[ bounty at the farmer's market. ]
Happy Monday, friends! I feel like I’ve been gone from the blogging world for ages, but it’s only been a few short days. lol. Even though we didn’t go anywhere terribly “vacation-like” last week while Sailor Husband was on leave, we had a great time: a couple trips to the beach (including hunting for shark teeth at one!), spontaneous outings around town, and late evening runs for ice cream.
Thursday, for Earth Day, Anthropologie was offering a free container gardening event. Now, I am by far not the most adept gardener–despite being fascinated by the idea of growing flowers and vegetables from an early age (and having many mishaps with trying to grow things!). But, I figured perhaps I could pick up some tips and such. The event didn’t end up quite like I thought it would–it was more of the sort of thing were you got to claim your own seedling and try some yummy vegan food. Which was fun anyway. I brought home a darling little chamomile seedling I picked out, as well as some of the neat seed bombs that Anthropologie is selling right now. I just need to find some big containers and try planting a couple on our porch…
[ organic carrots. ]
[ beets! yum... ]
The plant fascination continued over the weekend with our trip to the local farmer’s market. I’d only been once–before the weather warmed up–and was delighted by the amount of goodies on display (both food and otherwise). We got some organic vegetables (including a bunch of organic carrots–dubbed “Peter Rabbit carrots” by Sailor Husband because of their squat appearance), had some fantastic organic coffee, I drooled over fair trade bracelets that came in a rainbow of colors, and generally took in the atmosphere. I think this might become a regular weekend jaunt for us this summer–although I need to make a mental note to bring my parasol next time–the Florida sunshine just isn’t kind to my skin!
[ Sailor Husband's iced green tea smoothie--very sweet! ]
I was wondering… do any of you garden? I’m really hoping to perhaps cultivate my gardening skills (or lack thereof) a bit more this year and plant a few things in small containers for our porch. We really have quite limited space, but I know that hasn’t stopped a whole movement for container gardening in tiny spaces from springing up! If you have any green thumb resources (books or websites) that you could recommend, I’d love to hear about them!
Have a lovely Monday!
I wish I had green fingers! Although last year I bought some little strawberry plants and they really took off even though I planted them late in the season. Hoping to get a great harvest off them this year!
What delightful pictures! I love this post! SH’s smoothie looks delicious! You know, we are trying the container gardening this year. Your dad is trying tomatoes – again – and I am requesting some squash and lettuce. Hopefully none of our deer visitors will discover the deck.
Mom
I share your fascination of growing things too. I don’t have any outside space at all and have tried to grow things indoors (herbs mostly) but my watering skills are quite shameful. My excuse is that plants are so demanding! My mother always points out plants that are on their last legs, but I just forget about them if they are tucked away in a corner.. My cat should be thankful that I water her..! This is a book I’ve had on my Amazon wishlist for ages – you might like it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Window-box-Allotment-Beginners-Container-Gardening/dp/0091882567/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=IO8702B90BEW3&colid=2R5TR2HPXRD77
oh, yes, indeed I do! Having a garden is a must – if only for good tomatoes. Even with moving around a lot, we’ve managed to always have a yard, so I don’t have much in the way of advice for container gardening, but I know if there’s a will there’s a way.
Herbs always do well in pots.
And if pots on the deck don’t satisfy your lust for gardening, you could always live vicariously through this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Enchantment-Year-Life-Garden/dp/155365370X/ref=gl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2I6HFNY3KBMSU&colid=18Z5EIOH52JUU
Good luck!
Hi,
I’ve been lurking for ages and enjoying seeing all the wonderful things you make! I am a bit of a gardener and I can highly recommend this book for container gardening:
http://www.amazon.com/Crops-Pots-Bob-Purnell/dp/1606521640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272292620&sr=8-1
Good luck with growing things!
I am a lapsed gardener myself … but these GORGEOUS photos make me want to dig back in!
I have always wanted to be a great gardener like my mom, but I seem to be poison for plants. I did plant a successful cutting garden at one place and Gladiolus are my favorite. They are ungainly, growing on thick stalks up to 6′ high, but the blooms are gorgeous and they are so easy to grow and look fantastic in a tall vase.
Having said that, we just bought an old country house with A LOT of neglected yard. I was a little skittish come early spring, so I tried an herb container garden out first from (don’t laugh!) Martha Stewart. It is a great idea for limited space. You can also save some cash by starting seeds; I have had mine for about 6 weeks and it is seriously getting overgrown.
I started writing directions on how to do this, but found it on the website:
http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/tower-of-herbs
She is serious about the mint! I’m sure you can use this for planting lots of things: flowers, ferns or hostas for shady areas, small veggies? I guess if you start with big enough pots?
Remember to turn it every few days if it’s on a porch that only gets sun from one direction. The website is full of good gardening tips. Just remember to take it with a grain of salt; not everyone can stop by So-and-So nursery in upstate New York for $50 a pot seedlings or has an estate-sized garden. Hope this helps!
