It’s been a quiet week in the garden, although the weather has bounced around. In typical Charleston fashion, the week’s weather included a low of 33, a high of 67, over 2 inches of rain, clouds, sun, and quite a bit of wind one day. Is it winter? Is it spring? My garden surely can’t tell! Without any frosts this week – and a couple of days in the 60s – there is some new growth in the garden. This week’s garden photos!
Happy new year, everyone! Welcome to my first update of 2015. It’s a new year, a new opportunity to expand our horizons, and a new chance to grow more and harvest more. This past week, I looked at seed catalogs, weeded, harvested, and planted peas and spinach and lettuce. The weather has been rather warm, but a cold winter blast is on its way. Next Wednesday night will go down to 20 degrees. Big difference from yesterday’s high of 74. Ah, the joys of living on the coast of South Carolina. Regardless, it IS nice to still be gardening in the winter. This week’s garden photos!
Wow! There are only two more weeks left in 2014. Where did the year go? I’m already flipping through seed catalogs as they’re arriving, ordering seeds, planning my spring garden. Meanwhile, the nights are staying cool (in the 30s), and the days are warming up into the mid to high 60s. I still have crops that are maturing – just at a slower rate (less sun, cooler weather). Although several of my beds are fallow, there are still crops growing and maturing – despite it being December. Gotta love the South! This week’s garden photos!
Autumn is finally in full swing here in my Sanctuary Garden. This past week, the days’ temperatures climbed into the lower 70s, but autumn weather will return this coming week after the cold front that passed this weekend. The leaves are falling, many limbs are bare, but there is still some new growth in my garden. This weeks’ garden photos!
I think our weather has schizophrenia. Midweek, we broke the record for low temperatures recorded here in November. The coldest morning was 22 degrees F. – in the South…in November! What?! Then, last night, we had thunderstorms and were under a tornado watch while today is supposed to be 76 degrees. Unlike back home in Rhode Island, where we dressed by the calendar, we have to dress by the weather report here. And if we have trouble knowing what to do with the weather, I can only imagine how my plants feel. Fortunately, most survived the frost and are enjoying the first soaking rain we’ve had in two months. This week’s garden photos!
It’s been a busy week in the garden. The temperature was in the mid-80’s, and there was much to do. I was hoping to get some of my seed in the ground this past weekend, but that didn’t happen. I spent twelve hours in the garden, and it was all spent preparing some of my raised beds. (I still have four more to do!) Why did it take me so long? See my post later this week, “The Good Idea that Wasn’t.” For now, let me share the good things from my garden.
It’s been only three weeks since I planted my spring crops, and the fight has already begun. I’m battling slugs, fire ants, and flea beetles! Plus, I’m already seeing some signs of a nutrient deficiency in several of my plants. I’m unsure if it’s a problem with magnesium or iron. Looks like I need to call Clemson University’s co-op for more insight. However, there is a bright side! Plants are growing and buds are opening in my garden – like the Black Krim tomato flower in the picture above. See more!
This is my second year gardening in the Charleston, SC area, but I am still amazed at the new things I see in my garden. For example, as my following knows, I planted three types of potatoes in five-gallon buckets – three white fingerling, two peach-colored fingerling, and five purple potatoes. (I bought them at the grocery store, so I’m unsure of the exact varieties.) The peach fingerlings are now blooming! (See picture above.) There are no blooms on the other potato plants, but I learned not all potatoes flower. Who knew? Come see what else is new in my garden this week!
Sanctuary Gardener 