2018 Monster Garden: In progress...

Let's explore the garden of @creativetruth by looking first at what the initial plan was, and how it is developing.

This will be a progress update on my post from five months ago titled:
@CreativeTruth 2018 Monster Garden Plan

Here was the full design plan overview I initially made of our little suburban yard.

This garden essentially has 7 different areas I divided it into which were prepared for growing various kinds of vegetables, in addition to some areas where I grow some fruits which are more permanent in nature.

From top left to lower right, the 7 areas are as follows:

• The Bush Garden
• Grow Bag #1
• The Fence Nook Garden
• The Fence Garden
• Grow Bags #2 and #3
• The Tree Garden
• The Strawberry Garden

The Bush Garden & Grow Bag #1

Here's what my Bush Garden looks like recently.

All of May, it seems like the best two crops to grow have been #radish and #lettuce.

For the first two weeks of May, I planted lettuce seeds, only to find them dug up the next day by squirrels, so my plan was off to a bad start. Later on, I got smarter when I coated the seeds in cayenne and cinnamon, and covered the holes with wet sand.

Grow Bag #1 and my bucket composter, pictured above.

Currently, the #Brussels-sprouts from last season are forming #seed pods, which I am waiting to collect until they dry out.

The composter allows me to collect compost juices underneath, and it also self-produces new #tomato plants from the seeds of last season's scraps.

Above, Grow Bag #1 has about three #Roma #tomatoes that are showing signs of adapting to being transplanted. New leaves are forming on top. The #arugula is bolting and producing flower heads. #Peas here have been suffering from pest attacks, clearly the leaves have holes and the stems are shortened. Slowly the peas are starting to grow faster now that the stems and leaves have fully hardened off. A few herbs are sprouting here, but I have not been able to identify which ones I planted there yet.

I found out there is a type of arugula sometimes called Spanish Cross. Here, the flowers definitely resemble the ancient cruciform symbol.

Also I purchased some #Corsican #mint because I love the scent, and it adapted immediately after being transplanted. I am not sure if it is as tasty as #peppermint and #spearmint, but I enjoy this variety because it wafts into the surrounding air more than other mints, and you can walk on it without damaging the stems and leaves. I doubt it will overwinter, but it might now that I am allowing the little roots into the earth. Having this spread as a ground cover around this part of the yard where mostly leaves from the bushes fall or tree seeds sprout would be okay with me, and it is easy to pluck out if necessary.

Fence Nook Garden & Fence Garden

This image should be redrawn to better show the true location of my Fence Nook Garden. The grapevine plant is in a pot further to the front, which you will see below, with the #cabbages and some #onions growing in the corner of the fence behind it.

Beside the #grapevine on the left are #green-onions.

Green onions win the prize as the easiest thing to grow this year. All I did was buy the fresh produce, cut the tops off, stick them in water, and they were ready to transplant as soon as outdoor temperatures were warm enough. Already they are bigger than they were when I bought them from the grocery store, and ready to be harvested whenever I like.

Fun Fact: Did you know there is a Rhythm & Blues song called Green Onions? It is awesome! One of my favorite songs to dance West Coast Swing to because the slippery beats feel smooth with the slick footwork.

Behind the grapes is my Nook Garden.

This area is actually kind of pathetic as it is the first year I have attempted to grow anything here. It receives the least amount of sunlight and stays very wet and cool. The soil is very thick with mud and clay. It is still adapting to the wood chips and compost that I have been layering over it. There are some dinky starts happening here, but overall, the tree seeds are growing faster than I can pick them out.

Below, you can see a few of the #corn shoots are starting to develop. I decided to sow the corn across the entire plot in front of the fence, because not many of the seeds were sprouting initially.

Today I counted about 10 corn sprouts appearing out of the soil. Little tiny leaves are also appearing that I think are the #beans, but they are too small to see. I may need to sow the beans again this weekend. Temperatures are getting warmer, closer to the 80's, and 50's at night. Sometimes seedlings get a bad start if sown when the weather is too cold.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, yes we will be getting grapes for the first time this year. Whoohoo! My family will thank me one day for this. These #grapes are called Venus.

Grow Bags #2 and #3

This part of the garden is the only one that seems to be developing exactly according to the plan. Everything is growing prolifically with every inch of space going to good use.

On the left is Grow Bag #2. It isn't quite as full as the other one, because the type of #arugula I am growing here is the wild variety, which started out very small, and fewer of them survived. Now they are looking much larger.

Here you see #sunflower sprouts, #clover, #vetch, wild #arugula, and #peas.

#Herbs started growing in the back.

Starlight Dancer #tobacco should produce fragrant white blossoms to attract pollinators.

Out of the list of items shown on my plan for this bed, I chose to focus on growing cherry (Rapunzel) #tomatoes here, and #poblano as my peppers.

This tomato is showing good signs that it will have a very sturdy stem, capable of holding tons of fruit. The deep green leaves are telling me that the new roots have really settled in after the plant was transplanted, and now it is capable of receiving the nutrients within the soil.