My husband and I planted a potted garden this year, as well. This is the first time I’ve ever really had a garden (I don’t have a great track record for keeping plants alive!), so it’s exciting. We’ve mostly planted herbs, but we also have strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and some flowers. The only part of our yard that gets any sun is our deck, so we had to make do. I’m sure our deck does look a little odd and cluttered with all of our funny mismatched potted plants!
I’ve grown tomatoes and cucumbers in 5 gallon buckets for a couple years now – I make salsa, pickles, spaghetti sauce, jellies, etc… we have a veggie garden too, but the buckets work so well for the cucumbers I prefer to do them that way : ) I’ve just potted up some of my seedlings today! Can’t wait for the first red, ripe, juicy, tomato this year!!!
I have an allotment garden, and we grow veggies there. Take the plunge! It’s not that hard. We grow carrots, potatoes, peas and strawberries in growing beds, just be sure to read up on how much water they need. I love to hunt for gardening books in used books shops.
Good luck!
What a fun week! I’m afraid I have NO gardening skills, lol
Hi Casey,
As you might have noticed, Florida has a different growing season than everywhere else. When I had a garden, I found this book at the library but can’t remember what it’s called now. It’s basically what’s in this link though http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021 where it gives you the time to plant each type of vegetable based on daylight/temp/growing period.
Gardening is fun, even if it’s just pretty flowers. Don’t be scared to try, just don’t set yourself up for failure by planting something that won’t grow in Fl. ie lavender or tulips.
When I lived near my family we had a large 3 acre family garden that we all helped tend and harvest from.
Now I live in an apartment and I grow various vegetables in 5 gallon buckets and 10 gallon steralite tubs on my balcony. I used to have tons of herbs on my kitchen windowsill until I got a cat who suddenly had very fresh breath and I had no herbs.
I have 3 tomatoes, 3 eggplant, 2 hungarian wax peppers, a bell pepper, and a rather sickly looking cucumber plant.
I also have 3 windowboxes on my balcony with wheat grass in them (for the aforementioned feline culprit).
I probably spend more on care/seedlings than I would for roadside produce here in the pacific northwest but I find it soothing to sit on my patio among my jungle and pick my own vegetables.
this book is the best! it makes gardening completely approachable.
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9781591862024-0
i actually have an older version that i got from friends and it works just fine for me.
I love gardening! I find YouTube helpful when looking for gardening advice. Google upside down hanging garden!
I garden! Or rather, my husband gardens. I would very much like to have a successful herb garden this year. Last year, nothing much happened w/ it.
Anyway, we have become ‘sensible’ gardeners. We plant things we eat regularly…tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and the like. Last year, we had so many tomatoes, I was literally scouring the recipe sites for tomato recipes and I served them sliced (sprinkled w/ salt)with ever meal…that is, until I realized how much better they were roasted w/ mozarella. Haha
Sadly I have a black thumb. At least I think I do. I killed a rosemary plant, which I guess are really hard to kill. lol
Everyone has already left such great gardening comments and recommended such great books, but I thought I’d jump in.
I’m an avid gardener. The house I currently live in only has a roof deck, but we have covered it in herbs, berry bushes and greens. Container gardens are relatively easy, but I learned everything I know from the book linked below. They explain everything very clearly and give lots of wonderful ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/McGee-Stuckeys-Bountiful-Container-Vegetables/dp/0761116230/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272310599&sr=1-1
Good luck!
OOOOOHHHH!!! Call me, call me, call me! I just put a raised bed in our backyard… bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, leaf lettuce, okra, eggplant, cucumbers, cantelope, watermelon, and tomato plants in pots… I’ll be adding herbs this week. I keep meaning to call you and it seems like time slips away from me too often! I have other stuff besides gardening to talk about, also
Yes I garden. I love to garden. We live on 10 acres in the country. My husband has a green thumb and is willing to make flower beds for me. I have all kinds of containers on my front porch, back patio and around our little picnic shelter. My patio has a mixture of herbs, tomato plants and flowers.
I have an area along the patio and sidewalk I’m replanting.
I’ll have more pictures on my blog soon.
Better Homes and Gardens has a great site with all kinds of gardening information. I’ve got several books and magazines about gardening and container gardening.
Most plants have little details on them about whether they need full sun, shade, part sun and a lot tell you if they will grow in containers.
Good luck and have fun. Just get you a couple of pots, put some potting soil in them and get started. I like the potting soil that helps with moisture control.
Wow, I Trully Am Amazed At How Well Rounded You Are!
I Love Your Blog And Youtube Videos They Are Inspiring!
I’ve Been Inspired by Your Creatvity And Am Going To Begin To Sew! I Hope My Grandmamma’s Sewing Machine And My Mom’s Help Does Me justice!
