My Garden!
Jun. 8th, 2010 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amalnahurriyeh posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gardeningI'm feeling particularly proud of my garden this week, and wanted to share pictures with the interwebs. ;)
I live in Brooklyn, New York, in a neighborhood with a little space; we have a first-floor apartment with a backyard, but our whole yard is paved, and lined with little evergreen trees in raised beds. We've also got good light only on one side of the yard, moreso now that our next door neighbors put up an eight-foot fence on their side. (I'm actually fine with this, since it keeps their pit bull out of my yard, which the previous fence did not.) So mostly I do container gardening, with a few plants in the raised beds where I can squeeze them in.
I'm also a food-gardener. Er, OK, I'm a foodie who gardens because that means I get easy fresh produce. I also compost because I'm a foodie and have enviro-fascist leanings. I have no inherent love of putting things in dirt and making them grow, but it's grown on me over time. And I don't reeeeealy do much research into my gardening; mostly I throw things at dirt and if they die, sulk and curse their departed spirits.
On to the photos.
Here are my two perennial herbs, which I've kept going since the first summer we were in this apartment, 2006. On the left are chives, complete with the remains of the chive blossoms I didn't manage to use up. On the right is plain thyme. Thyme is particularly nice to grow, I've found, because in the winter you can still use the dried-on leaves and stems to cook with. The chives die back completely in the winter, but come right up again first thing in spring. I also had some mint that kept reseeding itself, but last year it finally ran out of steam. I need more mint; my tea is severely lacking. These sit on my deck for easy cooking access.
Green strawberries! These plants are also 4 years old, and I transplanted them into one of the raised beds last year when they outgrew their pot. However, they're now in the shadow of the big fence, and I fear not getting enough light. I'm watering them daily and giving them lots of compost in the hopes that they'll keep going. Of course, the ants have a frustrating tendency to get to the berries first.
Around them, you can see the weed problem I'm dealing with. My garden is infected with a seriously invasive vine that I always thought was kudzu, but Googling is now telling me it's not; that's the pointy leaves. (It actually looks like morning glory, a little, but with white flowers.) There are also my violets (the heart-shaped). I'd transplanted three or four small wild white violets from my mother's front garden into the next bed over from this one when we moved up here, but it turns out they're pretty damn invasive too, and have filled up that bed and moved to this one around the tree. Much as it pains me to pull them up, they'd choke the strawberries, so I've been ruthlessly removing them. There are also the long skinny-leaved things in the lower left corner. I don't know what they are.
Sunny side of the garden! In the raised beds, you see three of the little evergreens; they took a ton of storm damage in the hard winter we had in the Northeast this year, which you can't really see here, and have also basically grown to fill in the gaps between them on the sunny side of the yard. (There used to be clearance in between them all the way up.) In between them, I have potato plants I planted from potato peelings in my kitchen. Whether or not I'll ever harvest edible potatoes is questionable, but potato vines are pretty.
In the foreground are one pot of green zebra tomatoes, one pot of brandywine tomatoes, and one long pot of green kale. And evidence of my garden assistant.
I don't know how to insert alt-text, but if anyone's using a screen reader, it's a shot of my toddler son running past holding an empty bucket. He's good at watering. Also at picking plants that were not meant to be picked.
Kale! This is my favorite plant so far. I bought these as four seedlings, and planted them in this long window-box thing for easy access. It's growing like gangbusters. I've already done one harvest from it, and did another tonight. My plan is just to keep giving it compost and water and picking the biggest leaves until it gives up the ghost. Kale is one of the staple veggies on our house, so this makes me very happy.
The plant all the way on the left has some yellowish leaves. It was originally on the right side, which gets the least light (our yard gets darker the deeper into it you go, due to tree and angle of house), so I flipped it, hoping that would fix the problem. It hasn't yet, but the plant still appears to be growing fine.
These are my brandywine tomatoes, bought as a seedling, planted in a goodsize pot. It's got little flowers, which makes me happy, because it means I Will Actually Have Tomatoes. I bought brandywines because, er, that was the only variety my food co-op had in stock as seedlings.