To the right, is Grow Bag #3. Lucky number three? Third time's the charm, because this bed is fully loaded.

In the center, I have #sunflower, #peas, #clover, and a #banana pepper growing. None of my #peppers have really adapted to the climate yet. In my climate, peppers tend to grow lots of roots in early summer until the sun gets really hot, and then it returns to growing more leaves, and eventually forms flowers and fruit. Many of my indoor peppers are in the garage waiting to be transplanted, and they too have stopped growing new leaves.

Got some #herbs growing here in a few areas. I'll have to wait for the leaves to develop before I can identify them with a taste test.

The peas are zooming up to the sky. They are in bloom, and I've already harvested a few pods. Very sweet and juicy crisp!

Perfume #tobacco is another flowering variety. It should produce multiple colors of flowers that smell sweet. I am not sure if it will produce different colors on one plant, or if the seeds are a mixture of color varieties for different flowers. We'll have to wait and find out. Won't be long, because this is starting to kick into high gear and growing much faster.

Above, you can see what this area looked like two weeks ago. Pictured in front you can more clearly see the #beefsteak tomatoes after they were transplanted. I have trouble with the large tomatoes, as they need more sunlight and heat. I only had one that grew well indoors this year. Hopefully it will kick back into gear soon.

Let's check out the front yard next...

The Tree Garden & Strawberry Garden

There are two large trees providing more shade here than I predicted when I made my garden plan for this area. We have a Sumac tree that shades the Tree Garden, and a Maple tree that shades the Strawberry Garden.

This is the Tree Garden. Beside it grows a #gooseberry bush I planted near the juniper. I planted three rows of #carrots under some black sand, and four rows of #lettuce, #turnips, and #radishes in the spaces between.

The only thing that isn't growing well is the turnips. I'll have to try sowing them once more this weekend. I think the slugs like to go after the first tender leaves and stem, which is why they aren't lasting. Everything else looks great here.

On the porch behind the house, I have some Lady #lavender growing. Eventually I want to plant it somewhere near where the pumpkins will grow, because I think it will help keep the moths from laying eggs for caterpillars to eat the leaves. I'm not so sure this front yard will work though, because it is getting so much more shade this year. The front yard only gets full sun in the late afternoon until sunset. Next year, I might have to consider growing pumpkin in the backyard, which will be a sunnier place for lavender to grow.

Speaking of #pumpkin, this is what my pumpkin vine looked like three weeks ago.

This is what I call my Strawberry Garden area along the front sidewalk.

I have to put these huge cages around my pumpkins vines because otherwise the squirrels will scratch at them, dig them up, and chew the buds off, all the way down through the stem. Pumpkins are my White Buffalo, which I am determined to conquer. This is the third year I have challenged myself to grow them from seed.

The inner soil is the bed for the pumpkins to grow in, with a layer of compost crust on top. On the sides, I have unharvested carrots that I allowed to overwinter. When the roots rot out, it should help feed the roots of the pumpkins, and provide crawl spaces for roots and worms to funnel through.

Most of my indoor pumpkins did not survive being transplanted outside, so I started sowing more seeds directly into the soil. I had about five new seedling sprouting, but the slugs got to them. I planted some more seeds in the soil a few days prior to finding these ones, so I am going to watch and see if a second set of sprouts appear later this week. One more pumpkin is in the garage waiting to be transplanted, but it hasn't shown any signs of growth, which tells me it problably hasn't finished hardening off, or the temperatures are still too low. That is probably why most of my transplants struggled.

The good news is that this pumpkin, the same one that was flowering a few weeks earlier, has developed new dark green healthy leaves. It's recovering!

Any day now the #carrots in this area should start to flower, and then they will go to seed. These are hybrid carrots, so I am not sure what type of seeds they will make. If they make volunteers, I can use them to continue to root deeper down into the improved clay soil, but the carrots from the seeds might taste as good as their parents did. Fortunately, the worms won't care what they taste like. They'll eat anything!

This is the #strawberries growing nearby. I grow Ft. Laramie and Hood strawberries.

When the strawberries are 90% red, that is the best time to pick them from the garden, and eat them fresh. Wait any longer, and you are more likely to end up with holes in them from the birds or bugs. Sometimes I try to rotate or flip the berries over so the white side gets more sunlight. Surrounding the berries with mulch, like wood chips or straw is a good idea, as it gives the berries a nice dry place, so they won't rot or grow fungus on wet soil.

Today I picked three ripe #berries, and they all tasted like a strawberry should taste, and juicy.

Thank you for viewing my entire garden plan update. It's coming along mostly according to plan.

Followers of me also enjoy my frequent updates on my collection of various #bonsai trees I am growing. I like to give tips and tricks, and talk about my strategies as I learn more about this hobby. The trees teach me many things. Sometimes even lessons about life and people.

My preference has always been to grow as many native plants as possible. It is a lot of fun learning how to grow trees that are best adapted to survive in my home climate.

Enjoy the last of the #azalea blooms. Aloha!