Starting garden in Late Spring mid-May

One of the things to remember when starting a garden- whether as a novice or expert- is that you should accept that projects are always a lesrning experience. You have to experiment with growing crops early or late for your area; types of soil and compost to use at different stages of planting and for different plants; type of container or location; and amount of watering. There's so many factors that contribute to the experimental successes. 

I try all kinds of methods of growing. Mostly because my situation changes all the time to the quality of a garden I can or do produce. I either don't have time, or don't have enough money, or I-am-just-plain-fed-up. For me lately, gardening can just feel like an expensive hobby with little reward. Houseplants are a little different because you tend them year round with the knowledge that their purpose is air quality and aesthetics, not necessarily to produce food. Houseplants have nearly become the only thing I can tend to! 

I have the houseplants outside full time, now that the area has become hot and humid during the day. We're having flood after flood, and tornados, in our area. For the people, here, it is one natural disaster after another. 

Before we got more rainfall this week, I got a piece of the garden shoveled, tilled, then hoed in wildflower seed, cosmos, marigolds, zinnias, cucumbers🥒, cilantro, lettuces🥬, peas🫛, squashes, beans 🫘 & pumpkins 🎃 Some of those may be too late and some may be too early, but again- it's about experimenting! 

Additionally, I have started germinating some pepper, tomato, and flower seeds. I have basil, cilantro and mint growing with my houseplants and some snapdragon flowers on my porch.  

Mint

Basil

I can utilize my mini greenhouse for the starter plants on the cooler nights. In fact, I keep my cacti plants in the greenhouse right now

This week, I had some personal time off from work, so I took advantage of this time to care for some of my houseplants, germinating the starter plants, and prepping a part of the tilled garden. It was a rainy week, so hopefully the seeds planted will take root and get to growing. I'll need to check the garden at least twice or three times a week from here on out, and to prep the rest of the garden. Which means, I'll need to shovel and till to expand the garden to plant more bean seeds, peppers, transplant tomatoes, and try to use the rest of seeds in inventory. 

One of the most crucial lessons I have learned in successful gardening is growing lots of flowers amongst your herb, fruit and veg gardens. I cannot stress this enough. If you're not attracting pollinators into your garden, then you're going to have a difficult time getting your plants to bear fruit and keep pests away. The most successful home growers have established large varieties of flowers throughout their yard. 

Both of my grandmothers have long standing patches of a variety of flowers. 

Poppy

Peonies

Clematis

Wisteria

Wisteria 

Iris

Roses 🌹 

Dianthus

Petunias

Impatiens, begonias, cannas, tomatoes, & colelus

Remember to have fun, experiment, grow big flower beds, and grow with intention this year. Don't ever feel like giving up; start again small and start with the basics. Good luck this year! 

December Houseplant Indoors Apartment Garden

We finally got through the perils of Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday! I'm thankful for getting through it. I wish it gone every year, but alas...

It has also been the most unbearably cold winter thus far. I'm lucky to have been able to buy a truck this winter that was 4WD. I can't believe I lived without it all my life in the Northeast! 

With that said, my broccoli,  lettuce, and cauliflower garden has frozen over. Despite keeping the garden mulched, watered, and covered with a plastic polytunnel system- they have withered away. That's what is absolutely devastating- that I worked hard to keep those babies growing big and healthy, and keeping pests off as well. All for nothing...that's how these days of gardening have been going for thr last couple years. It's become more of a waste than fruitful like in the past years. 

Of course, life is busier- and I no longer live right on top of my gardens...but, it has come a time where I'm rethinking this path, sadly.

Used to- gardening felt like my identity- now it just feels like my failure. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be doing it...or, if I do- it may be in a completely different state, different plants, different methods, different atmosphere. 

I'm still devoted to my houseplants. Thr houseplants are not happy to be inside since the cold has crept in. But, you ensure that they're staying warm, pruning dead leaves, add a little soil on top, water and fertilize sparingly. 

I have a large monstera plant that has produced lots of side shoots, and I've had to cut them back and propagate new plants. Today, I bought some container pots for the new propagated monstera plants. And I'm going to do a project- something I haven't done before- make a coconut coir tower for the monstera to climb! I'll show you all once I have it completed!

Don't let my groveling over my garden struggles stop you from starting your garden. I hope if you're reading this and are thinking about starting your garden- feel free to look back at my projects past 2019. Those were my best garden years. I'd produce massive hauls of cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, lettuce, kale, herbs, figs, and so much more unique little things!

