Phaedra's 2021 Garden

[Phaedra]

So far the vertical planter did quite well, as the flea beetles retreat, should be safe for those leafy greens.

Weather is super summer-like, but next week it will drop back to 18-20 degree C. So we washed two omlet coops, very quickly dried under afternoon sunlight.

Dozens of peacock butterflies on this butterfly bush, amazing.
This corner smells super charming now, butterfly bush on the top, and oriental lilies also start to blossom.

Somehow it's a bit difficult to imagine will the fragrance be overwhelming when most of them blossom next week?

And gave fruity ice bars to my chickens as summer treats, well, summer is leaving us....

The last thing today done in the garden, was to harvest some lilies for the kitchen.

 

[Carol Dee]

Love the frozen chicken treats, it sure looks like the chickens do too. You have an amazing selection of lilies <3

 

[Phaedra]

Harvested some chives to dry in the greenhouse

10 Hens, 10 Eggs today

Oriental Lilies are blossoming

Time to give propagated Hydrangea young plants new homes.

 

[Phaedra]

Have some funs with the vertical planters in the chicken run. Compared with the one in my vegetable garden, those are for chickens to have additional fun and a way to forage without destroy everything.

They can eat, but can't scratch anything.

As those vertical planters are built with hardware cloth, "replenishing" plants is a bit challenging because the holes are not big enough for inserting seedlings. Direct sowing is a must. So, I tried to use syringes (no needle) and tiny seeds like red clover and alfalfa. It works quite well, although during the first trial, I am not good in controling the injection speed yet. Every shot there are too many seeds going into the tower and the germination looks somehow funny.

Clovers are very ideal foraging plants, I also love to use them in my bouquets.

My neighbors might think I am losing my mind if they see what I am doing in the garden

Well, it's for fun anyway, i don't think my chickens will complain when they realize there are some "clusters" of microgreen. Few days later....

Summer is leaving, and the daylight is shorter and shorter. Time to say goodnight now, see you in another new week.

 

[Carol Dee]

@Phaedra Geiermann is that you in the lower right photo? Adorable gal. Oh and chickens look very happy!

 

[Phaedra]

@Phaedra Geiermann is that you in the lower right photo? Adorable gal. Oh and chickens look very happy!

Yes, it's me

Sometimes I envy my chickens, what a wonderful life they have.

 

[Phaedra]

Working on Vertical Planter V2

The outer structure will act as a support for the inner one, besides, there will be a small surface to plant horizontally and let water easily go into lower part.

I still take this as a variation of raised bed, so it will be filled like I will do for a raised bed. The pipe is originally for water to reach inner and deeper areas, but I might use something else instead of this pipe.

So far the growth on V1 is not bad. Peas, spinach, brassicas are all growing normally.

Our young cockerel also found the microgreens I mentioned yesterday and enjoys that.

The oriental lilies are really blossoming now.

chopped chives are now on the greenhouse shelf for drying.

Same for edible flowers, marigold, rose, cornflowers, monks cress, chamomile and some mints, they will become part of the winter feed of my chickens.

 

[flowerbug]

in our gardens those towers would act like worm refuges during the hot and dry times and also when it flash floods. unfortunately Mom would have too many words about things not looking tidy enough for her.

also alas that those lilies and butterfly bushes are both so strongly scented that we can't work much around those until the wind shifts enough. sometimes human bodies get these funny ideas about what is and isn't good for them.

love the flowers!

 

[Carol Dee]

Working on Vertical Planter V2

The outer structure will act as a support for the inner one, besides, there will be a small surface to plant horizontally and let water easily go into lower part.

View attachment 43142
I still take this as a variation of raised bed, so it will be filled like I will do for a raised bed. The pipe is originally for water to reach inner and deeper areas, but I might use something else instead of this pipe.

So far the growth on V1 is not bad. Peas, spinach, brassicas are all growing normally.
View attachment 43137

Our young cockerel also found the microgreens I mentioned yesterday and enjoys that.

The oriental lilies are really blossoming now.
View attachment 43138

chopped chives are now on the greenhouse shelf for drying.
View attachment 43139

Same for edible flowers, marigold, rose, cornflowers, monks cress, chamomile and some mints, they will become part of the winter feed of my chickens.
View attachment 43140

View attachment 43141

Those Lilies

 

[Phaedra]

Another variety of Lily is about to blossom soon, too, I have close to 10 different ones now planted in different corners.

So, harvested some liles, made a bouquet.

Harvest for today