My Suburban Garden

I started seeds for my container garden last weekend, and most of them have germinated! I have a container garden on our front patio, which is east facing. It's not ideal, but with the tips I've gotten from Bountiful Container (C got it for me for Christmas, and I LOVE it!) and what I learned last year, I am confident that my garden will be quite nice. So far my tomatoes are all growing well (2 kinds of cherry tomatoes and early girls), and a couple of my yellow peppers are working on sprouting. I am also going to try growing several kinds of basil, just because I never seem to have luck with it but maybe comparing the 3 kinds I have will give me some insight. The basil has all sprouted, as has one or two of the parsley plants. My sage is not yet sprouted...I may try that one again. The chives my mom gave us as transplants last year are already coming up again in my huge container, so I don't have to plant them from seeds. I didn't realize they would do that, but it's neat! I may move them to a new container along with some other things now that I know they're so hardy, but we'll see.

I am also going to do another zucchini, but just one mound this year. Last year I planted two but only one plant ever produced female flowers (that bear fruit). We got just enough for our family from it though, not too much at all. I need to find innoculant for the peas and beans I want to grow, so I'm going to have to check the nursery near our house. Maybe we can all walk over this weekend, if this weather holds up. Or even as long as it isn't snowing or raining.

My other plans include growing Thumbelina carrots and radishes, probably mixed together since the Bountiful Container recommends that. I may attempt big carrots again, but I am not really too enthused about that idea at present. I had great success with the Thumbelinas when we lived in WA. Well, until the hound discovered them and ate them all. Yes, our hound eats carrots. He also picks blackberries. But I digress...

My roses may or may not have survived the winter. I left one in the pot on the patio, and planted the other. C said it looked like the one in the ground had new growth and the other did not. I am going to try to water them both a bit (since the weather has been so warm I think they may be coming out of "hibernation" and be thirsty) and just see what happens. If either or both died, it's really no big deal. I got them at Big Lots for like $3 each two years ago. I can always try to grow new ones.

I also just want to quickly show off my nifty new garden tools. I got them through Lee Valley (also where the pic came from), and boy were they cheap! But they're sturdy and ideal for container gardening.