Let me know what your garden New Years resolutions are! And as always, I hope you're all staying warm, dry, happy, and healthy. 

Have a safe New Year!

Summer wanderings (Hiking, biking, & Mushroom Finds)

My Summer began pleasantly, with a trip to South West Florida, where I ate delectable food, swam in the ocean, and spotted dolphins swimming whimsically in the glimmering sunlight. 

Me, after eating Jackie Chan vegan pizza at Wildwood in Punta Gorda

Mango Bistro eatery in Englewood, FL with lots of vegan food options

Mango Tree

Juncture at the ocean where Peace River and Gasparilla Sound - Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserve meet

South Jetty Beach at the corner of the Gulf Coast

Boca Grande Beach at the Gulf Coast

Vegetable Vegan Sushi Roll at Hurricane Charley's 

For the remainder of the summer, I've been working- and in my free time, in the garden. My garden has been on the back burner for various reasons. But, I'm patiently waiting for cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins; and particularly corn! I have a newfound obsession with street corn aftering eating some at this great restaurant, The Social Vegan. I made my own one day, too. The picture doesn't show the finished product- only after the corn came out of the broiler. For these, I broiled with vegan butter, then after cooking- covered in vegan mayo, lime  juice, different pepper spices and cashew powder to act as the "parmesan."

Furthermore, I need to investigate the garden for cucumbers. I have lots of cucumber plants growing and flowering, but I've only harvested 1 fruit thus far; so, I'm not keeping my hopes us. In addition to that, I need to dig and harvest up potatoes from the mounds. This was my first batch- seen in the picture.

In the next day or so, I'll be sowing leafy green seeds to transplant for a fall garden. 

Besides gardening- Ashley and I both recently purchased bicycles. We are trying to stay active physically; but also to try to enjoy our summer with nice bike rides, little camp fires by the creek, hikes in the woods...and alcoholic slushies, ha!

Drinks at The Social Vegan

Frozen Peach, strawberry, pineapple, & vegan almond creamer "Ice Cream" topped with coconut & almonds

As mentioned, I have enjoyed leisure hikes in the woods with scenes of mossy oak, vivacious ferns, and delectable-looking mushrooms; so, I wanted to share some of those photos from my recent hikes. 

As you may or may not know, Kentucky has been regularly hit hard in the last year from flooding and natural disasters in general. The particular region I am located in Kentucky was hit with light flooding, but nothing as disastrous as the other regions recently. With that said, my hikes through the woods have consisted of mushroom spotting. With much rain and heat, comes a variety of mushrooms!

Chicken of the Woods mushrooms growing on an OLD fallen oak tree

Sometimes you find treasures in a fairy garden of the woods!

Before a bike ride in the woods the other day, there was a light rain; so, I put my bigger houseplants out in the rain on our stair steps to get watered.

Sometimes I'm told I have too many snake plants...

Jewels in my container pots...with freshly added garden soil and coconut coir to revitalize my houseplants...

Propagated Monstera transplanted 

Fossilized fish head from the creek with marbles to accentuate the cacti plant 

Her name is Buela

Monstera

Monstera rocks 

Mossy tree along the creek

Tree roots like the veins of the Earth's floor

Snake-like tree overhanging the creek...

Back in June, some colleagues of mine went to Comedy Off Broadway, and had dinner at Palmer's- and we spotted a goose giving birth...

Another evening in June, we had a fire next to a creek, roasting veggie hot dogs. Our cats always follow us to the creek- one of them likes to laze on my backpack.

This past weekend- the end of July- Ashley and I visited Indiana for some family time. Here was one view- of a soybean field. To me, much of Indiana was miles of disorienting roads with walls of corn and soybean fields. Indiana is a different landscape than my stomping grounds- it's flat, swamp like terrain whereas Kentucky is rolling foothills that can look like towering mountain sides. 

Looks like an alien spaceship is going to abduct a cow in this field

That's the jist of my summer so far. I will say, I had a Covid stint that required me to quarantine for 10 days and mask for 5 days. I was fortunate to not have severe symptoms- but it felt very close to pneumonia- it did not feel like the flu. I have also been fully vaccinated and had my booster; so, maybe that helped. I became very weak; and it took another weak to regain my strength back. I am also fortunate enough to have a job that can accommodate working from home, which I did. 

The summer is going by fast, and I hope to continue to harvest some veg as well as start a fall garden. Stay tuned!