Sunday, April 12, 2015

Bits and Peices from our Garden

I took Photos yesterday of things going on out back. Ralph was filling pots and we mowed the  lawn. We also planted new ginger.

We have been using lawn clippings to control weed growth between the rows. It seems to work quite well if we add a moderate amount each time we mow. At season end it tills in wonderfully.

It is not really thick and dries almost like hay. It leaves a nice mat to walk on. This is where our potatoes are. Last summer we had tomatoes, peanuts, peppers.  okra and zucchini in this area.

Stonehead Cabbage.

 Packman Broccoli


This is our cold hardy Kiwi. It was given to us last year when a friend cleaned up his yard. It looked dead for most of the summer but finally got some growth. It is an insane vine and twists itself all over anything it is near. It is looking healthy and has started to show leaves. It is still odd as it twists even when it is not on anything but we are hopeful.



The 2015 Ginger tub. The IGA had huge healthy ginger hands so we got two and planted them yesterday.There were a good number of shoots starting to show. So now I  have my BIG blue house plant next to me in the window. It is still too cold for it to be outside. It won't stay ot overnight until late May or early June.

You can see the bud on this piece of  ginger. It is such fun to grow and I am still using our own ginger from last year. This year  want to learn how to make candied ginger to store.

Here Ralph is covering the pieces of ginger with fresh potting mix. He put a good amount over the top and pressed it down firmly.


 It was fun carrying this tub to the front step and then into the house. It is heavy! We love these muck tubs though and use them for a lot of things. To mix potting soil and dirt, to make it easier to fill pots and of course to plant our weirder plants in.

And at days end we had a glimpse of a lovely Red-winged Black bird. I was lucky enough to get this photo...I tried for another one but as you can tell it didn't quite work out!



Now  happy spring everyone and Think green and growing!





7 comments:

  1. I need to get a pot of ginger growing as well. Thank you for the inspiration.

    Fern

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do you plant ginger like potatoes - cut sections with a bud? I would love to try, but I don't know that there is any place to put it inside in the winter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Look at my blog post from November 15th, 2014...it tells about our experiments with ginger. Try one small pot, maybe the size of an ice cream bucket? There were a couple of small hands when we got the hands we planted here...you do have to check for sprouts...some ginger has been sprayed to inhibit the sprouts.

      Delete
  3. You grow Ginger too! That is way too cool! What a great idea too about the lawn clippings to put between the rows! Hope you are having a blessed weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm interested in your use of grass clippings between rows. We have an ongoing battle with slugs. Do you think the clippings would encourage or hinder them or not make any difference?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ralph is not sure about using it for slug control but he knows he found a site with great organic pest control products and is looking it up. We have slugs here but they do not seem to hinder the vegetable garden.
      We like how the clippings worked in after being on the garden and walked on all summer.

      Delete
    2. Ralph found this site....they have a great selection of organic pest controls for things like slugs.

      http://www.arbico-organics.com/product/slug-magic-snail-control-iron-phosphate/pest-solver-guide-slugs-snails

      Delete