beckygardener said:Lee-Roy - Looks awesome from my point of view!

Doesn't the established beds have the same clay soil (with amendments) in it as the newly planted beds? I see all the nice growth and how well the earlier filled beds are doing. If they are doing so well, won't the new ones do so, too, once they get established?

I have found that my soil improves with the appropriate plants being added to an area. I do amend the soil every year with autumn oak leaves, too!

Yes the top beds have the same soil as the others, though not as heavily amended as this one. Nonetheless, Pennisetum is a tough grass and I still managed to loose 6 over the course of the winter. The remaining ones have gone off very well, think quadrupling in size. All the other plants (Irises, Agapanthus, Cornus, Salvia, zucchini and strawberry etc etc) were planted this year, so the real test has yet to come aka very wet winter.

I'd like to mulch my Agapanthus and calla lilies, but I'm in doubt as how to. I've heard leaves or straw, but doesn't that create a moist atmosphere UNDER the mulch and induce rot?

I would think so. Maybe not a good idea to mulch those plants afterall. Geez! You have a challenge in those planters.

Yeah don't we all wish for loamy/sandy soil? :p But I'm afraid I'll have to mulch since they aren't that hardy without protection of some sort. And I really don't want to lift them

Straw and leaves are both pretty fluffy materials for mulching and should be fine. Any good mulch does serve to hold in moisture, but I've never had issue with them causing rot in winter. As the mulch decomposes it improves the soil too.

Lee Roy, how cold are your winters? I have callas (Z. aethiopica) that have been in the ground for 7 years return reliably, and I think I'm in a colder zone. I had agapanthus return for several years but lost it last winter- we had a record breaking -18F.

I live in zone 8 Neal, so average minimum is around freezing point, though extreme cold snaps are a random given since we're at transition zone between polar cold and southern warmth. Anyway, a mulch is always good I thought about covering them with straw and then a bit of fleece for extra protection and to hold it in place (a plastic cover over the straw to keep out rain isn't good I assume since it doesn't breathe?)

Ah, then you'll have no problems- both the callas and agapanthus will survive your winters fine without extra protection. I think mulching is always a good idea regardless, but I agree that plastic should be avoided. Looking forward to seeing your new plantings progress!

I always read that both plants were at risk in zone 8, so that's why...

Considering the cold both suffered and survived here, I think they'll be fine for you. However that's assuming good drainage- soggy soil combined with cold can cause problems.

Yeah clay subsoil. I've added as much as sand and compost as I could and planted them on a mound, but still fingers crossed :p

My orchids have arrived ^^

Yay! Those should look very nice in your garden beds!

Congratulations!
from this

to this

Oh man--that one on the bottom looks like so much more fun!
Fanfreakingtastic and I am so very happy for you!

//Seriously, IF you lose a couple of your plant babies over the winter it is still a tremendous net gain and you'll have a good excuse to get some more--your garden rooms are and are gonna be even more fabulous ;)

Hey everyone! No major plans ahead; I think I'm done for the season as far as major construction and mass planting goes. Ofcourse I'll be planting a few spring flowering bulbs and maybe this fall/winter a hedge.

This past week I've been 'inoculating' my raised beds with worms. I went out with a fork and bucket and rummaged around the leaf litter in the neighbourhood. Some places have ENORMOUS amounts of them, it's unbelievable! I think all in all I've managed to get a hundred out in my beds.
Reason why is it's near impossible for them to get in there on their own since the walls are so high. And I don't see them digging all the way down from the lawn (a good 8ft, 10ft to the front and another 3 up again). They'll hopefully be happy to munch on the little leaf mold I put on top until I can mulch them with the fall leaves.



Also everywhere in my older beds mushrooms are popping up like daisies!




