What spring feels like....

Edged this bed. it is now ready for mulch. 

No work to be done on the straw bales today, but since it was positively springlike I worked in the front yard.  I read a great article on Fine Gardening Magazine's website about making garden borders so I started working on mine.

Enlarged this bed to contain our burning bush.

Put up our pretty fencing

I enlarged one of the beds around the trees and put up my fencing in the front as well. I also hung up a humming bird feeder  (not sure when you are supposed to do so, but) the pretty pop of color makes me smile!  My fingernails are all chipped and broken, my back and legs are aching...


                   Yes! This is what spring feels like!

Pretty hummingbird feeder hanging on the cigar tree.

5 bales down, 9 to go.

5 bales in place. The potatoes and onions will be planted in the center next weekend  and eventually there will be Cukes and Zukes in the back row, Peppers on the left, Lettuce on the right, and Cabbage in the front.-and 9 more bales.

Today we got the next four straw bales.  We are up to five now. We have enough to create the  root vegetable section where we plan to plant the onions and potatoes. We just need some top soil (I bought the seed onions and potatoes yesterday as well as some pea seeds (peas?) to plant) and we are ready to  commence the first round of planting.....and now for pictures of our helpers...

Franklin looking stern

Annie on the prowl...

Franklin sniffin...

Franklin- note the straw on his nose!!

The secret's out...

So I have mentioned my secret garden but not really explained it or shown it, that is because for the most part it doesn't exist. When we first bought the house there was a large area in the back of the yard that was divided from the rest by large pine trees. We never really went back there and instead focused on the closer areas and forgot about this area.  Year two we decided to reclaim the space, we had my amazing girlfriend's family over, and they cut one of the trees down and a bush that was tree sized due to neglect, and ... realized the whole area was FULL of Poison IVY! and no measly little vines, these were thick woody hairy vines climbing up 20 ft or more in to the trees and covering the ground... YIKES! we went in to attacking mode  and managed to make a slight dent.... the next year we kept at it and got it to a semi-usable state, and got the gift of inspiration...

awesome swing!

 This awesome swing was a present from a friend of mine and as soon as it was in place I knew I wanted this area to be a retreat from the real world! We made a few plans, planted some rose of sharons (also free from a friend) and dug a small fire pit.   I put a small dining table back there, a small wooden end table (both free) and moved a Hosta or two... We bought and planted some English ivy to hide the fence and hung some bird feeders... but it is still basically an empty area. Guests don't like going back there since the poison ivy is still here and there and though easy enough to avoid if you are careful (it is only at the tree line, not back by the swing) it is still intimidating.   The neighbors have a not so pretty junk pile that is visible from the one side,  and it is a trek from the house. All of this matters not to me.  I see the potential, I see the wonderful escape this area will be one day.  I see the fence covered, (just read about reed fencing and would love to cover it with that!), the sides fenced. I see the peach tree we plan on planting, and the flowers, I see peaceful morning spent in seclusion, sipping coffee and listening to the, not yet in existence, pond fountain, the fires we will have and the naps on the swing. To me part of gardening is imagination, faith, and the belief that with time and hard work all dreams can grow.   So when I mention the secret garden, don't ask what it is,  instead imagine what it can be, because that is how my secret garden grows.

pictures of today's progress!

flower bed in front of house, on right 

front yard flower bed around tree, on right

So first here are some pictures as promised!  These first few are from the front yard, I have lots of big plans for up front this year, but with it only being March 2nd, I have only just begun. I raked all the beds clean removing old mulch and any leaves we missed last year. Now the bulbs that are positive it is much later than it is, are much more visible!  My plans for up front include building a retaining wall around the right side (closest to the driveway and where Miss Maya loves to wander).  I will probably only get one level done this year, but I eventually want it to be about three or four pavers high. We are also going to be getting some more Hostas (we have some but they are not popping up just yet), especially for around the tree that is on the right side.  We used to try to grown grass there but it kept dying so we turned it into a bed and planted Hostas and some colorful annuals and mulched it and it looked great.

