them with more loose compost and they will keep growing. Web site that explains the process in more detail.
Link to detailed instructions;
How to Grow Potatoes in a Container (Ciscoe’s Secrets)
Get a clean garbage can or similar container. Plastic works great because it won’t rust out. Drainage is absolutely necessary. Drill several 1/2 inch holes in the bottom. It also helps to drill some holes in the side about half-inch up from the bottom of the container.Fill the container with about 6 inches of good potting soil. Mix in about a handful of osmocote 14-14-14 fertilizer. Osmocote is a slow release fertilizer that will stay active for approximately 2 1/2 months. Organic fertilizers formulated for acid loving plants such as rhododendrons also works well. (Note: After 2 1/2 months with osmocote, or about 1 1/2 months with organic, fertilize with a good water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Grow about every two weeks according to directions on the label). Place whole seed potatoes in the soil. There should be about 5 inches between potatoes. Cover with an additional inch or so of soil. All potatoes should be completely covered with soil. Water the spuds in.The potatoes will begin to grow. When the vines reach 4 inches, cover all but 1 inch with compost or straw. I like to use compost, because it is easy to reach in to pick potatoes. Every time the vines grow another 4 inches, keep covering all but the top inch. Eventually, the vines will grow out of the top of the container. It is a good idea to stake up the vines so they don’t fall over and brake. Place 4 bamboo or wood stakes (one in each corner) and tie the vines to the stakes with twine. By now the whole container will be filled with compost. Soon the vines will flower. Not long after that, the vines will begin to produce potatoes all along the vines that are covered with compost in the container. Once they have become big enough, you can reach in and pick a few for dinner any time you want. These spuds are called “new potatoes.” They won’t keep long in the fridge, so pick-em and eat em. After the vines die back at the end of summer, the potatoes remaining are storing potatoes. You can harvest and store them as you normally would. These will keep well as long as they are stored in a dark, cool, and relatively dry location.One last note: take care to provide adequate water. You don’t want to drown the plants but it’s also important the soil at the bottom never dries out. In late summer spuds may need to be watered on a daily basis. Use a watering can to water to avoid wetting the foliage. I found that keeping the containers in an area with morning sun exposure prevents the soil from drying out too rapidly and still allows enough sun for a bumper crop.This method of growing spuds is really fun. You get lots of them without using much space, and it amazes visitors to your yard. Last year I harvested 35 large Yukon Gold and 55 good sized Peruvian Blue potatoes. Great served with brussels sprouts!
In Between Palix River and Willapa Bay 
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