What's Growin' On Archives - Page 127 of 135

Trial and Error with Irrigation

Every gardener has moments of trial and error, simply because there are some things you just don't know until you try. Irrigation is one of those things for me.

Now that the seedlings (that were started under grow lights) have been planted out into the garden, it's time to figure out how to integrate them into our new irrigation system. The irrigation is relatively simple, in that each bed has its own spigot with a hose attachment on the end. (You can read more about it in this blog entry). It is complicated, however, in that each bed has different watering ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 30, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Fall Garden Planning Workshop Review

There are so many things to consider when planning out a garden, and whether you've done it before, or it's your first time, the task can always be a little daunting. Luckily, the excitement of having fresh produce growing steps away from your kitchen overshadows almost all of those feelings of intimidation. Still, it's always nice to have help.

That's why at the end of September we debuted a new class. The Gardenerd Fall Garden Planning Workshop drew five enthusiastic gardeners, each with a different plan in mind for their garden. Some had a space already defined and needed only to fill it. Others had a blank canvas ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 15, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Seed Starting for Fall

It's a little late to be talking about this, but I just
wanted to wait to make sure it worked before reporting on my
progress. As I wipe my hand across my forehead in relief, I can say that I
successfully started brassicas from seed indoors for the first time this
year.

I've always grown them straight in the ground because I
haven't had space to start seeds indoors. As you know, if you've been
reading along, this is my first full year starting seeds under grow lights and I
have to ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 15, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Veggies in a Pot

A couple months ago, I got a call from a mother of two who was looking to plant a vegetable garden in her back yard. The problem was that they had recently remodeled the yard, installing a large stone patio that pretty much ruled out a vegetable garden. The yard was beautiful will all of its new improvements, and it seemed to me that planting in containers right on top of the patio would be our best option, especially since that spot got more direct sunlight than any other part of the yard.

After a consultation, Michelle decided to shop for some nice ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 10, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Garlic Oil to the Rescue

We have ants. A lot of ants. In fact, we're pretty sure that we built our raised beds atop an ant hill, because when we water, they are constantly running from bed to bed, carrying their pupa overhead (think: A Bug's Life - "Save the Children!"). Things were fine until we started using drip irrigation. Maybe it's because we are no longer literally raining on their parade, but they have moved into to my strawberry beds.

Enter garlic oil. We found a recipe for garlic oil that is supposed to help eliminate both ants and aphids. The theory is that if you ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 3, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Gardenerd Featured in Palisadian Post

Just before heading off to Europe I got a call from Libby Motika at the Palisadian Post. She wanted to interview me for the upcoming Fall Home and Garden special insert for the newspaper. Here is the article that appeared on September 25, 2008:

http://www.palisadespost.com/content/index.cfm?Story_ID=4313

While I have to say that there are a few things I didn't quite say exactly the way it's printed, for the most part it's a pretty good article. Enjoy. ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 2, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Bounty in Budapest

Traveling as a vegetarian has never been too much of a challenge for me. Mostly because I eat dairy, so where there is bread and cheese, I am fine. Recently, however, during the planning of our upcoming trip to Hungary to visit my husband's father, I began to worry about whether or not I would be able to eat in Budapest. Rumor has it, and my husband confirms, that there are little to no vegetables to be found (which would explain why a salad is called a "vitamin salad" in Hungary). Meat is either boiled or fried - deep fried ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 1, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Strawberry Harvest

Returning from any vacation is always a little bittersweet. While there is an excitement to be home again, with all the creature comforts, there is the sadness of leaving behind the romantic notion of foreign travel. With gardeners, there is also a fear in the back of the head that makes us worry whether our plants will be alive when we come back. Ironically, I have found that most of my plants do better when I'm not around.

Yes, it's true - with the help of automatic irrigation, my zucchini plant has done better in the two weeks I've been ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 1, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Our Landscaping Project – Part 2

We had a flurry of jackhammers and 3-foot deep trenches in recent weeks. New plumbing (for proper drainage away from the house) and a sump pump were installed. We also had irrigation to all the major watering areas installed.

Here's something very nerdy and exciting: My raised bed garden now has drip irrigation in each of the raised beds, each with a separate zone and the capacity to set different watering times for each bed! Fancy and possibly unnecessary, but we couldn't resist the chance to experiment with such a personalized watering system. There is a spigot in each bed, with a ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 9, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:6 Comments

Monster Green Onions

Today I spent a good few hours cleaning up the summer garden, in preparation for our upcoming fall growing season. Sometimes it takes these dedicated hours in the garden to notice things that haven't quite caught your attention before. Like the massive green onions growing in the middle of the pumpkin patch that seem to have gotten away from me.

When I say massive, I might be exaggerating, but most people walk by my plot and say, "nice leeks" when they see them. I guess there's something about our American mentality of bigger is better that made me leave ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 8, 2008
Post category:What's Growin' On
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