The balcony garden

Ok so I can't keep my fingers out of the dirt. I admit it.

I just got done repotting my succulent collection into one big pot. It looks like a mini-prehistoric forest now.

And we couldn't be without at least one tomato plant. We are trying to see if it will grow all they way around the railing, up the side and over the top then back down the post before the frost kills it in the fall.

Of course we are also looking forward to yummy "Sweet 100" tomatoes too.

Greenhouse greens

Lettuce

Beets

Swiss Chard

These should all have been grown outside in the garden. But necessity is the mother of . . . well adjusting. Lydia and I have been growing our spring greens in the greenhouse. Lydia has to check the beds and the flats everyday to be sure the soil isn't too wet or too dry. It's been a real learning experience for her. She has been a real trouper. 

This week with warmer weather we've taken the doors off the greenhouse to increase the circulation. We'll be pulling the greens soon and planting tomatoes, peppers and green beans. . .

Oh and waiting for it to stop raining so we can work outside in the garden. :^)

Learning a new climate

No not the apartment climate, silly. Though balcony gardening is on my to do list when we get moved in. In the mean time, I'm reading about how to garden in the wild, wet and oh so wonderful Willamette Valley. Why, you may ask, would I want to know such a thing? Well, it's not exactly a secret that Brian and I want to move to Oregon when Brian completes his undergraduate work and starts his grad work. So I'm getting a jump on the learning curve or gardening curve in this case.

Steve Solomon should know what he's talking about he's spent lots of time living and gardening in Oregon. In fact he founded Territorial Seed Company. So I am gleaning new knowledge for my future garden. At the same time, I've found quite a few tips and tricks that will work here in the midwest, so I'm passing those on to my daughter and son.  One question he hasn't answered yet is: what do you do about the giant Banana Slugs!?! Just thinking about them gives me the creeps. Yuck!!