We’re Planting Our Garden! : A Garden Party Link-Up

Welcome back to our new Gardening Series, The Garden Party, with my friend Wren from FinchnWren.com.

This month we’re talking about Planting!

We’ve had some great weather this past month for gardening. Lots of 70’s here in the PacNW and that means we’ve been planting things all over the place. Nothing is completely done yet but it’s encouraging to see what is going on.

Beds and Borders

Last month I talked about all the things we wanted to do with our garden beds. We’ve still done precious little but here’s what we did accomplish

I planted some lavender and thyme bushes in the front side border. Our home may be going through some renovation near that spot so that holds me back from doing too much but I did plant those 4 bushes and and then added hazelnut shells for mulch.

Have you heard about using hazelnut shells in the garden? They are the new mulch of choice for some eco gardeners. Especially here in the Northwest where slugs are a problem. The  sharp edges can keep slugs and snails at bay from your pretty plants. And their sharp edges have also been known to deter cats from making a litter box out of your nicely planted raised bards.

I also planted a few odds and ends in the front border. This area might also be getting an overhaul but I couldn’t take it’s sparse look any longer. I purchased a couple of grasses (I think little puffs of grass in a garden bed are so cute) and some dahlias. As much as I like annuals I like to start with perennials in case I lose my steam and my garden looks unkempt.

The Veggie Garden

We’ve been doing the most work in the veggie garden in the back yard.

Last month we only had 1 raised square foot bed to plant in and bow we have 3!

I was being greedy and thinking I won’t have enough space to plant a bunch of stuff but really these little 1×1 foot boxes can take a lot so I’m having to think of things to plant.

So far this is what I have…

• onions
• peas
• swiss chard
• lettuce
• carrots
• herbs (basil, thyme, lemon balm, rosemary)

My husband was also gifted with 3 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants. These will be going in our Garden Patch boxes.

I have used Garden Patch boxes very successfully for the past 7 years so if you’re short on garden space or don’t feel like digging in the ground I highly recommend them.

Some other items I will be planting later on include

• cucumbers
• zucchini
• beans

 The Fruit Garden

Well okay I don’t really have a fruit garden. Just a few plants.

Our blueberries are coming in nicely. I’ve never grown blueberries before so this will be interesting. We have 2, 3 year old plants and the rest are  new.  I didn’t do any pruning. Should I have?

Oh well.

We also have our two lemon trees out front. They have tons of buds on them as well. What to do here? I haven’t the foggiest idea. I gave them bigger pots, fertilized them, and keep them watered. It will be interesting to see what they do.

My 25 year old strawberry plants in a pot desperately need a new home. I also found some aphids on them this week. Aaaaaiiieeeeeee! Okay. Not that bad but still! How dare they! I sprayed them off with some dish soap mix.

My mother had planned on giving me her raspberry plants that are in pots but at the last minute she decided she wanted to keep them. I’m not upset because that means she will be getting some exercise in her garden. So we have to look at how to get those in the ground.

Finally we also have some rhubarb in a pot that needs a home. It’s been in this little black pot for about 3 years. A customer gave my husband a cutting of their own plant and told him to stuff it in the ground, it will take. She was so right but now that poor plant needs a good home.

So all in all planting is going on hot and heavy at RavinHill. Everything is so new and little. It will be excited to see where everything is at the end of the summer.

Dare I try Fall gardening then? We’ll see!

Some Gardening Resources for You

• Growing Blueberries
• The Pluses and Minuses of Using Hazelnut Shells in the Garden
• [simpleazon-link asin=”B007YPDSN0″ locale=”us”]The Garden Patch Self Watering Pot[/simpleazon-link]

Don’t forget to drop by Melanie’s Garden at FinchnWren and link up your Gardening posts (below) with us this May!

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