Tomatoes are the one thing I really want out of my garden, because I tend to put up in-season heirloom tomatoes as puree in the freezer and then use them all year, and buying ten pounds of tomatoes is expensive. Last year I didn't manage to get any to grow. The year before that, I didn't plant any, but the compost bin into which I'd put the seeds of the ones from the year before turned into an impromptu tomato bed.
I also have some green zebra seedlings, which I grew up from seeds. I don't really like tomatoes raw, but green zebras are the tastiest variety I've ever encountered, and I'll definitely eat them raw. I also think they make an interesting salsa verde. I didn't take pictures of them (sadface), but they're the pot on the left in the first picture. There are four seedlings in there, that I transferred when my helper knocked over their seedling pots. Should I take a few out and move them somewhere else? I don't know if that's enough soil for four tomato plants.
These are my other two green zebra seedlings, freshly watered. (There's a third in there, but I don't think it'll make it.) I planted these in a raised bed that I'd pulled all of weeds out of, which made me feel all accomplished. However, these are struggling because...
Of the freakin' cat. This is the stray we feed, who we love very much, but who has decided that this newly dug-up bed is a perfect litter box. Even when I yell at her from the deck to stop it, she keeps right on digging. There used to be eight seedlings in there. Now, two, and they're not growing very quickly.
You can also see what crap my soil is. The soil in the beds was originally four inches of bagged topsoil over crappy, clayey and rock-hard dirt. Over the five years we've lived here, the topsoil is gone, leaving mostly just the clayey grossness. I mixed in a ton of my compost to this bed before I planted anything, but it's still pretty crappy soil.
I could, possible, transplant most of the seedlings from the pot of green zebras into here, and add a ton more compost, and try to make it a less hospitable place for cat pee. But I'm wary that, if I did that, I'd end up with no tomato plants at all. Advice?
I'd feel very accomplished, if it weren't for the fact that a lot of the Bangladeshi immigrants in my neighborhood actually garden so hard-core that their front yards are full of carefully arranged furrows of okra and peppers and eggplants. I am a rank amateur compared to my neighbors.
I live in Brooklyn, New York, in a neighborhood with a little space; we have a first-floor apartment with a backyard, but our whole yard is paved, and lined with little evergreen trees in raised beds. We've also got good light only on one side of the yard, moreso now that our next door neighbors put up an eight-foot fence on their side. (I'm actually fine with this, since it keeps their pit bull out of my yard, which the previous fence did not.) So mostly I do container gardening, with a few plants in the raised beds where I can squeeze them in.
I'm also a food-gardener. Er, OK, I'm a foodie who gardens because that means I get easy fresh produce. I also compost because I'm a foodie and have enviro-fascist leanings. I have no inherent love of putting things in dirt and making them grow, but it's grown on me over time. And I don't reeeeealy do much research into my gardening; mostly I throw things at dirt and if they die, sulk and curse their departed spirits.
On to the photos.
 |
| From my garden |
Here are my two perennial herbs, which I've kept going since the first summer we were in this apartment, 2006. On the left are chives, complete with the remains of the chive blossoms I didn't manage to use up. On the right is plain thyme. Thyme is particularly nice to grow, I've found, because in the winter you can still use the dried-on leaves and stems to cook with. The chives die back completely in the winter, but come right up again first thing in spring. I also had some mint that kept reseeding itself, but last year it finally ran out of steam. I need more mint; my tea is severely lacking. These sit on my deck for easy cooking access.
 |
| From my garden |
Green strawberries! These plants are also 4 years old, and I transplanted them into one of the raised beds last year when they outgrew their pot. However, they're now in the shadow of the big fence, and I fear not getting enough light. I'm watering them daily and giving them lots of compost in the hopes that they'll keep going. Of course, the ants have a frustrating tendency to get to the berries first.
