In the Garden - Port Orchard, WA 2011 - Three New Raised Beds
I wish I could say that making these raised beds were inexpensive, but we did have to pay for the garden soil to put in them. Jim likes to do a mixture of sand, soil and vermeculite. The beds are not all that big, but it does take a bit of soil to fill them the first time, hence the cost. Other than amending the soil and rotating crops each year, we should be in good shape for a good many years.
This year we have a variety of veggies consisting of red and yellow onions, kohlrabi, french (round) carrots, beets, cucumbers, acorn squash, green beans and not in the photo, elephant garlic. Oh, and tomatoes and peppers. Jim wanted some jalepena and California Wonders for freezing and cooking so he bought quite a few of those plants. If you click on each picture you can see them full-size. In amonst the veggies I've planted some marigolds and petunias because they are good for keeping bugs away and remind me of my grandpa's garden in Olympia back in the 1950's. If you're wondering about the chicken wire, it's to keep out wandering cats. For some reason, the crazy little birds like to get inside the wire and then can't find their way out.
Rhodies, Clematis, and Roses
I love my roses. I chose ones that are very fragrant so when we sit out on the deck, or have the window open by the kitchen sink, their lovely smell fills and air. The two red ones in this picture are floribundas, while the yellow one is an English rose. I have about a dozen rose bushes or more. The red rhodie is just now in full bloom and the purple one is just coming on. In about a week or so the purple clematis will be covered in blooms and putting on a star studded show.
Vining geranium, double petunias, peppers, tomato and potatoes
I bought the red vining geranium at Fred Meyer this year and I think it just perks up the porch area with its fullness and mixture of red, and red and white blossoms. That plant between the chairs is a begonia. I've not successfully grown one before, so cross your fingers for me!
On the upper right corner of the collage is our 'recycled' recycle bins with pepper plants and the tomato (Early Girl -"Improved"). In the aqua colored tub is our potatoes that just got planted yesterday. There's a twin to that tub around the corner out of sight. The red plants in the orange container are double petunias that I need to get into pots.
So, there you have the spring Wilkerson garden update for June 2011. We hope to have an over-abundance of veggies and be able to give them away to our neighbors. Um, I forgot to mention ...we planted zucchinis too. Heh, heh, we may have to give those away in bundles.
