Garden Update

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I am almost maxed out on what I can do in terms of gardening for now: I don’t know if I have ever described where I garden.The deck: My garden is located in zone 5a. Part of what I am growing is an experiment to learn more about gardening this far north. Because I rent the vast majority of my gardening must be done in containers. All but half a dozen or so of these containers hold 2.5 gallons or more of soil. With the exception of potatoes, all of my gardening is done on a deck that is roughly 25 ft X 10 feet.

I have containers two and three deep around most of the edge of the deck surface. The deck also serves as an extension of my living space and holds two chairs and a bench which are nestled in among the plants. The deck is 3 steps up from ground level and I have another row of containers along the front edge of the deck. I also have pots sitting on the deck railing which is about 6 inches wide. The deck is located on the eastern side of the duplex where I live and is shaded somewhat by a large pine tree to the south.

I spent today moving some things around and planting/transplanting. To take a tour of my garden behind the cut. I may have missed a few things tucked into corners of other pots but this is fairly complete listing of what I have growing.

Sitting on the bench outside my windows. Starting from my left:

bowl with two white geraniums in bloom, mint and some fading violas which will soon be pulled
in front of this first container is a triangle shaped planter with two oregano plants and white stock
next to that container is a pot with bok choy
behind that container is a bowl with orange mint, 2 lavender plants and lemon verbena
next up is a pot of dirt where I just planted Indian Gherkin cucumbers
in front of that pot is a container with lemon basil and an Ace sweet pepper
next to that a pot with bean plants from a mixed bean package of seeds
behind the beans a container with 3 rhubarb plants, nasturtiums, and a wimpy looking anise hyssop
next to that another just planted container with Sweeter Yet cucumbers
in front of that a pot of bright lights Swiss chard
in front of that a small container of stonewort from last year
behind that a container with St. John’s wort and Texas tarragon
behind that Easter egg blend radishes, sugar snap peas, and nasturtiums

This brings us to the front edge of the deck where there are:
two containers of peppers (Ace, Valencia orange, cubanelle, and Big Bertha)
in front of that a container with three kinds of thyme and marjoram
next to those two containers of onions (mixed red, yellow, and white) for green onions
a container of carrots
next to that rattlesnake beans and zinnia seedlings (to be transplanted)
next to that viola and Callie deep yellow petunias
in front of that two pots of peppers (one with purple bell and one with ancho chilis) and marigolds and a Thai basil
on the rail behind these a container with two lavender plants and one of two red and one white geraniums

This brings us to the steps. Working from the steps toward the south:
The first pot has peas, mesclun, and two thyme plants
in front of that a pot of lemon balm and a pot with a broccoli plant and two kale plants
behind that a pot of mystery seedlings that I forgot to label
next to that a pot with a sees from a gourmet beet blend
in front of that another pot of mesclun (planted 2 weeks after the one above)
next to that a pot of chives
next to that a pot with a broccoli plant and two kale plants
behind that a pot of mixed spinach
on the rail behind these plants: a pot of eggplants and one of garlic

this brings us to the corner where there is a chair
moving along the south end of the deck
two containers of freckles lettuce and Genovese basil
three more containers with a broccoli plant and two kale plants
pot of parsley

another chair in the SW corner

pot of cilantro
pot of rosemary
pot with dog’s foot violet
pot of strawberry plants
on the rail on this end of the deck are various holiday cacti
this brings us to the door

on the north side of the door:
another pot of strawberries
a pot with three kinds of basil
a holiday cactus
a pot with chocolate and spearmint plants
another lemon balm plant

on the ground along the edge of the deck:
just planted patty pan squash seeds
baby bear pumpkins
sweet 100 tomatoes and marigolds
Roma tomatoes and marigolds
Sun gold tomatoes and marigolds
Mr Stripey and Striped Stuffer tomatoes with cinnamon basil
more super sweet 100 tomatoes
more Roma and sun sugar tomatoes
Black pineapple tomatoes with lemon basil
grape tomatoes and spicy globe basil
Juliet tomatoes
Striped Stuffer and Husky tomatoes
Coosa squash
Juanne Flamme tomatoes
Zucchini
Golden zucchini
just planted straight neck yellow squash

Out along the fence are various perennial salvias; hostas; lilies; day lilies; more lavender; potatoes; coreopsis; ferns; lily of the valley; fading greenery from daffodils, crocus, and tulips

There isn’t much more that I can do until the cool weather crops are finished and I replace them with more warm season things. Before calling it planted for now I want to:
add beans to the cucumber pots
add basil, calendula, or marigolds to the pepper pots
transplant the dill, fennel, sage and French tarragon somewhere
plant morning glories and sunflowers on the parking lot side of the fence
replace violas and snapdragons with more marigolds or calendula when they are spent

So far the harvest had consisted of some lettuce, a few green onions, some spinach and kale leaves, and herbs. My first strawberry is turning red but it will be some time before there is anything else new ready to eat. Too bad maple seeds are not edible. I am being buried in those.

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