Starting to grow a few things down here in Lafayette, LA. Right now it’s all mostly a container garden. Here’s a enchilada:

Here’s the starter group. Top right hanging is a roma tomato plant. The big monster plant on the left is the green bell pepper plant. (The Cajun and I named him Peter.) The others are strawberries. The long pot with nothing inside is actually going to have watermelon, zucchini, cantaloupe and pumpkin. (With a lot of help from the Cajun’s awesome mom!)

Here’s the strawberry upside down topsy turvy thing. I found it at Walmart for $7. I was just going to put them all in pots, but I got SO many from Spring Hill Nursery. I got 25 plants and they only cost $14. Already have good growth on them when they send them along, so you get a nice group of plants without the ‘early seedling risk’. I should have gotten the strawberry jar they offered but I didn’t think about it at the time of ordering. They arrived here in Louisiana just in time.

This is a great container dwarf banana tree also from Spring Hill Nursery. This one should be growing some smaller bananas that supposedly taste very sweet. We’ll work on those when it’s grown. They sent this baby already partially grown and with the container and dirt that it is in. They’re very good at giving you what you need to be successful with growing.

This tree was here when we moved in. I think it’s lovely. The fruit it has on it is sweet. You just pick right off the tree and eat. A great flavor and a lovely little tree. I’ll want another one whenever we may move from this house.

And here’s a close up:

Thanks for visiting my small container garden in Lafayette, Louisiana!

Want to show me your garden?

I’m growing a late garden this summer, which means a limited selection of veggies and fruits that I get to pick from. However, I’m also picking out new solar powered garden accents. This may mean solar powered fountains or even wind chimes. What’s the fun of a garden if you can’t sit and enjoy it? Or at least it will look nice when you invite people over to look at your work.

So there’s a few new additions to solar powered goodies that you can add to your garden. Lanterns are beginning to be solar powered. Some lights along walkways are beginning to be solar powered.

Now there’s all sorts of water elements that are solar powered as well. There’s the solar powered fountains that are very lovely to have in place as a water element. Those who were interested in feng shui gardens may appreciate a fountain that requires only solar energy to use.

Fountains are an element in gardens and yards that I absolutely love. There’s something about adding a water element to the yard that just makes me feel tranquil. Serene water fountains of all shapes and sizes are now being created so that you can get one that fits your tastes. Maybe one day we’ll talk about making your own custom water fountains.

The thing is, to use the pumps, usually they require power of some kind. That usually means using electricity. Fountains, however, are a great element to use with solar power as a small solar power can energize a fountain. It looks great costs nothing in energy costs, and you get a clean water rotation.

One of the more unique pieces I’ve found have been the floor fountain products. These are really great for having a self contained fountain that can be moved and put in different areas of your garden. Having one or two of these to match each other is a great way to add a water feature to your garden.

Water can reflect the color of your flowers, provide a focal point, and if you chose a floor fountain or decide to incorporate one of the larger fountains available, or even add a fountain to an established pool, by golly, send me a photo so I can post it on my blog. I want to see those water elements in your garden.

Photo by robby_m.

There are several things I love about where I live. I’ve made a ‘flow’. There’s places where I put my furniture and other objects specifically so that I can move freely within my home, things don’t look cluttered, and I feel happy and fulfilled when I am there. It is also done so I can live a simple life, and take care of it easy.

The same should apply to a garden. A garden should be a pleasure, not a burden. Some feel a simple way to add ease and simplicity to a garden is by adopting feng shui ideas.

This can be done in several ways. I don’t mean just studying feng shui books to figure out which plant goes in the East or West of your garden. I mean finding ideas that makes gardening simple and easier. For example, arbors and trellises can be simple elements added to a plain lawn that make a small impact but allow you to create a simple container garden. Additional boxes and vases can be placed around a rather plain looking patio or back yard and give it instant life. By following some simple feng shui tips,

It isn’t all about simplicity, either. If you love certain decorative elements, like garden wind chimes or statues or particular flowers, you should absolutely have them in your garden. The feng shui part is about putting elements like this in ideal places where you’ll get maximum satisfaction from the decor or flowers. It also means you can take care of them properly. If you really love a certain statue, maybe moving it out into the open nearest the patio may make it more fun and easier to take care of than having it in the back corner.

You can also bring outdoor items inside. I love doing things like this. Right now I have a fish candle lamp in my kitchen. I love it there and would never put it outside. If you prefer flowers inside or an indoor fountain, you should absolutely consider moving the out of doors inside for an easier to take care of garden.

