Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.8

Just some basic Dollar Store twine

keeps all sorts of crazy in check 

in my garden.

Going strong for three seasons

off of one spool.

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.7

These are so far my fave super cheap plant

Sedum

You can buy a tiny one and grow it huge

Or you can buy a huge one,

break it off

and grow it all over the place.

You barely have to "plant" these

they are that easy to grow

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.6

Last week I hinted at container gardening.

I've found that these tomato hangers are really

not durable enough for the tomatoes that I grow

(which get HUGE)

But they are super great for growing stuff out the top

herbs and errant peas mostly.

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.5

Easiest plant ever to grow?

A potato!

Instant green,

really fast.

REALLY INVASIVE

(so I learned the hard way)

Grow in containers or towers

if you don't want a field of potatoes in your backyard.

***

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Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.4

You know the time...

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener

(the series)

Compost in cold weather, kinda hard.

Even unfinished, it is a great organic source of pot filler.

My fave hobby wholesale nursery in my neck of the woods

is Fred's.

I know him, he's a good guy,

he starts tomato plants

(and lots of other perennials)

And sells them cheap.

Really said that some folks take advantage of him.

It is an honor system pay for what you take set up.

*** 

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Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.3

And yet another installment of

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener

(the series)

Groundcovers come in 6 packs for like less than $4.

Buy them once (and only once)

be patient

and then split them up again next year once they really get settled in.

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Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.2

Time for another installment of 

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener

(the series)

Why not a mini pond or two?

And stop fighting your rocky soil.

Be BLESSED with the landscaping you don't have to pay for.

And always have your eye open for unique garden art.

Those bubbles usually cost less than $2 a pop.

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Reflections of a Cheap Gardener v.1

I've been asked

plenty of times

by neighbors in person

and neighbors online

how it is that 

I have an extensive garden

being the cheap-o that I am.

So, I bring you

Reflections of a Cheap Gardener

(the series)

I'll keep it up as long as I remember/have tips/to share/like to garden.

This year, I'm giving year round gardening a try.

Here we go.

This is what my back porch looks like

on any given weekend.

Some are good gets, some are busts.

Just gotta go with it.

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Your Complete Home - Outside in the Garden

Clearly,

I have a green thumb.

And, I might garden some.

As I spend a lot of time outside,

I find that more than home DIY, I LOVE to garden.

Outside.

Unfortunately, I live in the PNW.

Though I did just buy this book

Backyard Bounty

which promises to have me gardening year round

my reality so far,

is that I only grow part of the year.

So that non-growing season is when I DIY.

All said, 

here is what takes up most of my time 

nowadays

avoid buying any more petunias

easier said than done

LOVE this Hollyhock Cooks Yeast Dressing
fried green tomatoes

and fresh greens and edible flowers from my yard

 daily fresh lettuce from the yard

potato towers sprouting

sedum is my FAVORITE

hosta is a close second 

that bleeding heart took me TWO YEARS to grow

Also

realizing how EASY

it is to grow peonies

 and I hoard dirt. 

All kinds of dirt.

those strawberries are going wild.

Threw some mint in with them

smoothies will be good this year!

I was not an iris fan.

Then I grew these orchid looking ones...

And also

 allium are another one of my faves.

Next year, I'm going to grow GIANT ones.

Like the ones at the Oakland Hilton.

Just saying.

 I'm STILL pulling up potato plants from last year on the other side of the lawn.

These towers better keep them contained.

Those artichokes...year 3 and they are FINALLY growing.

Sunchokes which are ALSO invasive.  

Which I actually love

because that is less space to fill

in some hard to grow spaces

I got over the "Petunias are expensive" thing.

I will always buy them end of season from here out

but MAN are they gorgeous.

You can check out my garden antics

on my instagram stream

(@imanisasa)

not on instagram?

Check it out online

http://followgram.me/imanisasa

*** 

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Green Thumb Gardening - Pinterest Weekly 12

It is no secret

that I was blessed with a green thumb.

I can grow anything.

I grow things that people look at me with a frown on their face

and say "really? You grew that?"

Some things I'm great at through no fault of my own.

The upside is that I actually can pin gorgeous garden ideas on Pinterest

and have true intentions of making them happen.

Gardening is an arena that I have no fear about.
Probably, because my grandmother had an awesome garden
and fostered my love of mud pies and gardening from a young age.
I was making seed cookies and cakes before it was "the rage".


Here's proof:

Here's what I am loving on Pinterest and, soon enough, in my own yard.

I LOVE this time of year.
I wish I would have spent more time

with my grandmother in her garden.

Not just when she asked me.

Check out the 

B3HD In My Secret Garden Pinterest Board

for pinspiration!

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Week 72 Random Pinehurst

I hate to play favorites.

But I cannot WAIT

until my fave sedums burst forth

with color.

Just. Saying.

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Week 71 Random Pinehurst

Hopeful but skeptical 

that my sunchokes will come back this big.

Didn't even know they were edible.

Here's REALLY hoping that my artichokes

(which ARE proving  perennial in my frosty yard)

actually grow up this year.

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Week 70 Random Pinehurst

I LOVE this time of year.

My puppy?

She loves my garden boots...

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Going Organic on the Tomato Plants

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms for SocialSpark. 

All opinions are 100% mine.

Okay, Okay.
I will admit it.
Even though I live in the Pacific Northwest,
in one of the greenest (both color and mindset wise)
places on earth,
my garden is not 100% organic.

Not even close.

That said,
when we first moved in here,
one thing I knew I wanted to do for sure
was to have our own compost pile.
 

And so was my intro to Whitney Farms®
when I went to McClendon's Hardware and asked the friendly folks
what else besides grass and leaves I might need to get started.

They suggested that I try Whitney Farms Compost Maker Plus.

After 3 weeks, I was sold.
My pile was breaking down quickly 

and the worms were really happy.

When I actually used that compost in my pots,

I was REALLY sold.

Impressed was an understatement
because those Hostas and Bleeding Hearts totally took off.

I didn't even have to use their organic soil,
but I can only IMAGINE how those plants
would have taken off
had I used their soil and compost enhancer.

I especially love that their products come in slim boxes
(easier to fit in my storage box)
and that when I use them,
there isn't a huge dust cloud that I have to protect the puppy from
and there isn't a strong manure smell
(also good for keeping the puppy mutt at bay).

All of that makes it so easy to use.

Recently, I've been thinking about trying 

some of their organic plant food.
Whitney Farms products contain beneficial microbes.

From what I understand,
they are specially designed to provide plants
with macro and micronutrients.

In plain speak - hopefully - that means 

less fertilizing through the season for me.

Or, at the least, less soil replenishing 

each and every growing season.

Because I love the Compost Maker Plus so much,
I'm going to sign up to get a $3 coupon 

to try their organic plant food.

You can hit that link and get a $3 off coupon too!

Though the plant foods actually come in bags,
I have some really neat jars that I could probably decant those in to
to keep things neat in storage.

          

That is the stuff I eat 

That will be where I try to really go organic this year.

Or, if I get a p-patch
through the community gardens
they only allow organic.

So I'll get the plant food too.

Who knows?
Perhaps my tomato plants will be
beyond awesome this year.

I am going to feed some of my tomato plants with

Whitney Farms Tomato and Vegetable Food
and other tomato plants with Scotts Miracle Gro Tomato Food.

Can't wait to see which ones are more delicious.

Linking up of course!

Funky Junk Interiors