Home improvement, gardening, upcycling, arts and crafts: proving a streetcar-suburb homestead in the lungs of Seattle.

This is rarely a "How-to" blog and more of an "I did" journal, a record of the ideas, innovations, and renovations that go into my DIY-lifestyle.

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140 posts tagged garden

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The brown paper pots were an excellent idea, but not very useful. In just two weeks, basically all of the bottoms of the pots have decomposed without a trace. I’m looking into getting plastic pots for the next round. Also, I think some of my seedlings aren’t getting enough water. Maybe I should start over-watering and trust that the drainage is good.

The brown paper pots were an excellent idea, but not very useful. In just two weeks, basically all of the bottoms of the pots have decomposed without a trace. I’m looking into getting plastic pots for the next round.

Also, I think some of my seedlings aren’t getting enough water. Maybe I should start over-watering and trust that the drainage is good.

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Four tomato seedlings after their first spell outside (about three hours in the walls o’ water this afternoon). These are Taxi, Black Prince, Sun Gold, and Indigo Rose varieties.

Four tomato seedlings after their first spell outside (about three hours in the walls o’ water this afternoon). These are Taxi, Black Prince, Sun Gold, and Indigo Rose varieties.

To-Do List

I’m going out of town for a few weeks starting on Saturday evening, so here’s what I hope to accomplish by then:

Monday/Tuesday

  • Clean out hen house
  • Make outdoor potting soil
  • Transplant Tophat blueberry into large blue ceramic pot
  • Transplant other three blueberries into large nursery pots (temporary)
  • Plant new six shrub roses in hedge line
  • Harden off handful of tomato seedlings in Wall O’Water cones
  • Water downstairs seedling trays
  • Plant lettuce, carrots, and more radishes outside
  • Move remaining potted strawberries to back yard around huckleberries 
  • Re-pot raspberries whose pots have disintegrated

Wednesday/Thursday/Friday

  • Plant first tomato seedlings

We’ll see how it all goes.

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Set up the Wall O’ Water season extenders today, to start warming up the ground for tomatoes. I’ll start hardening the first batch off Monday, and hopefully drop them in the ground on Thursday. I found a local article from a guy in Seattle who puts his tomatoes out in Walls O’ Water on April 1 every year, so here goes hoping that mine do a well as his. If not, though, I have more seedlings to take the place of any that fail.

Set up the Wall O’ Water season extenders today, to start warming up the ground for tomatoes. I’ll start hardening the first batch off Monday, and hopefully drop them in the ground on Thursday.

I found a local article from a guy in Seattle who puts his tomatoes out in Walls O’ Water on April 1 every year, so here goes hoping that mine do a well as his. If not, though, I have more seedlings to take the place of any that fail.

“Angel Wings” miniature roses planted April 11, in origami newspaper pots. They have a lower germination temperature than the vegetable seeds, so I have them in the dining room.

I planted all 24 seeds in the packet, so hopefully I’ll get at least 12 plants from this batch. They’ll all stay in pots and containers, some on the homestead, some for gifts, and some for work.

Over-wintered Swiss chard: in the garden and sautéed with bacon and onions.

I transplanted one tray of the Round I tomato seedlings to larger containers this evening.  This tray contained Sun Gold, Taxi, Black Prince, and Indigo Rose varieties. All are very vigorous, and I’m loving the very dark green/purple leaves on the Indigo Rose plants.  If the tomatoes are as lovely as the leaves, they’ll be amazing!

All are planted in 4”x4” origami pots made out of chicken feed bags. A few are planted in leftover homemade seed starting soil (equal parts worm castings, perlite, sifted compost, and coco coir), but most are planted in a homemade secondary soil (equal parts worm castings, sifted compost, and coco coir). 

Most seedlings had three sets of true leaves. I stripped the lower set off and buried the plant in dirt up to half an inch or so below the middle pair, then mulched the top with my go-to Soil-Building Compost that I use as mulch. Then I watered them thoroughly.

The roots are very well-developed: some seedlings had to be pried apart from their neighbors.  I probably should have transplanted them a week or two ago.  Also, I noticed that even though I’d soaked the top thoroughly, the lower dirt of many seedlings were dry.  Needs moar water! 

Now, to note this and several other garden events in my paper 2013 garden calendar, which I’ve gotten behind in updating…

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After four years, I’ve finally decided what to plant along the northern property line: roses! These are two one-year-old Rosa rugosa plants, one red/purple variety and one white one. I’d originally planned to plant wild roses in this area, but the helpful folks at Walt’s Organic Fertilizer made me realize that Rosa rugosa is what I think of as a wild rose: fragrant, hardy, and attractive to bees and humans alike. I’ll probably plant a few more along this area to make a proper short hedge that doubles as a pollination border. I’ll probably also keep letting strawberries take over the area as a ground cover; they’re vibrant and attractive, so why fight them!

After four years, I’ve finally decided what to plant along the northern property line: roses! These are two one-year-old Rosa rugosa plants, one red/purple variety and one white one.

I’d originally planned to plant wild roses in this area, but the helpful folks at Walt’s Organic Fertilizer made me realize that Rosa rugosa is what I think of as a wild rose: fragrant, hardy, and attractive to bees and humans alike.

I’ll probably plant a few more along this area to make a proper short hedge that doubles as a pollination border. I’ll probably also keep letting strawberries take over the area as a ground cover; they’re vibrant and attractive, so why fight them!

Today’s Chicken-Richment: cracked corn poured over a bale of straw.

I broke up the winter-rain-packed soil with a cultivating fork, and raked it into some semblance of level. I walked back and forth across the raked areas in a herringbone pattern to better see what areas needed to be flattened or filled. I sprinkled a pound of Envirolawn mix over the entire raked area. I'll probably throw some more clover in there in a week or two, if I feel like it. The last step was to put up a construction barrier to keep dogs and people out while the grass takes hold.

Reseeding a quarter of the back yard.  This is the area I spent a bunch of time sifting and leveling out last fall, and it’s just sat all winter.  Today I broke up the soil, raked and tamped it out level, and planted an EnviroLawn mix that supposedly I won’t have to water and will only have to mow a few times a year.  Since I just want the back yard to not be a dirt pile, I think it will work well.

Now, you might be wondering about my choice of planting a lawn on my urban farm. I’ve indeed thought about a lot of different options for this area,  but I want the yard to be functional again for hanging out in, for drying clothes, and for not looking horrible.  I have not given up my long-term plans for a raingarden-patio-pond paradise in the back yard, but this will at least make it a pleasant place to spend time in while I work on that goal.

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More blueberry plants, purchased from Orchards Nursery in Stanwood. Three are patio or half-high varieties, and one is a high bush variety for the back yard. I’ll hopefully have time and pots to get them “in the ground” sometime this week.

More blueberry plants, purchased from Orchards Nursery in Stanwood. Three are patio or half-high varieties, and one is a high bush variety for the back yard. I’ll hopefully have time and pots to get them “in the ground” sometime this week.

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Round I tomatoes are thriving, though one tray more than the other. I need to figure out why.

Round I tomatoes are thriving, though one tray more than the other. I need to figure out why.

New blueberry is in the ground — or rather, in the pot.

March sprouts: garlic, peas, and clover are all out of the ground!

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Some lovely true leaves on some Round I tomato seedlings.

Some lovely true leaves on some Round I tomato seedlings.

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