Monday, May 23, 2011

I Broke My Own Rule

So I had those new asparagus crowns that needed a bed as soon as possible, and I had really been struggling to find a spot for them.  Then my husband suggested putting them where my fingerlings were planted, which was in a deep 4' x 4' raised bed.  Of coarse I never even considered this (there were potatoes growing there after all), so I quickly rejected his thought.  And then just as quickly, I decided he was a genius.  But where to put the potatoes?  I had 2 grow bags left over, but that was not enough square footage.  And we have 2 old tires.  Bingo.  I REALLY didn't want to plant inside a tire, I feel the potential for chemical seepage must be quite high and there is certainly nothing 'organic' about that!  Carbon and sulfur are known to leach, though unless the tire is new or extremely worn, in theory that should be all.  Still, I just don't like it.  Okay for pansies, but not for potatoes.  But I did it anyway because I had potatoes with little green shoots and lots of roots laying in the lawn.  Time was of the essence.  And so here we are, I broke my own rule.  Next year the tire will be gone and I will find a new planting space for my fingerlings.  I promise.
This corner is now so unsightly, I can't even bear to look.  The asparagus now resides in the raised bed in the corner.

Next, we put together the bird net supports using the little rubber doohickeys from Lee Valley and babmboo.  They rock!  Didn't quite finish the job though seeing as the netting is still in the shed.  :)


Oooh, and here comes an exciting one......another new planting space (YEAH!).  I needed a home for my new teepees (more rubber doohickeys and bamboo), but the garden beds are all full.  So we made one:
Pole beans and Jack Be Little pumpkins were sown here.

I also planted the sweet potato slips (forgot to take a picture, and now it is raining), and some of the Garden Bon Bons my sister gave me for Christmas.  (The Bon Bon post can be found here.)  The bon-bons went in the metal wash-tub.  The tomato and cuke supports were finished off as well.  All in all a very productive weekend considering we had a family birthday party for the kids on Saturday afternoon, and took Ella out for celebrations on her actual birthday, which was Sunday.




...........And almost the entire garden from above: 
(conveniently all but that unsightly corner with the tire in it. ☺)


HAPPY GARDENING!

9 comments:

Annie*s Granny said...

It's looking very neat and pretty. I'm with you on the tires, but it was an emergency. Yes, that's what it was ;-)

Erin said...

LOL, I saw those Lee Valley things last year and all I could think of was that I wanted to trellis up the WORLD or at least my whole yard, haha they are so cool. Now you have reminded me about those and a thunderstorm just chased me inside so I think I'll flop down with my Lee Valley catalog :)

The aerial view of the garden is fantastic! It kind of reminds me of a quilt, every thing in it's place, it's eye candy!

Erin said...

I was able to make it really big and take it all in... you have probably said but what are those fenceposts with the copper caps for? Were those left from a previous fence or are you using them in the garden? They look really tall, either way, they are cool!

Kelly said...

Erin, there are 4 trellis posts; 2 for the grapes and gooseberry, and 2 for the blackberries in the garden. They have always been there, but previously they were outside of the fenced in area. :) Glad you like them.

Kelly said...

I need my head checked. There are 5 all together, in two different trellis systems. Some of them can not be seen in the photo. The grapes are inside the wire mesh columns just outside the new bed with the currant and gooseberry. I figure the grapes get one more year before I rip them out, so I planted new stuff under the trellis to hedge my bet.

Veggie PAK said...

Very nice garden! It looks like a park!

Sue said...

So, are those listed as Rubber Doohickeys in the catalog? It's really a pretty good name for it.

Really-your garden is looking so good. I love when the trellises get put up-it adds so much to the look of things.

SouthCoast Guy said...

I really enjoyed your post and the picture, which shows the overall layout of your garden. You are so organized!!

Rhonda Gales said...

I love the layout of your garden. It's huge, and so inspiring!