Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Kitties like gardening, too

Oliver made an escape onto the balcony this morning while I was putting the tomato plants outside (I'm in the process of hardening them off). I picked him up and carried him around the balcony, and showed him all the little plants I'm growing and all the little buggies. He snuggled up into my chest and listened intently to every explanation. I think he really loved it... maybe a little too much, in fact. When I opened the screen door to go back inside he stuck his claws in it so I couldn't get it open without dislodging him first. Then he hooked his claws into my shirt so that I couldn't put him down. He wanted to stay outside!

Can't say I blame him... I rather felt the same way having to come to work today. ;0)

Here's a picture of Oliver that I took in April of 2008. He's quite a bit bigger now. But this is his typical behavior whenever I'm out on the balcony. He's saying, "Please momma! Let me come play too!"
Oliver 4-3-08

Monday, May 18, 2009

We gots melons!

The Plum Grannies sprouted while I was at work today! One variety down, two more to go...

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Oh yes, veggies will be mine...

First things first: I would really like to know why I always have the best hair days on days when I couldn't care less how I look. Seriously, what exactly is the deal there? I purposefully set aside a day for myself just for puttering around my house, and my hair looks better than it has in weeks. Sigh.

Okay, on to the plants. First up is Clematis Asao, because folks, we've got us some blooms. That's right, the first flowers of summer 2009 have arrived. There's only four flowers, and they're all on one plant, but I'm sure the other plants will catch up eventually.

Here's the only bloom that was easy to take a picture of:
Clematis Asao #1

This guy needs another day or two before he really gets photo-worthy:
Clematis Asao #1

And these guys are 8 feet in the air, so there's no way I was going to be able to get a good shot of them! They look nice against that clear blue sky, though, don't they?
Clematis Asao #1

I tried leaning way out over my balcony railing and holding my camera up over my head, but the results of my efforts weren't much different than the lazy shot just above this one.
Clematis Asao #1

And now the veggies...

Little Fingers Carrots
This tiny little green squiggle is apparently going to be a carrot someday. This is what I'm told, anyway. Funny thing is, he almost met an untimely demise. Initially I thought he was just another one of the many pesky weeds I've been dealing with on a daily basis. Fortunately I decided not to pull him, because within an hour or two he had a buddy.
First carrots, 05-16-09

That's right - these little guys are actually growing so fast that you can literally watch them grow. In the couple of hours I spent outside today, three more popped out of the dirt (I'd already put my camera away and was too lazy and dirty by then to come back in and get it). And since they're all in a nice, neat row, exactly how I planted the seeds, I think it's safe to say they aren't weeds.
First carrots, 05-16-09

Oregon Sugar Pod Peas
Here is the box I planted peas in.
Peas 05-16-09

This is my first time growing veggies, and I don't know a thing about how peas grow. I didn't expect them to look so much like fully-formed pea pods right out of the ground like this, that's for sure. I think I expected them to be like other veggies, with a flower that develops into a fruit. I'm such a city girl. I'm also realizing that I haven't a clue how peas are harvested. Fortunately, my friend Kristi loves growing peas, and I'm fairly sure she won't laugh at me when I ask her what I'm supposed to do!
First peas, 05-16-09

Strawberries
For the sake of comparison, I want to re-post the picture of the strawberry pot that I posted on April 22:


Not terribly impressive compared to that same pot today:
Strawberry pot 05-16-09

I'm gonna have me a TON of berries! Yeah!
1st strawberry, 05-16-09

However, with the nicer weather it seems I've obtained some unwelcome guests. They wore out their welcome last year, doing a ton of damage to the nasturtium I'd planted. You can see a couple of them on the leaf above, and they're a clear presence in the photo below. That's right, folks... I'm talking about aphids.
Aphids on strawberries, 05-16-09

For those of you that don't know what aphids are, they're a common garden pest that slowly drink all the moisture out of a plant, leaving you with a wilted, then dry, then dead mess. Wasp and ladybug larvae will eat them, so people with bigger growing areas will often plant things that wasps and ladybugs are known to be attracted to (see this forum post for more info on this).

