My Garden in April (Tons of Pics)

I haven't been posting too often to my blog over the last couple of weeks because I've been working my tail off in the garden. Well, not really, my tail is the same size as it has been...and we're moving right along....We've had absolutely PERFECT weather here in Orange.  I've gotten a nice tan and feel very 'springy' with all of this time outside....it's been so, so, so nice!  So here's a photo tour of my garden at this time of year.  It's sure no Martha Stewart farm tour (which are some of my favorite blog entries of hers-just a tad jealous of her gorgeous farm), but hey...I've got a 6,000 square foot lot to work with and not hundreds of acres, so I'm having a good time!

Here's a list of what I've finished!
My side yard veggie garden is done and planted.  It should take me on average 5 minutes a week to care for it and should yield 1,000 pounds of veggies.  This is all raised beds with weed blocker fabric so it's just water and harvest from now until September.

I built a new garden in my backyard-ripped out grass, created a fence out of things I had around, put in a wood chip path from my mulch pile saga and planted it.  I'm hoping for another 500 pounds of produce out of this garden.  This is a little more labor intensive since it is in-ground and has no weed blocking mechanisms.

I overseeded my little grass area in the backyard and picked up another million white rocks (gah I hate those things...the old owners of this house must have owned stock in white rocks).  Now I can mow it without the rocks flinging out at me.

Moved my chicken coop to a more shaded area for winter, sanded and painted the coop using leftover paint, added additional bracing, fixed the broken perch, repainted the nesting box and made a new hanging feeder for spring out my oxi-clean container and string.

Here's the photo tour!

I started another 60 basil plants: lemon, lime, purple ruffle, boxwood, genovese and crimson basil...

My official seed starting station for spring!  Not the plastic cover to go over it at night.

My plum tree is starting to bloom

My tiny fig tree gave me tons of figs last year so I'm hoping for even more this year!

This elephant plum tree is 3 years old and 18 feet tall.  It's gorgeous!

My orange tree is doing well-I got a great harvest off it a few days ago, but it is buried in 2 feet of leftover wood chips which is not good....I've got to find a home for more of these wood chips.

As you can see the wood chips are choking my lemon grass.  That plus the horrid winds have made it look sad.  A good haircut and it should be good to go for spring.

This is another plum tree-it gets blasted with hot air from the window air conditioner that is only 8 feet away but it is hanging on!

Plumeria cuttings from my 80 year old neighbor! I have nowhere to put a plumeria tree but I'll root these and give them away.

This white petunia forgot it was an annual and has bloomed continuously since last summer.

My new veggie bed!  My fence worked out great with the steel stakes, grey yarn and some green plastic stuff I had on hand.  So far, not one chicken has figured out how to get in.

I've planted onions, garlic here and all around the permiter

More seedlings making their way through life.



Cherimoya trees I started from seeds.

Grapes-first time I've had grapes!!!!! This was just a stick when I planted it 3 years ago!

Baby grapes look so intricate and delicate.

This is my sunflower seedlings poking their heads up.  I've marked the row with crushed eggshells and a mini blind slat so I don't think they are weeds and pull them out :)

Another mini blind marker.  This marks more garlic and onions

My hydrangea bushes are recovering from the stomping my hubby gave them when he was painting the house.

My 'Anna' apple tree is still small but loaded with apples! This year I will eat them before the possums, it is my mission.

And it's blooming too, I don't get why it is doing that when it is already setting fruit, but maybe I just don't know what I'm talkin' about.

My other hydrangea that was not 'smooshed' actually looks smaller than the one that is.  Just shows that a little bit of stress on plants is healthy for them.

Small container garden used for Easter



My water garden has a few plants and 1 tadpole.  The neighborhood cats have eaten ALL of my goldfish.  It is funny to watch the cats practically get in the washtub and swirl their paws around looking for more fish to eat.

Celery planted in the front flower beds is doing beautifully.  It's about 2 feet tall for the older and about 1 foot tall for the younger.  I should be harvesting soon.

Strawberries in grow bags.  I'm trying the grow bags this year for the first time and so far I am loving them for the strawberries.

One of my tiered planters out of old washtubs.  This one has elephant garlic and nasturtiums planted and should be very full and overflowering with nasturtiums soon.

Elephant garlic in containers.  I like to move this around to deter insects.

Parsley around the bottom with an invisible squash plant I'm waiting to germinate on the top

This is one of my wattle fences, that I never finished showing you on the blog.  I painted an old two by four and snapped it with these plastic connecters on the rebar supports and voila!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes and Basil!

Tomatoes, Tomatoes, Tomatoes

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans ( a gift from my neighbor's garden )

Cucumber trellis has baby cucumber plants just starting to grow up it and there is garlic and onions planted underneath to deter insects.

My pepper bed looks sad but it is really happy in person, I promise! Lots of bellpeppers: Purple, Yellow, Green / Red and Orange Sweet Peppers

Rhubarb!

A small succulent planter in a ceramic teapot I found at the thrift store.  My friend Anne drilled the hole and planted it for my daughter.

Another of my succulent planters-absolutely stunning isn't it! Anne did this one last year and it has filled to overflowing and gives me succulent cuttings.

And this my friends is my next project!  My neighbors had a deck in their front yard they tore out and guess who snagged all of the beautiful redwood and some pressure treated lumber. Yours truly!