Gardening Archive

Sooooo Ready For Spring

Posted February 18, 2014 By Suzanne Holland
C.O. Bigelow
Tomato Plants grown from seed, waiting to transplant
Dill, Oregano,Basil
Goodwin Creek Lavender

 

It is foggy out this morning, but the temp. is 58º and rising, so the fog will be burning off soon.  The expected high today is 76 º. Yeah!!!  I went to a Garden Club Meeting last Thursday and the guest speaker was from The Baton Rouge Herb Society. She was wonderful.  I have a lovely herb garden, but I am no where near as knowledgeable as her.  They had plants for sale and of course I stocked up on a few of my favorites.  It was warm  and sunny yesterday so I started getting my garden cleaned and prepped from the new additions.  My broccoli is still producing and the spinach looks great along with the cabbage.  The carrots are coming along nicely.  I think the main things that really need to be done are tidying up and soil amending.  

I did learn a really great trick for my Lavender.  So for my Lavender is doing pretty well but I would like it to do  even better.  Lavender struggles in Louisiana because of the wet conditions.  I have mine high on a hill with great drainage and plenty of breeze, so it is pretty happy,  I am going to take her advice and not just amend the soil but add lime stones to the soil and cover the top of the soil completely with the lime stones.

So may great things ahead.  My daffodils have started blooming.  My tomato plants are growing like crazy in my kitchen window, just waiting for a chance to go outside.  I have herb plants and seeds to plant.   Veggie seeds to plant.   Come on Spring……

I have a lot to do and  I need you to co-operate.

I Love Crossstitch
DownEast Outfitters

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Thinning Onions and Carrots

Posted January 1, 2014 By Suzanne Holland
Cluster of baby onion plants
Onion plants with roots intact
Onion plants replanted with room to grow
Over crowded carrots
Separate to decide which ones to thin
Begin pulling the weaker carrots, leaving the more vigorous plants to grow
Thinned out carrots ready for the next few weeks of growth

When you sow onion and carrot seeds, at some point you

will have to thin them out to insure a healthy productive crop.

Carrot and Onion seeds are tiny and my eye sight is not so great.

I do pretty good getting the little buggers in a straight row.

When it comes time to thin, patience is the key.

I Love Crossstitch

        With the onions, I carefully scoop up a small clump, roots and all.

                Then you will need to separate each onion with its roots attached out

and lay it to the side to be replanted in its own spot.

With carrots you can not use the same method.

The seeds are tiny and I plant them in straight little rows.

When they are big enough for me to work with (2-3″) I

start the thinning out process.  Carrots can not be transplanted because

it ruins the root.  This is the first thinning.  I may thin more

depending on their size and growth pattern.

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Winter Garden

Posted December 30, 2013 By Suzanne Holland

My winter garden is coming along.

I have so enjoyed working in both the upper and lower

gardens past the times I usually do.

When we moved to this new home, my husband and I decided

Mustard greens, Shallots, Carrots, Spinach, from my Fall/ Winter Garden

we would try and keep the garden going all year.

Best Buy Co, Inc.

We live in zone 8a, technically it is possible if you choose

your vegetables wisely.  Louisiana has mild but unpredictable

winters.   My beautiful Fall/Winter Tomatoes that were heavy

with fruit succumbed to an unexpected heavy freeze even though

they were in a green house.   Live and learn and begin again.

Which I did.

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My Birthday!

Posted December 11, 2013 By Suzanne Holland
Roma
Broccoli
Cayenne Pepper
Jalapeño
Sweet Peas
Mustard Greens and Cauliflower
Strawberry Patch
Carrot

Today is my Birthday!

My husband woke me up at the crack of dawn to start the day

getting kids ready for school–with a  HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETY!

I really don’t know how I feel about my birthday.

Sur La Table logo

OLD is one good descriptive word.

The count down to 50 has officially begun.

Just 4 more years I believe  one of my kids  pointed out.

I spent the day changing out chicken house wood shavings

and spraying frost off my veggie garden.

Did I mention I have a pocket gopher

that has taken up residence in my upper garden?

What a pest!

I can’t stand un-welcome guest.

Not even on my Birthday!

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Snake or Vinca Vine?

Posted February 6, 2012 By Suzanne Holland

I HATE snakes!
I have nightmares about them.
and isn’t this winter? I thought snakes were cold-blooded and had to
stay dormant or something during the cold weather months.
So WHY was this little fella crawling around in the dirt and leaves
where I was planting Vinca Vines on the embankment in front of my new
house that is being built?
Just to scare the hoo-ha out of me that’s why.
Apparently he never got the memo on the do and don’ts of
Snake-isms.  He was obviously out of line.
But , I was determined to get my Vinca planted. After all I have over 1500 plugs
to get in the ground.  So….after I caught my breath and picked up my stomach, I moved to another part of the embankment and continued on. 
 I will let my husband do that section –He isn’t afraid of snakes.

Oh..by the way, this is NOT a Coral Snake but a Milk Snake. So my life was not in danger.

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Azaleas–The Southern Princess

Posted January 29, 2012 By Suzanne Holland
I almost missed something great yesterday.  How?  Well for the past few weeks our life has soooo hectic.  We are having to move from one lease house to another  (this weekend) because the one we have been leasing, while we build
 is being sold…and the heat doesn’t work.
Needless to say with everything going on and everyday life I have been STRESSED OUT.  Well in the middle of trying to fit everything in, I had  meeting that lasted extra long, a Father-in-Law that I caught just in time before he had the framers change the front facade of my house (he likes to BUTT in a lot)and I missed my post date for a shipment because of the meeting I was really aggravated and I still had to go home to start moving.  I wanted to cry…but instead I took a deep breath slowed the car down and enjoyed the country road and  sunshine.
Then it happened.
I was going slow enough to see the first Azaleas emerging.   
For those who have never seen the delicate and beautiful Azalea, I encourage you to plan an early Spring vacation down south.  St. Francisville has  large collections of Azaleas and Camellias.
Afton Villa Gardens is one of my places to bring the children in the Spring.

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Organic Coffee from Costa Rica
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