Sweet Pea Trellis

These are such a favorite of mine!

 I got a really late start on my sweet pea garden this year 

and thought I would try a new approach to trellising the peas

 Sweet Peas are so easy to grow and they are one of the most wonderful wildflower 

you can use in arrangements

 They happen to smell heavenly too

 I'm using a store bought trellis system with these nice  metal supports on both the top and the bottom of the trellis 

 Running string up and over each rod will give the pea tendril's 

something to grab onto

 You can find pea seeds in a variety of colors in the nursery 

for around 4 dollars

I typically buy the "mixed"  packets 

because you get a bit of every color 

I like to soak the peas over night before planting...

it sort of gives them a jump start

 The peas need consistent moisture in the first few weeks of planting

If they dry out...they're gone 

 I had so many peas last year at this time 

but the up side it that I will have peas 

in the early summer this year

Peas Please....

have a wonderful weekend

kelley

Vegetable Garden Ideas

I suppose this first year of vegetable gardening is kind of an experiment. 

I have never had anything quite this big or with quite the variety of plants.

  There are 13 different tomato varieties, all which need to be supported and so began the search for the best products I could find.

I started with these large turteurs for sweet peas in the early spring.  

These now are supporting beans and are working out really well.  

I like the height in the two rear beds, at the very back of the garden.

I next found these expandable bamboo teepees.  

These are being used to support  8 raspberry and blackberry bushes that are planted along side the raised beds.  I like the fact that they can be removed and easily stored at the end of the growing season when the plants get cut back

I recycled these little 3 legged bamboo stakes to use for the smaller pepper plants.  These are perfect right now but I may need to use larger stakes as the plants get bigger.  

As I said this is my "experimental" first season. 

In this particular bed I have 5 tomatoes plants and used a tomato ladder support with a more decorative iron tuteur in the center.  

The little garlic finial is really cute.  

These were pricy but they will remain in the garden throughout the year, even after the vegetables have come and gone.

Below is another bed that I just reworked this weekend.  It needed more compost and is somewhat shaded by the big oaks.  

The supports in the front are expandable willow teepees which are a great size about 24" high and you can snuggle them in with different plantings very easily. 

 Here they will be supporting eggplant.

The beans are really wonderful and we are already harvesting even though these plants have only been in for about a month or so.

I have basil around the perimeter as well as two zucchini varieties.

Below is the lettuce garden.  

I stuck a couple of miniature yellow bell peppers in the center with the willow supports.

This lettuce, actually a romaine variety is called "flashy trouts back"  and it has done really well.  There is also some butter lettuce, which I am sharing with the rabbits...this happens to be their favorite.

A variety of mesculun, I scatter by seed in little 18 x 18 " sections and let it do it's thing. 

 I love this stuff!!!

It grows in a big thick "lettuce rug"  and you can either snip of pull up the tender greens.

Here is what I cooked up for dinner on Saturday night with a couple of grilled steaks.  

Heaven!

Hope you had a restful and happy weekend

~*~

kelley