Monday, May 31, 2010

The Garden Project, Part 4

Well some things are growing, anyway.  Alas, the lettuce didn't come up, even after a second sowing, but the rest is looking nice.  I spent a hard day weeding the other day (the weeds are relentless!!), but it was worth it, because now my garden looks decent enough for a photo.  It's really scruffy looking without the shade trees, but what can we do?

The volunteer sunflowers are craazy, but I decided to just let them stay.  :)  There are several at the row ends.  Good placement!  The tomatoes are growing, and I had to pull a bunch out of the furrows with the weeds.  (Compost tomatoes, perhaps?)  I borrowed some seeds from a friend and planted purple beans, radishes, lettuce (again), chard and onions.  I got another parsley plant to replace my poor transplant that didn't make it and some strawberries too.  The lettuce in the box didn't germinate, neither sowing, so I gave up and planted strawberries.  We'll see if it grows in the row.
The landlords next door did a number on our shade bushes.  They completely hacked an entire row of 20 foot bushes that shaded our studio, workshop and their own tenants houses, leaving us all in the heat of full afternoon sun and without privacy.  BOO!!  Additionally, the bushes (trees?) were holding up a falling down fence that we had propped up with a 2x4.  Now it's leaning the other way precariously, and looks like it could fall down any minute.  Slugs are eating the basil, potato and pepper plants, so I confess I BugGetta'd them.  The pumpkins are doing great (as pumpkins will do), and the cucumbers are growing up too.  I was weeding in the watermelon area to plant beans, since the watermelons didn't germinate, when I found a bunch of tiny 2-leaf sprouts.  I realized too late that they might be watermelons, and the two or three left might not make it.  But I halted the bean operation anyway, and we'll see.  They were under the drip hose, and completely invisible!
The grass is growing in nicely, but so area lots of stickery weeds.  They will have to GO!  Also, the day I made the lettuce boxes, I finally cut the pot off that poor tree and planted it.  It was easy!  After my mom and I cleaned up the dead leaves & spider webs, it looks pretty good too!  I added a mini date palm next to it.  I don't know if that's a good place for it or not, but it's the best location I had, and I just love those!  The large artichoke isn't doing very well, but it's sprouting a smaller one from the base, so they'll all be the same size next spring.

No comments:

Post a Comment