Around them, you can see the weed problem I'm dealing with. My garden is infected with a seriously invasive vine that I always thought was kudzu, but Googling is now telling me it's not; that's the pointy leaves. (It actually looks like morning glory, a little, but with white flowers.) There are also my violets (the heart-shaped). I'd transplanted three or four small wild white violets from my mother's front garden into the next bed over from this one when we moved up here, but it turns out they're pretty damn invasive too, and have filled up that bed and moved to this one around the tree. Much as it pains me to pull them up, they'd choke the strawberries, so I've been ruthlessly removing them. There are also the long skinny-leaved things in the lower left corner. I don't know what they are.
 |
| From my garden |
Sunny side of the garden! In the raised beds, you see three of the little evergreens; they took a ton of storm damage in the hard winter we had in the Northeast this year, which you can't really see here, and have also basically grown to fill in the gaps between them on the sunny side of the yard. (There used to be clearance in between them all the way up.) In between them, I have potato plants I planted from potato peelings in my kitchen. Whether or not I'll ever harvest edible potatoes is questionable, but potato vines are pretty.
In the foreground are one pot of green zebra tomatoes, one pot of brandywine tomatoes, and one long pot of green kale. And evidence of my garden assistant.
 |
| From my garden |
I don't know how to insert alt-text, but if anyone's using a screen reader, it's a shot of my toddler son running past holding an empty bucket. He's good at watering. Also at picking plants that were not meant to be picked.
 |
| From my garden |
Kale! This is my favorite plant so far. I bought these as four seedlings, and planted them in this long window-box thing for easy access. It's growing like gangbusters. I've already done one harvest from it, and did another tonight. My plan is just to keep giving it compost and water and picking the biggest leaves until it gives up the ghost. Kale is one of the staple veggies on our house, so this makes me very happy.
The plant all the way on the left has some yellowish leaves. It was originally on the right side, which gets the least light (our yard gets darker the deeper into it you go, due to tree and angle of house), so I flipped it, hoping that would fix the problem. It hasn't yet, but the plant still appears to be growing fine.
 |
| From my garden |
These are my brandywine tomatoes, bought as a seedling, planted in a goodsize pot. It's got little flowers, which makes me happy, because it means I Will Actually Have Tomatoes. I bought brandywines because, er, that was the only variety my food co-op had in stock as seedlings.
Tomatoes are the one thing I really want out of my garden, because I tend to put up in-season heirloom tomatoes as puree in the freezer and then use them all year, and buying ten pounds of tomatoes is expensive. Last year I didn't manage to get any to grow. The year before that, I didn't plant any, but the compost bin into which I'd put the seeds of the ones from the year before turned into an impromptu tomato bed.
I also have some green zebra seedlings, which I grew up from seeds. I don't really like tomatoes raw, but green zebras are the tastiest variety I've ever encountered, and I'll definitely eat them raw. I also think they make an interesting salsa verde. I didn't take pictures of them (sadface), but they're the pot on the left in the first picture. There are four seedlings in there, that I transferred when my helper knocked over their seedling pots. Should I take a few out and move them somewhere else? I don't know if that's enough soil for four tomato plants.
 |
| From my garden |
These are my other two green zebra seedlings, freshly watered. (There's a third in there, but I don't think it'll make it.) I planted these in a raised bed that I'd pulled all of weeds out of, which made me feel all accomplished. However, these are struggling because...
 |
| From my garden |
Of the freakin' cat. This is the stray we feed, who we love very much, but who has decided that this newly dug-up bed is a perfect litter box. Even when I yell at her from the deck to stop it, she keeps right on digging. There used to be eight seedlings in there. Now, two, and they're not growing very quickly.
You can also see what crap my soil is. The soil in the beds was originally four inches of bagged topsoil over crappy, clayey and rock-hard dirt. Over the five years we've lived here, the topsoil is gone, leaving mostly just the clayey grossness. I mixed in a ton of my compost to this bed before I planted anything, but it's still pretty crappy soil.