My bush tomatoe has been a disappointment. First tomato I've ever planted in my life. I bought it as a sapling at the local Wednesday market really cheaply.One of the main side stems has even partially broken off, but it seems to be fine. Only in the last two months has it been cropping like crazy, but they take an enormous amount of time to ripen. I've taken away a good portion of the foliage, all small fruits and flowers. Fingers crossed these ones ripen in time. If not, another lesson learned I guess



I don't know if you can see, but to the right of the bush tomato there are some little bulbs I planted way too late. I can't remember what they are, some pink flowering ones (looks like Nerine or Sprekelia...). Anyway, they came free with other bulbs I ordered and gave them to my neighbour to plant since I didn't like them (they're pink!!). However some months later I found them again in my compost heap, still in their plastic bag!! It seemed such a shame to leave them there, so I planted them anyway, even though I don't like them. To my surprise they've sent up foliage, but no blooms. Guess it was just too late in the season.

Lee-Roy - Wow! It looks like your garden areas are settling in nicely! Those mushrooms are cool!

Wow! You could have a decent crop of tomatoes from that one bush! Far better than what I have ever been able to get here in Florida.

Good thinking to add worms to your raised beds! I think you are doing ALL the right things to make those raised beds a very healthy growing environment!

You got an enormous amount of work done this year despite your partner's injury! You both deserve time off to enjoy all that work you've completed! Rest up, because I know you will both be back at it again next year!

Lee-Roy, you and your partner did an amazing amount of work on your garden. It will be so much fun to watch it grow and develop.
If it starts to get too cold, you can pick your green tomatoes, bring them inside and put them in paper bags to ripen. I have to do that every year when frost is threatened.

Good to see an update, and nice seeing more life introduced to your garden!

I have the same problem with tomatoes each year, they are really slow to ripen at first. This summer we had so much rain, but it seems to happen regardless.

Some random pics from today ^^ First off all my pots at the moment: two citrus and rest Hymenocallis harrisiana, littoralis and festalis. (anyone tips on overwintering these after curing? It somehow scares me to death to haul them out of their pot, clean 'm, cure 'm and store 'm until spring)



The Pennisetum that survived past winter have really done well, I'm extremely happy about them. Although my bf thinks they're too tall and take away the view from the lower level...Somehow I agree; but then again I don't :p The siberian Iris in between...well...one died and the others seem to struggle still. We'll see



My Salvia nemorosa have also bounced back as expected. I cut them back hard after most of their flowers had fallen off. Perhaps if the weather allows a new flush of flowers will form before winter. Notice the difference in size. Propably due to the back one being shaded by the Pennisetum next to it.



Cucumbers are doing - against my expectations - very well, certainly with not much sun and lower temperatures past few weeks. Flowers are forming in abundance and fruit are developping.



And finally my KINGS of the garden, my calla lilies. I've said it multiple times before and I'll say it again: I LOVE these guys. Even without their inflorescences the foliage is a dramatic statement. I still can't get over the amount of foliage, they're so lush I can almost eat them.

I can't get over how nice your Calla Lilies are! I could never get mine to look that healthy and lush! And I am amazed at your cucumbers! I can't grow them here because of the humidity. They always get funguses on the leaves in my yard.

LeeRoy, I often leave tender bulbs in the pot and store them dry indoors during winter. Some have a tendency to over dry during winter storage if un-potted and leaving them surrounded by potting media seems to take care of the problem. For those I store dry in the pots, I add fresh compost to the top the 2nd year, and re-pot with all fresh compost/potting media the year after that.

Your callas do look amazing! Mine have never bloomed, but return with lush foliage every year, and I do love the look. Still wish they would bloom though....

I finally set up my second composting bin and shifted ALL material from the first in it to thoroughly aerate it. I was kinda surprised that the bottom bit wasn't a far stage of composting as I had imagined it would be. And the sticky, wet clay that was before....well, turned out it still was there. Not littles improvement of soil to be noticed. And no worms as far as I could see...But then again, even the bottom was quite warm...



Oh and I'll show you a photo of my "construction skills" tomorrow. The second isn't quite level with the first and it obviously shows