Cigar tree, with hanging basket

On the left hand side both beds are a little smaller. the one around the tree will have some Hostas, and some perennial flowers, the one up against the porch already has some perennials and a rose bush but it will also get a few more Hostas and we have a cute little fence that we put around it. I read that roses are to be pruned when the forsythia blooms so I am on the look out for the bright yellow sign!  When we moved in the rose bush was taller than I am after being abandoned and neglected for so long, so I am always amazed when it blooms!

rosebush

 In the back:

We raked leaves on to the bed in fall and have been using it as a makeshift compost area all winter, as we researched what to do about the walnut trees...  We, of course,  are now aware that ALL of our compost is poison since the leaves are intermingled (walnut and non walnut). So I raked some of the leaves and put down the cardboard and then the first bale. Our fence has seen better days as well, but i read that someone used drywall wire and they said that it was very inexpensive and much taller (which we will need given the height of the bales) so we are going to look in to that once all the bales are in place.  

After: Now with Straw!

Before: old garden covered in leaves

Spring may not have officially Sprung but....

... it is finally march and I got my first new straw bale today! (only 13 more to go! lol) My wonderful girlfriend brought me home some cardboard and I will be laying it down  and placing the first bale today. My goal is to get 5 of them and a few cubic yards of topsoil by the 17th when I intend to plant potatoes and onions. Since these are root veggies they don't do very well IN the bales so I designed the layout to create a hole that is almost 3ftx3ft( and  about 14" deep) to fill with clean topsoil in which to grown them. In previous years we had a root veggie garden  but it was even closer to the dreaded walnuts and the root veggies did not do well (onions the size of quarters anyone?) Not to mention the voles and the groundhog from hell and our puppy Maya who loved to dig up the treasures...we tried carrots and WOW those only got about the size of a tooth pick and Maya LOVES carrots so it was a total flop. Not sure if I will have everything in place but... that is the goal. On the 17th we also plan to put the peas in the back bales (direct sow).

In other gardening news I got a seed catalog in the mail to day and am pouring over it! Add that to the fact that it was nice enough this morning for me to clean up the front flower beds and it really feels like spring is here! (thank you winter that wasn't!). I'm gonna pause right now for some sustenance and then I will post more, including pictures!

Curses!

As promised, I will tell you all a little more about the many curses we have encountered in our quest for a garden.

The first year our plants were doing ok, we had jalapeno and habanero plants that were about 3 ft tall. We were so excited to see little peppers growing! and then one day the plants were GONE! Chopped all the way down to 6 inch nubs, the peppers were gone, the leaves were gone everything was gone.. WHAT??? Upon doing some research we realized it was DEER! So crazy we live in town a short walk to downtown in fact, so how can we have deer... well that was the city mouse in me, i guess. Deer can and do live in these parts, we are right near the cuyahoga river, have lots of wooded areas etc etc. But why would deer eat HOT peppers? seems deer are not picky eaters. they will eat what they can find. CURSES!

We also have rabbits. cute cute bunnies... till they eat all our lettuce (or till our cat eats them.. definitely not cute then either...). and our bunnies are crazy smart, they will wait till the lettuce is perfectly ready. it is full, it is hardy, it is a perfect amount for two nice salads... and then they eat it down to nubs. CURSES!

When we started the straw bales last year we placed them in the far back yard, we watered them, we fenced them to prevent the bunnies and the deer from making them dinner. we were prepared! till one day, when i noticed the leaves on the peppers were looking terrible, not like an mammal had attacked but more like BUGS! we put out some beer (it works wonders on slugs! so gross but the day after you put out a small bowl of beer the bowl will be FILLED with nasty dead slugs!) but it wasn't helping so we realized slugs were not the problem. so we bought some natural repellents: MARIGOLDS! pretty stinky marigolds! I went to the bales and realized I had forgotten my hand shovel, oh well I am a nature lovin' fool, I don't mind getting my hands dirty! I dug right in to the bales to make a hole to put in my flowers, and OUCH!! I felt a horrible stinging on my wrist, I withdrew my hand and..... my whole arm, up to my elbow was COVERED in medium sized black ants!!! BITING ANTS? i lived in Texas for a year and knew to avoid fire ants but these were no fire ants! they were larger and black(and not to mention in ohio!) what??!!?? Turns out the entire bale was engulfed with leaf cutter ants, they were eating the plants and decided to try eating me! CURSES!

