My photo
Oak Harbor, Washington, United States

Friday, July 10, 2009

Almost done...

I finished Wall #4 yesterday! Well...almost. I have about 1 1/2 rows still to do. But it is so nice to see it really shaping up. So for this wall Mrs. Rawls suggested the I do vertical rows. It was a fabulous idea! In the wall, things naturally grow up so they should easily keep their vertical lines.

I did a brief inventory in my mind of what we had and what could go in the wall. A lot of what I was planning to use several weeks ago has now been planted in other places. But that's ok. I was still able to work with what we had. Last year all of the Alyssum that we planted in the Quilted Garden went to seed and we were blessed with an abundance of it this year. It didn't exactly flow with the design so we dug it up and repotted it. It's been a lifesaver! It works very well in the wall and we have plenty. :-)
I have discovered that Thyme is fabulous in the wall! It just grows right up and fills out. It's been amazing to watch how fast things grow in the wall. On Wednesday I planted some Thyme and Petunias. When I went into work on Thursday morning they had already started to grow up! I couldn't believe it! I am looking forward to seeing what it will be like by next week! Also...we have tomatoes growing!

Until next time.... Wall #4

The strawberries almost reach the ground!!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Update!

Ok so it's been a while since I posted anything about how the gardens are doing. Part of it is because I haven't actually seen the gardens in a while with so much other stuff going on. But between yesterday and this morning I was able to really evaluate them and get some good pics. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to do any actual gardening in a while.

It has been very hard to keep things wet with the dry spell we've had, so I have to say that, in spite of the "draught", things are doing very well! The wall is really starting to fill out! The only drawback is that some things have gone to seed and I haven't had time to replace them. The Joi Choi and Mustard have both gone to seed and I suspect the lettuce will soon. No worries! But do keep in mind if you ever choose to plant these things in your wall (if you decide to take on such a challenge) that you will need to plan for succession plants. You may decide against it because it would have to be replanted several times a year. That is why we chose against an entire wall of lettuce. Could you imagine planting a wall of lettuce three times each year?! Talk about time consuming!

I think my favorite part of the wall right now is the pansies in the walkway. They are all blooming right now and are so beautiful! I also started on my next wall. However, you only get a small glimpse of what it will be like. (Just because it's not done yet. ;-) But I hope to finish that this week. I think that's all I have for now. I plan to do another update soon when I have spent more time working with my hands. :-)
The Warm Side

The Cool Side

Wall #1

Wall #2

Pansy Arch

Wall #3

Wall #4 (A glimpse of what's to come.)