(This is the kind of stuff you pick up when you've dated an entomologist, by the way. My bug knowledge has far surpassed anything I ever imagined.)

I, however, don't have the space for strategic planting, although I'm definitely starting to reevaluate that stance after last year's loss. Losing the beauty of the nasturtium I'd carefully grown from seed was irritating, but losing berries and veggies I'd been looking forward to eating would break my heart. And what's a little more crowding on my already over-crowded balcony?

(Another side note: I've started seeing my balcony as the eyesore yard of the neighborhood. My crazy compilation of pots compared with my neighbors' nice, tidy, adorable little balconies reminds me of an overgrown front yard with a car on blocks smack in the middle. Yeah. I'm *that* neighbor.)

Anyway, for right now I'm attacking the aphids the old fashioned way - with a spray bottle full of soapy water. It keeps them in check so long as I get out there at least once every 2-3 days to give them another douse. I really don't want to spend my whole summer that way, though.

We'll have to see... sometimes the beneficial insects will show up on their own, without any encouragement. If I get irritated enough, I'll go buy some sweet alyssum or cilantro or something of the like.

That's all I have for pictures for now, I'm afraid. None of the melons have done a thing yet, and while there are some signs of life in the jiffy pots in my office I haven't taken any pics. My tomato starts that I have at home are still sad little things, and I'm not sure what's going to come of them. A new friend has offered me some hot pepper starts, which would be fun to grow with the tomatoes and tomatillos that I'm hoping to make salsa with.

One last thing, because my mother will appreciate that I'm thinking of her. My mom and stepfather will be out here to visit in about three weeks. I really wanted my mom to see my clematis in bloom. As of right now they haven't set buds yet, so I'm thinking it isn't going to happen... not unless we get three weeks of ridiculously nice weather, and odds are slim that Oregon's weather will cooperate that way! Oh well... hopefully the African Violets will look nice for her.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Seeds are planted!

I can't believe I forgot to mention this yesterday! It took 8 trips down to the dumpster, but I got all of my flower boxes cleaned out. My arms felt like rubber after I was done, but I really wanted to get them all filled with dirt and the seeds in them last night. It's been crazy downpouring here all day every day, and I had to take advantage of it letting up for a second or who knows when the seeds would get planted.

It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would, and the rains actually held off until the wee hours of the morning.

I couldn't get the tomatoes and tomatillos planted in flower boxes yet, though. I started jiffy pellets in my office and put them there. They'll get much better light in my office, and it'll be fun to watch them progressing every day. I just hope it isn't too late in the season to get them started. Most tomato growers have huge seedlings that they're putting the ground around now. I'm 6-8 weeks behind schedule, which might mean that I'll be dealing with the weather getting cold right when my tomatoes should be ripening, which would really suck.

Oh well... now it's just a game of wait and see.

In other news, I was dismayed to see that my clematis already have aphids on them. Dammit. I cleaned off all the ones I saw, but hopefully some kind aphid-eating insects will come and take care of them for me!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

African Violet Updates

These are a few weeks old, I just haven't had a chance to post them until now.

Started a new leaf in hydroton under the grow light in the office.
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Here's how the three plants are looking:
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Here's a close up of the bloom:
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Now here's everything that's going on at home:
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Can you tell I've discovered the digital macro setting on my camera since the last time I posted African Violet updates?

Balcony and clematis updates

Lots of buds on the Asao (the one on the trellis), great new growth on everything else. Looking forward to having a lot of color out there this year!

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Here's that little baby cherry tree I started in November of 2007:
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You can practically see it getting bigger by the day.
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And here is the whole balcony:
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Christmas Day

Okay, I know. I'm terrible. I haven't posted in forever. I have a good excuse, though - it's impossible to take pictures of my m...