Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Summer Gardening

One thing that I really wanted to do this summer was to have my own little garden.  I grew mint, zucchini and mini tomatoes in addition to enjoying a bunch of flowers.  We decided to pull the plug on the vegetable garden (the flowers are still going strong, mainly in part to my brother taking care of our house - thanks, Davey!) before vacation because we knew they probably wouldn't make it until we got back.

We got the plants at the start of June which you can see in the first photos and they lasted until the start of August.  The second progress photos were taken in mid July - they did grow a bit bigger after that.


Likes: The mint - we had so much mint, more than we knew what to do with - this one was a huge success.  The cherry tomatoes were also a success even though we only picked a few of them - they started being ready for picking about 2-3 weeks ago and there was plenty left that we could have enjoyed had we of been home.  This little $2 plant produced about 50 or so cherry tomatoes - maybe even more if we would have continued with it.

Dislikes: The zucchini - next year (if we do this one again) I'll definitely do it on the lower deck.  Gosh does a little zucchini need a lot of room to grow - the plant just keeps growing and growing and growing.  I cut back some of the branches because we were running out of room and I think that slowly did the plant it - we saw a zucchini starting to develop but we never did anything with it.

Remembering for next year: I think next year I'll try to start the process a little bit earlier - maybe mid-May and some days water twice a day instead of once - these little babies are thirsty! I'll also definitely do this on the lower deck - even though it's more of a hassle to water, they started to over take the upper.

I'd also love to add in some fruit - has anyone ever tried strawberries, or lemons/limes??

Below are a couple visuals or our biggest success and most favorite - it was fun to watch the process of the cherry tomatoes… 


I plan to enjoy our flowers for a few more weeks before I get some more for fall.  I'm really happy with how well both kinds lasted - even dying/coming back to life a few times after travel/neglecting.  I don't have an "after" picture of the first ones but I had to clip them back every week and the hot pink flowers on the deck bloomed gorgeously - I've loved the scenery! 


Anything we should add to the garden next year??



32 comments:

  1. I can't wait to have room for a garden. My husband and I talk about it all.the.time. Your tomatoes look great and so do all of your beautiful flowers.

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  2. Great choices! Iwas super close to growing at least tomatoes. But decided to wait until next year when I have time to dedicate a spot in the yard for them. I'd like to try cucumbers too b/c we eat a lot of them plus I love to fix homemade pickles!

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  3. Your garden was amazing this year!! I'm with Pinky we can't wait to have outdoor space for a garden, although I had basil this year and it's still going strong :) xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  4. I love your flowers!! I vote for basil for all your yummy summer dishes!! But yes... Herbs will take over like your mint did!!! My great grandfather used to plant wildflower mixtures because they see low maintenance and would come back every year without too much help! They were always so bright and pretty - which is totally your jam!

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  5. Oh wow, those cherry tomatoes look gorgeous! I don't have too much space for an outdoor garden but could probably handle one or two of these smaller plants next year...I'd love to have some fresh strawberries on hand! xoxo B | The Sequin Notebook

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  6. My husband keeps bugging me to plant a garden - I just don't know where we would put it. But I love the idea! Your's turned out great!!

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  7. I'm so envious that you're able to keep a garden alive! We've thought about it, but I always manage to kill flowers that the husband brings home within a couple of day so I might not be the best person to have a garden.

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  8. Boooo to the zucchini but yay for mint! You did a much better job than I ever could, my house is where plants go for their final resting place... I wish I could grow some goodies in my backyard :-P

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  9. Your garden is so amazing! I want to have an herb garden when I get a bigger yard but I always kill everything. Trying to grow basil in a potted plant in my office right now and let's just say it's not doing too well...

    Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  10. Doing a little garden area is next on our list of things to do next year--since we're pretty much done inside, we're trying to tackle outside. I have a basil plant that Ive loved having, so having some more veggies and some herbs would be awesome!

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  11. I love the idea of a little vegetable garden. I tried cilantro and bell peppers a few years ago...those were fails, but I am not sure I gave them enough love. I would add some basil! Perfect for recipes and drinks! And cucumbers...those are my favorite fresh from a garden.

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  12. Your little garden turned out great. We did cherry tomatoes and a pot of basil. Yum!

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  13. You are SUCH the green thumb!! I've missed you!!

    TheHortonFamily

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  14. Love this! Mint is great and we make a lot of mojitos (haha) because you are right - it explodes!!

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  15. Look at you! You've definitely got a green thumb! I've got a succulent at my desk and I keep forgetting to water it so it's starting to die

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  16. I really wish I had done some planting this summer but our weather here in Chicago has just been crazy I don't know if I would have even gotten anything out of it. Next summer - tomatoes and green peppers for sure!

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  17. I'm jealous of your little garden - it's one of the big reasons I'm ready to have a house and get out of apartments. My parents grow a lot of peppers - they love them! They stopped growing zucchini and squash just because they get so wild and the vegetables can get so big.

    xo, Carly - soak and simmer

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  18. Great job on your garden! I have tried a few times to grow things but I have a total black thumb. I am not meant to be a gardener. My plants are plastic now.

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  19. So cool, love that you grew some of your own produce! I'm doing good to keep any kind of plant alive, I have such a black thumb lol! But I hope to someday try my hand at some veggies!

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  20. Good for you guys for trying to the vegetable garden this year! We are saving that for next summer since we were gone way too much this summer; however, I have done one in the past, so my biggest tip to you is water, water, water. And, yes - have ample room for the bigger veggies like zucchini and cucumber!

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  21. that looks so fun, i've been meaning to garden for the last year...but for real once I move this fall! haha

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  22. kudos to you for keeping them alive, i let all my flowers die this year. Green thumb fail. Love the little garden.

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  23. Your garden looks lovely. We don't have the time, so our garden often looks like a mess. We usually just go for no plants no mess.

    liz jo @ sundays with sophie

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  24. You did GREAT with the garden! I'd love to do one with the kids next year, I'm sure they'd love to see everything grow and eat what they planted.

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  25. Very cool! I'm loving my summer flowers, too! So bright and cheery! I think I'm used to them now, though, so come winter it's going to look colorless out back!! Yay for your mint - ours was over-the-top thriving until our family vacay to Seattle, when our area had lots of sun and zero rain and we returned to black twigs. For realsies. #oops

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  26. Very nice!!! We have a garden on our balcony (its our own balcony, not shared) and we grow stuff in pots. It's so much fun. :-)

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  27. Cilantro would be so wonderful! My husband's parents have a huge garden every year and his mom cans so I've got more veggies than I need at my house!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  28. Holy cherry tomatoes, they're rocking it! L and I finally transferred our tomatoes to the roof deck because we couldn't get them to grow :(

    Kaylie
    LIFE AS YOU LIVE IT

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  29. I did strawberries and tomatoes this year and both were a huge FAIL. I grew one tiny strawberry and my niece picked it before it had a chance to even become edible (insert angry face). Gonna try again next year though!

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  30. Your garden is so successful! I'm so jealous because basically everything I tried this year died. Maybe I will try tomatoes next year. Yours look amazing!

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  31. Oh your tomatoes look awesome! We are currently trying to grow some too, well my husband. I've given up all hope on my green thumb. Mint sound awesome but there's only so much mojitos you can make!! LOL

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  32. Your tomatoes look awesome! You are quite the green thumb! I kill everything!

    ~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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