I am gonna save the groundhog from hell for another post (or twenty-since he is my nemesis!) so now i will just address how we have avoided or plan to avoid the curses!

Deer: we think they were around because our home had stood vacant for five years or so before we moved in. The far back of the yard was a wilderness (saving that for another post too!) and no one was ever around. But during year two we reclaimed the back. Adding to that we, (wonderful girlfriend, me, our friends, our two cats and our dog) are around and outside all the time, and we haven't seen as many Deer. we also fenced in the gardens. so far we haven't had the deer problem again and are *hoping* they have moved on!

Bunnies: well... sorry to say it, because i am a big ole pacifist animal lover but.... our kitty Annie has helped keep the bunnies, the mice, the voles, the birds, and even a BAT! at bay. She is a killing machine (DISCLAIMER: Annie came to us as an indoor outdoor cat and CAN NOT be kept inside, like she literally dug a hole in the basement's sand stone walls to get out! our other cat Franklin is an indoor only cat and Annie is the only indoor/outdoor cat I have ever had!)

Ants: I tried pouring vinegar on the ants, as i read it would kill them and it did! however it also killed the plants... so, this is something we are going to have to figure out this year! there is a local "green" business that offers lots of advice and eco-friendly solutions so we are planning on asking them!

*in case you haven't noticed we try to be as "green" and natural as possible, we are not perfect and are definitely not "certified organic" but we do try to minimize the use of chemicals as much as possible!

stawbale garden 2.0

year one

year 3

Hi! I am Tiffany and this is my gardening Blog. I decided that since not everyone loves hearing about how my garden grows i would seek out a group that does! for now that group includes.... just me but i read blogs so maybe someone will read mine... right? At the very least this will serve as a log for use next year. first a little background. i live in northeast Ohio with my wonderful girlfriend. we bought our home in june of 2009. that first year we started a garden and....Failed. we blamed it on the late start. the next year...... failed again. blamed it on... any and everything. year three, i insisted. we try an idea i saw in a magazine- a straw bale garden. my girlfriend thought i was nuts but she indulges my fancies.... so we got three bales and placed them in the far back of our yard. (we live on 1/3 of an acre, not a huge lot in some places, but pretty awesome for our small college town, especially since we are close to downtown.) the straw bales did ok. the other garden not so much. we were ready to give up and then...Eureka! my wonderful girlfriend remembered something from her childhood (we call her the country mouse, i however grew up in the city/suburbs of Cleveland and never even saw a deer till i was in my 20's) she realized our neighbors have several black walnut trees and she remembered that they are bad for gardens.... i looked it up and yeah they are terrible. they are like poison to almost everything we have tried to grow. and it gets worse. we composted all the leaves so all our compost is poison. our soil- poison. ugh! we have battled a groundhog from hell, deer, bunnies. we have dealt with limited sun and huge roots from our neighbors many trees, and now this? so we decided that this year may be our last. we have spent... LOTS on our gardening attempts and we dont want to give up... so this year we are doing all straw bales.  I added photos of our previous attempts and of the plan for this year.   we plan to reuse the three bales from last year, they are in what we call the "secret garden." We will plant peas in them on march 17th and then after harvesting them we will plant melons and pumpkins for a fall harvest.    the other bed, we will lay down cardboard, add 14 bales of straw. and we plan to grow: 6 cucumber plants, 3 Zucchinis, 3 tomatillos, 2 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 4 sweet banana peppers, 4 jalapeno peppers, lots of lettuce, 3 heads of cabbage, 3 broccoli plants,  6 assorted tomato plants, and in between the bales in topsoil, potatoes and onions. We will also plant the potatoes and onions on march 17th.  In my next post, I will discuss the challenges we have faced in more depth.... and ideas we have for overcoming them! goodnight!

strawbale 1.0

plan for garden 2012