I had a post last year about my little vegetable and herb garden. I was starting back after a long break. When I had a vegetable patch about 10 years ago, I had only cucumbers, okra and some cantaloupe. The crop was great, and we had to give away some of the produce. Then life got busy and I didn't pursue gardening at all for a few years. I did have a few succulents and a few flowers, but I didn't venture into vegetable growing.
Last year, a couple of great people inspired me into getting myself a raised bed. With the help of some muscle from my husband, who supports my whims and takes keen interest in the progress, we made trips to Home Depot and soon I had a cedar plank raised bed.
Advantages of cedar is that it is untreated wood, and it does not rot or get infested like other kinds of woods. A raised bed exposed to the elements will easily last about 7-10 years, I am told. The plank was 10 by 2 and 16 feet long. We got a bed of 6 by 2, giving me an area of about 12 square feet. The disadvantage of cedar is that it is a little expensive, and not all stores carry planks that size.
Soon, I had 2 cherry tomato plants growing really well in the bed, along with a Serrano pepper and a bell pepper plant. The other half of the bed was herbs. Genovese basil, Thai basil, and Sweet basil. There was also some Oregano that I barely saw until it was September, and some garlic chives that didn't make it beyond 2-3 weeks. I had overcrowded the bed without knowing it. The cherry tomato yield was fantastic, we had at least a bowlful of tomatoes everyday for two months. The peppers got crowded, and bell peppers didn't produce at all until fall, only after the tomatoes were pulled out, and it got a little cooler.
The herb garden was a big success. I even managed to get two jars of pesto from all the basil. Thai basil seasoned a lot of summer salads, noodles, and a healthy version of Basil fried rice. Chives, rosemary, and mint also made it to the kitchen every now and then. I got a little bit of lemon grass from a friend and that took root easily. Soon, it was a good bush. We had a mild winter, but lemongrass tea provided relief to neighbors and friends every time there was a complaint of a scratchy throat or a stuffed up nose.
I had planted zucchini squash earlier on in April, and it seemed to be growing well. It produced a lot of flowers, only male ones initially, and female flowers after about 6 weeks. Yet, it was a total failure. I didn't get even one squash from it. There were 4 plants and they grew enormous leaves and a great number of flowers, but no fruit. I am still not sure what went wrong.
These Zinnias as companion plants to the zucchini seemed to be doing very well.
Last year, a couple of great people inspired me into getting myself a raised bed. With the help of some muscle from my husband, who supports my whims and takes keen interest in the progress, we made trips to Home Depot and soon I had a cedar plank raised bed.
Advantages of cedar is that it is untreated wood, and it does not rot or get infested like other kinds of woods. A raised bed exposed to the elements will easily last about 7-10 years, I am told. The plank was 10 by 2 and 16 feet long. We got a bed of 6 by 2, giving me an area of about 12 square feet. The disadvantage of cedar is that it is a little expensive, and not all stores carry planks that size.
Soon, I had 2 cherry tomato plants growing really well in the bed, along with a Serrano pepper and a bell pepper plant. The other half of the bed was herbs. Genovese basil, Thai basil, and Sweet basil. There was also some Oregano that I barely saw until it was September, and some garlic chives that didn't make it beyond 2-3 weeks. I had overcrowded the bed without knowing it. The cherry tomato yield was fantastic, we had at least a bowlful of tomatoes everyday for two months. The peppers got crowded, and bell peppers didn't produce at all until fall, only after the tomatoes were pulled out, and it got a little cooler.
The herb garden was a big success. I even managed to get two jars of pesto from all the basil. Thai basil seasoned a lot of summer salads, noodles, and a healthy version of Basil fried rice. Chives, rosemary, and mint also made it to the kitchen every now and then. I got a little bit of lemon grass from a friend and that took root easily. Soon, it was a good bush. We had a mild winter, but lemongrass tea provided relief to neighbors and friends every time there was a complaint of a scratchy throat or a stuffed up nose.
I had planted zucchini squash earlier on in April, and it seemed to be growing well. It produced a lot of flowers, only male ones initially, and female flowers after about 6 weeks. Yet, it was a total failure. I didn't get even one squash from it. There were 4 plants and they grew enormous leaves and a great number of flowers, but no fruit. I am still not sure what went wrong.
These Zinnias as companion plants to the zucchini seemed to be doing very well.
These lovely bell peppers grew in late September after temperatures had cooled a little. I was happy with the size. I got a few more until December.
I have learned a few lessons and my vegetable garden this year will be a little bigger and hopefully the yield will be better than last year. There will be a few additions to the herb garden.
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