Raised Beds and More Garden Updates for 2014

Driveway garden

It has been so long since I updated my blog with photos from our home garden, so this post will be for that.  Our new garden plot is keeping me busy, running back and forth every few days to water.  It was nice to be able to stay home this morning and take a few photos, walk around the yard with coffee cup in hand enjoying all that is blooming and growing. The weather is fantastic today, nice and warm.
This first photo shows the garden we always have along the driveway.  I planted 5 tomatoes here and still have room for more once I pull out the kale and swiss chard. It is just now beginning to bolt so I will harvest what I can and then remove it today.  We have the full moon and I want to plant the rest of the tomatoes this evening before it begins to wane. Remember: don't plant anything on April 20-21. Planting by the Moon

Ponderosa

Green Zebra

San Marzano

Cherokee Purple

Black Krim

Lacinato Kale

Giant Mustard

Lacinato Kale, Swiss Chard Onions and more Swiss Ruby Chard

Raised bed in citrus grove with Kale, Swiss Chard, Carrots, Beets, and 4 newly planted tomatoes.  1 of each of Bi-Color Cherry, Brown Cherry, Sun Drop and Green Grape.

This shows our new "L" shaped raised beds.  The left side is planted with Eversweet strawberries, an everbearing plant that is supposed to grow and produce fruit from summer through the fall months.  This is Tony's new project, hopefully the birds will let him have a few. He also planted our strawberry pot with a dozen plants!

The new tomato cages will support 1 of each of Southern Night, Chocolate Stripe, Flame or Hillbilly, Gold Medal, and Goliath. 

Eversweet Strawberries

Loquat fruit

 The loquat grows towards the end of the driveway and is loaded with fruit this year. These should be ready to pick in a couple more weeks; usually in early May.

This is the rose at the end of the driveway.  I bought a seedling of this rose from an old German man about 3-4 years ago. NO kidding this rose was just a foot tall when I planted it and has grown this big in just 4 years.  He couldn't remember the name but told me it was an old variety that he always took cuttings of and grew to sell.  I am so glad that he did!

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
- Emma Goldman

Rainy Day and Vegetable Beds

I'm afraid this will be the only sun I can show you shining on my garden today.  The rains have finally come to Southern California; if the weather man is correct it sounds like we will have about three days worth. I took a quick walk to take a few photos of the beds and to cut a lot of the lettuces before the rain beats down so hard that they get muddy.  We are forecast for some hail and I don't want it to ruin the leaves of the kale and swiss chard, so I cut as much as I think we will need for the week.

Bed 1, Kale and Beets

Bed 2, Swiss Chard and lettuces

Bed 3, Snow peas.  Also in this bed is newly seeded Cilantro, Arugula, Radishes and more Onion Sets

Oak Leaf Lettuce. Ruby Red Swiss Chard to the right

Mache (or Corn Salad), Red Sails, Tango Lettuce Leaf and Spring Onions

more Red Sails, Tango, and cilantro popping up in back

this is a blend of Asian greens, includes Arugula, Chinese cabbage, Japanese Spinach, Mizuna (mustard) , mustard greens red and green, Ruby Streaks mustard, and Tatsoi Bok Choy.  A nice blend of mild an spicy salad greens that is also nice to add to soups.

Nero Toscana or Italian Lacinato Kale; also known as Dino Kale

Garlic and Bok Choy seedlings

Onions and more greens seedlings. 

Seedling progress. These will go in the garden in March. Peppers and tomatoes.

Tomato and Summer Squash seedlings

Swiss Chard, Kale, Arugula and Cilantro backups

Nasturtiums coming up on front bank and under grapefruit tree. I like to save a lot of the fresh seeds to pickle and use like capers. The flowers are wonderful in salads or stuffed with an herb goat cheese.   I am happy that they reseed freely!

Lavatera (tree mallow-malva) in the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden along our driveway

Rain

The rain is raining all around,
It falls on field and tree,
It rains on the umbrellas here,
And on the ships at sea.

- Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1895).
Scottish essayist, novelist and poet.

Raccoon Update and Veggie Seedlings

 

Hoping this will keep the raccoons away!

Hallelujah! We finally have a solution to the raccoon  raids.  We put chicken wire on the tops of the short fences and I sewed them on with wire!!  Of course, now I can't get in them either but this was all the resources I had at the time, and I was desperate. I have replanted most of the seeds (3 times) and we are seeing new sprouts!

Bed 1, swiss chard, kale and beet

Bed 2 asst lettuce and radishes (this is the one I planted 3 times, they really wiped this bed out completely)

I am sure that more seeds will pop up where they weren't planted from all the digging the raccoons did and probably will also have seeds sprouting around the outside.  They threw so much soil out when digging that there will be seeds there too.  On a positive note, we are having wonderful warm weather to help my seedlings along.  I am hoping to have plenty of goodies for the Thanksgiving Day table.

Bed 3, Spinach, Rutabaga, Kohlrabi and Snow Peas (you can see where I reseeded, plants are smaller)

I have planted Brussel Sprouts along the bed next to the driveway. I purchased seedlings and these have been in about a month now and are doing very well.

 

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Anaheim, Poblano, Pimiento and asst color Bell Peppers in this bed. I am still harvesting every few days.

poblano pepper

poblano pepper

purple bell pepper

purple bell pepper

yellow bell pepper

Anaheim peppers

I have two Eggplant plants that have given me 4 eggplants so far.  I have 7 almost ready to pick and the plants are still setting flowers.  Seems late for these but they are thriving in the warmer weather we are having.

This plant has 5 just about ready for harvest

I will leave you with a few photos of my flowers blooming in the front beds.

Mexican Sunflower Torch Plant (tithonia rotundifolia)

The butterflies LOVE tithonia

Orange petite Zinnia

Cosmos (Sensation Blend)

Cosmos (Bright Lights)

 These orange and yellow cosmos are called Bright Lights and are from Botanical Interests. One of my favorite fall plants. They reseed freely (very freely) and come up each year wherever the seed landed the year before; and are a delight to see when most plants have finished blooming.  The finches love the seeds from these flowers and hang themselves almost up side down to get the seeds.  The weight of the little birds pulls down the flower and they hang there pulling out the seeds. I just love to watch them and keep plenty of these plants just for them.  They also love the lavender Cosmos for the seeds as well.

more Bright Lights next to the tithonia

Happy Autumn to all!