It’s winter planting season, and the weather has changed like a roller coaster this week in the Charleston, SC area. From a low of 17 during the Polar Vortex (which dipped this far south) to a high of 73 only three days later! Walking through my garden this weekend, I felt like Goldilocks. This week’s garden pictures!
It’s definitely cooled off in my garden this week. We had one night that the temperature got down to 36 degrees. Thankfully, my garden did well. However, this week the forecast calls for two nights below freezing. It’s time to pull out the drop cloths to see if I can keep my peppers ripening for a little while longer. This weekend I harvested so much that I’m going to share my harvest pictures with you in my next post. Today, here are pictures from my garden!
Well, the long weekend is over. I used it to get some much needed rest as well as work on some changes to this website. (I’m hoping to have all the changes in place by month end.) We did get a few more rain storms over the weekend – like we needed more rain! I think yesterday was the first day without rain in almost two weeks, and I was able to trim the dead branches from my tomato plants. I also took the opportunity to take some pictures of how the garden looks. See the garden!
It’s been a crazy week at Sanctuary Garden! I harvested all of my white onions and watermelon radishes, the rest of my fingerling potatoes, bowls of lettuce and kale, and the first of my green beans, wax beans, cubanelle peppers, green bell peppers, and pepperoncini. That’s the joyous side of gardening. Unfortunately, I also had to go to war against Septoria Leaf Spot on my tomatoes and several insects (leaf-footed bug and adult squash borer, then found a couple stink bugs) to prevent an invasion. But my garden is growing, flowering (like the male pumpkin flower shown above – complete with ants fertilizing it), and fruiting…and that makes it all worth it. Come take a look!
It’s been a wonderful week here at my Sanctuary Garden. The weather hasn’t been too hot – in the upper 70s to lower 80s most of the week. The sky has threatened rain several times, but never kept its forecasted promise. So, I’ve had to break out the hose and water. At least the clouds have kept it cooler. The garden is filling in and looking lush! Things are growing, fruit is popping, and flowers are blossoming (like my hydrangeas pictured above). Come take a look!
We’re finally drying out a bit here, and it got quite hot (high 80s) for a few days. I’m battling new bugs (aphids on the snow peas and whiteflies on a couple tomato plants), but the neem oil seems to be working, thankfully. In preparing for this week’s update, I was amazed at the amount of growth in my plants just since last week. (The above picture is a view of most of my beds.) Green and growing? Then all is well! Take a look!
It’s been a whirlwind four-day weekend for me, and I’m not finished yet! I harvested, cleaned, and put up purple top and golden globe turnips, turnip greens, beet greens, kale, spinach, watermelon and daikon radishes, two beds of carrots, and over 90 heads of lettuce! Then, with the help of my Garden Wilson (oh, yard boy!), I added mushroom compost into my beds; and we put up the trellises. The above picture shows 12 of my beds, ready for planting. (Garlic in the foreground and onions in the background aren’t ready for harvest yet.) I spent the rest of the weekend planting – but I still have more to do. Come see what’s new!
The weather is finally warming up in the Charleston, SC area! In fact, it’s been in the upper 70’s to lower 80’s the past few days. Typical Lowcountry spring – we jump right into the warm weather. My garden is loving it, as you can see above in the picture of my Purple Top turnips. Now that it’s warm, it’s a busy time in my Sanctuary Garden. Come take a look!
Yes, that is ice in that picture! We experienced some real winter here at my Sanctuary Garden last night! I went to bed with a small dusting of snow on my car and woke up to ice in my water buckets! Not a big deal for this Yankee, but I was concerned for my plants. Unfortunately, I lost the asparagus again. It was so cold, that even under the covering, my new batch of asparagus spears froze. However, everything else in the garden is looking pretty good. Take a look!
There’s more green in my sanctuary garden since last week. Inside, my seedlings are growing up and moving out of the nursery; I’ve already transplanted 20 seedlings into larger containers. Outside, we had two inches of much needed rain! But also, I tried something new that I think has contributed to a difference in my plants. Come, take a look!
Sanctuary Gardener 