I could, possible, transplant most of the seedlings from the pot of green zebras into here, and add a ton more compost, and try to make it a less hospitable place for cat pee. But I'm wary that, if I did that, I'd end up with no tomato plants at all. Advice?
I'd feel very accomplished, if it weren't for the fact that a lot of the Bangladeshi immigrants in my neighborhood actually garden so hard-core that their front yards are full of carefully arranged furrows of okra and peppers and eggplants. I am a rank amateur compared to my neighbors.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 03:29 am (UTC)about cats in gardens: Lots of people take sticks or plastic forks or other sharp, pointy objects and stick them pointy side up every few inches where they don't want cats to go. I also read that putting a cotton ball with a few drops of eucalyptus oil inside a baby food jar (with a few holes punched in the top) around the area you want the cat to stay away from works well, too. I know my cats hate the smell of it!
Your green zebra seedlings may been root bound in that small pot: I can't see how big they are now. Once you get some decent barriers up for the cat, I would move them to that spot, or just get a couple more containers and move them to those.
A couple posts ago in this community, I left a link to a tomato leaf problems key site: http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/diagnostickeys/TomLeaf/TomLeafKey.html . I would keep an eye on those yellow leaves on your brandywine, as it may not just be a light problem.
I love tomatoes, especially heirlooms. I eat tomatoes raw, whenever I can. Brandywines are some of my favorites, and green zebras are excellent, too. I hope this season goes well. I am interested to hear how your potatoes go as well! With those, just keep piling up soil around the base of the potato plant as it keeps growing upward. This way, it will keep putting potatoes out in whatever dirt you pile up.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 01:56 pm (UTC)Glad to hear brandywines are a good variety! I do like having tomatoes around for cooking, and it's just so nice to go out and grab one.
I'd forgotten that thing about piling up dirt around the potatoes! I will try it.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 10:03 am (UTC)Those invasive white-flowered vines are bindweed, I think; my sympathies. I've heard other garden-types say the only way to get rid of it is to spray it, but I have never tried that and you may not want to. If you keep pulling it, getting as much of those fat white roots as you can, it seems to slow it down. I'd advise not putting it in the compost, at least not fresh -- at least here (south-west Ireland, so warmer in winter and damper) any section of root or stem can re-sprout. On the other hand, any lot of weeds in a bucket, covered in water, covered with a lid, and left to rot, makes a nice liquid fertiliser for plants. Warning: will stink when you open it; I suggest a heavy cover so the toddler doesn't get into it! Or leave them out in the sun to wilt thoroughly before adding them to the compost.
Kale is awesome; it's one of my favourites too. If it starts to flower, you can eat those stems too, just like sprouting broccoli -- only I think it's even tastier! And potatoes! (Those are really good for breaking up heavy soil, by the way.) I hope you get some tubers out of it; nothing beats a fresh new potato.
For keeping the cat out, I have heard of using a spray of... I think it was basically garlic and chili, sprayed around the beds/plants, to discourage them. I don't have details, but I could ask.
Your soil -- digging in compost can't be anything but a good step! It just takes a while to build up good dirt. If it's really clayey and sticky, you could dig in some sand to improve drainage... other than that, just keep adding organic matter.
Unfortunately, I have absolutely nothing to offer on the tomato issue; my only attempt on that front ended with more greenfly than tomato. :( Good luck with yours!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 02:06 pm (UTC)The soil situation sucks; I think our landlord, when he landscaped the place, did it assuming tenants wouldn't do anything with it, maybe put in a few annuals or something. And then he got me and one of our original roommates, who were like FARMING YAY, and therefore have dug the hell out of all the beds.
Kale kale kaaaaale, let us sing the praises of kale! *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 11:47 am (UTC)Just out of curiosity, have you tried luring your stray inside, or is she way too feral?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-09 02:08 pm (UTC)The bed problems is particularly bad because she likes to sleep under the tree right next to where I put in the tomatoes, so of course it's her territory now. Sigh. I may try covering the plants for a while until they get bigger, that's a good idea. Thanks!