Gardening, Take Two

Assuming I can find my camera cord: I just wanted to show you the jungle that grew on my back porch while I was gone:

Remember my little budding plants?

So...I'm growing stuff. I should have let Carrie know that she could harvest anything she wanted (maybe I'm taking a leap here that she would have WANTED anything). Since I was gone for a whole month my zucchini plants are run over with dead leaves, a lot of green beans have gone to waste, several of my radishes are so large they produced flowers and pods galore(guess I'll be saving some seeds for next year), and I missed a Gladiolus that actually decided to bloom (two died)!

As you can see, my tomato plant is 6 feet tall and happily producing. I also have green pepper, and more green beans! So I suppose I can count my first attempt at container gardening a success. Probably more-so when I am actually here for it!

Gardening, take one

I've been container gardening here in the southeast. Except for planting with my dad when I was young, I haven't done much gardening besides transplanting a few flowers into pots on my back porch these last few years. This year I wanted to have flowers but I decided I would also try and grow some produce. So I bought some snapdragons and planted my favorite, Gladiolus, in a big pot. (I recently bought some Morning Glory seeds, but needed some more soil) We also bought some strawberry plants and a green pepper and a tomato plant. My vegetable seeds included zucchini, cucumber, radish, green onion, green bean and pea plants. I have yet to plant my green beans and may have to save my pea plants for a cooler season (not sure about this). But I've planted all the others. I really wasn't sure what I was doing. I figured I was just going to have to try it out. So I tried to follow instructions on the seed packets (as best you can when using a container).

To my gigantic surprise 6 of my 7(or8) Gladiolus bulbs have sprouted. (Yes, I am subjecting you to pictures of my very boring, aka no flowers, plants)

Almost my whole row of radishes popped up. More recently, my green onions are making an appearance. (See their tiny green stalks in the back?)

I've been anxiously peering at the zucchini and cucumber pot for days. (Me: How long are these supposed to take? When did I plant them again anyway? I'm not sure how well this pot is draining - did I over water? How much sun are they getting? It's pretty shady on my balcony, but I can't put them any where else!) This morning though - it happened! There are plants popping up!

Holy crow! (Thanks Stephenie Meyer) Everything I've planted is making a valiant effort! Now I just have to keep them alive!

Spring is coming!

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest you may not feel like Spring is coming, but down here it is starting to warm up...and rain...and rain...and sun . . . and rain some more.

I am really looking forward to spring here with the Daffodils and Gladiolus I'm hoping to enjoy on my back porch:

Yes, I am planning on growing these myself although, after walking through Michaels craft store last weekend - past the rows of fake flowers - I am seriously considering an investment in the fake ones, to save me from testing out my not-so-green thumb.
However since I am planning on a small back-porch vegetable garden, maybe I'll suck it up this year. Actually, last year was the first year in a few I didn't grow ANY flowers so. . .
My little vegetable garden will probably look a lot like this. But I am pretty excited about it anyway. We'll probably even throw in a strawberry plant.
Anyway, I am looking forward to that and walking on a few new trails I discovered this week. Trail walking was supposed to happen today, but it was raining in the morning so I scrapped it. By the afternoon I was busy running around trying to find a pantry.
What are YOU looking forward to doing this spring?