This Will Be Loads Of Fun!
Lots A Love
-Vanessa
hi casey
glad you’re having a good week with the hubby.
Here is a great arrticle about gardening that shows just how much you can do in a small space.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/selfsufficiency-on-a-balcony/2007/04/23/1177180569548.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
Good luck with your future gardening endevour. I wish you green fingers x
Hi Casey!
I love to garden! By far my greatest discovery has been the University of Illinois Extension Service. I highly recommend finding out if the University of Florida, or maybe Florida Department of Natural Resources, has a good extension service. They will very likely have an immense website, if it’s anything like U of I, as well as local groups around the state that teach classes on planning gardens, planting various fruits and vegetables, and maybe even container gardening! Our local chapter occasionally has canning and cooking classes to show you what to do with your bountiful harvest.
Good Luck!
Christine
Enjoy…:
http://containergardening.wordpress.com/
http://lifeonthebalcony.com/
http://www.containergardeningguru.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Anywhere-Alys-Fowler/dp/0811868753
Check out “Garden Anywhere”, it is a fabulous book, with great pictures and information. Garden can be a lot of fun.
Lovely pictures! I have long been hoping to get to a farmer’s market but the stars haven’t quite aligned to make that happen…but, gosh, the food looks delicious!!
I took an interest in gardening when I became a homebody due to my CRPS, at first I only had a balcony to decorate. Of all of the things I tried planting (I cannot even remember the names of the plants!) the ones that have really stuck around and fascinated me are the succulents. Slow growing ones are the best, they grow babies up from their roots which you can cut off and plant in new pots to keep or they make excellent gifts. It’s pretty hard to kill a succulent, they adapt to their conditions and sometimes the same plant can look completely different depending on how much sun it’s getting, some change colour, which is very pretty! Many of them also produce lovely flowers
So..yeah…I like succulents, lol! Here’s a link with some pics and info http://www.thesucculentgarden.com.au/
Happy gardening!
Oh! Romanesco Broccoli! I have been looking for those forever! They are one of the awesome (and beautiful) occurrences of fractals in nature!
Yay for Spring (almost Summer!!!)
B
I have a 30 x 30 garden plot in my back yard. I was an avid gardener in Eugene, OR, and I’m slowly learning how to adapt my skills to the Texas environment. I’ve made LOTS of mistakes, so let me know if you have any questions – I’ve probably tried it & screwed it up at least once before succeeding!
My best advice is to start small, with a few things, and start to add more plants as you become accustomed to the routine of taking care of them.
Have fun!
that smoothie looks gooooood
i just started a little garden in my back yard! well, a couple pots with tomatoes, bell peppers, and lots of herbs! can’t wait for them to fruit. i want to add some leafy greens too!
First time ever, I planted some carrots, squash and cucumbers from seeds and picked up two pepper plants and a tomato plant. Nothing has any fruit yet, but it is so cool to watch it grow. This link was helpful when I first started:
http://www.alphamom.com/smackdown/2010/03/urbansuburban_hippies.php
I would also have to recommend the Bountiful Container, a book mentioned and linked to by Anika, above. Very helpful, even for clumsy gardeners like me!
My good friend and I have a city garden (me) and a country garden (her). We blog about it at http://www.florriemarie.com .
I would say start out with some simple things like lettuce and maybe a papper plant. With lettuce you don’t need something huge to plant it in and you really don’t have to do anything to it except make sure it has sufficent water. You pick off the outer leaves when you want a salad and the middle of the plant keeps producing more.
With a pepper or tomato you just need a biggesh tub and a stake of some kind to give it support. There’s tons of websites and books that will help you along the way.
Good luck!
Gardening is one of those things that I usually think I can do, but actually doing proves otherwise.
Love farmers markets! And your photos are great!
My mother isn’t just green-thumbed, I think her whole hand is green! I woulnd’t call myself a master gardener…but I HAVE managed a few things, even if I didn’t inherit my mother’s colored fingers! I cheat a little…I go to Lowes (b/c its handily nearby, not b/c I’m brand loyal…even if Home Depot DID fire my husband, lol). And at Lowes, the different pots of things tell you exactly HOW to take care of your plant. Where it should be planted, how much water it needs, etc. Its all right there on that little plastic spike! And they may or may not have some kind of guarantee if your plants die…I don’t remember, you’d have to look it up.
Anywho…One tip that my mother DID always give me…even if it says “full sun” for so many hours…in Florida, you may want that sun to be intermittent, or simply not quite so long. And you don’t want to water mid-day b/c the water droplets actually magnify the sunlight and can burn the plants.
Websites can be a big help, too. Especially with organic farming. Lots of tricks to feed & keep your plants from being infested. I use window boxes bolted to my small fence, since I live on-post. And Sam’s sells this neat-o patio garden thing. I used one last year, but left it behind when we PCS’d.