Remember, you’ll know it’s right when it feels right to you and you enjoy and want to be outside. What tips do you have for the garden to make it simple?

Now, I love to attempt at gardening. I say attempt but really, with the weeding and watering and right now I have limited space, I usually fail. I mean, I plant a garden. I get it sprouting, but then they die. I’m a baby plant killer.

So someone sent me the book: 7 Minute Organic Garden, written by Rick Baker.

It promises to let you grow a garden where you won’t have to weed (as much?) or water by hand. It’s actually very handy. Spend 7 minutes a day on your garden, if needed? Wow! Plus, you save water with the water-wise system they’ve developed. Plus they give you all the information you need to use no chemicals. The book suggests it saves up to 80% of water that you would have used on watering your plants, just by using their system.
The system looks great. They even have a section on container gardens for people like me with a small garden. Now I’ve got a banana tree and some strawberry plants that I’m looking to grow within the next few weeks. A system like this could save me a whole lot of time if I plan it right. Imagine being able to spend just a few minutes a day taking care of your garden.

Best of all, it comes with instructions on how to create your own fertilizer, where to buy organic fertilizer, creating your own compost patch, which seeds to grow and when and where and more. This book only has a little over 150 pages but there’s a lot of information jam packed.

Plus, they wisely included lots of photos within every page, including a full page display on how to create the water system they’ve devised. They even explain how the pros do it so you can mimic how real farmers handle watering thousands of crops. I hope to have a bigger garden next year with this easy to do system that’s been designed by Rick Baker and his well-done research.

With the photos and the great descriptions, this one is certainly going on my shelf and will be my guide for growing gardens now and in the future.

As some readers may know, I live in a very small apartment. But I love the idea of gardening. I want to get something to grow. Being in an apartment, though, I just don’t have the access other people do to garden like I wish I could.

So I asked some folks about their ideas for smaller gardens, ones that can be done from an apartment. I received a book called Succulent Container Gardens.

So, what’s a succulent? These plants retain water well, can live with very little water, and according to this book, are very simple to grow in containers. Think of an aloe plant. Like an aloe plant, succulent plants retain water in their leaves. So when you happen to forget for an extra day or two, the plants will be OK. (Thank goodness. I’ve killed a few plants before.)

Now the book, Succulent Container Gardens, actually has descriptions and information on over 350 different types of plants that would be great for doing mini gardens within an apartment or if you only have a small plot of land. What I love best about this book are the design ideas from the photographs. There’s tons of photographs within this book that feature many of the plants talked about. The plants look great and it gives many ideas for my own garden.

The  book is organized very well, so that you’re not flipping back and forth to figure out those little extras that are needed to be successful with growing these plants. People who love green but are concerned with water waste will do will with growing such gardens.

I love the ideas on staging and the section on bonsai. As some readers may know, I failed at my last bonsai plant. This book gave some excellent information about how to take care of such plants plus tips on doing it with ease.

A must by for succulent plant lovers or for those with a limited area for gardening.

Succulent Container Gardens

By Debra Lee Baldwin

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press (January 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088192959X
• ISBN-13: 978-0881929591

Celebrate Earth Day today!

My favorite way is to start or build on my garden. What a day, right? We like Earth. It’s pretty. And has oxygen. Much better than old Mars.
How else can you celebrate Earth Day?

• Plant a tree.
• Pick up litter.
• Volunteer your time to making the environment better.
• Start recycling.
• Change your light bulbs to the better energy efficent light bulbs.
• Use less water by buying water efficient faucets and other energy and water efficient items.
• Wear green, show support!
• Start a compost pile.
• Plant a tree for your neighborhood, not just your yard.
• Take the day off from video games and using electricity and go play in the park.

How to you celebrate Earth Day?

It’s getting to be that time when garden ideas are spreading. Summer is coming along fast!

Here are some of my favorite lifehack garden ideas from around the web:

Image and Idea by Kathy Miller

Kathy Miller designed a unique garden chair. It actually looks cozy! The potting chair, as Kathy calls it, was created for a charity event for the Evanston Community Development Corporation.

To make, use an old chair, glue moss to the padding of the seat, add ivy or your own decorations. Kathy suggests a tray on the seat to hold live plants in small pots; a small hanging garden from the arms and back. I like the tools she hangs useful tools off the chair.

Imagine growing some small herbs from the seat? Or a bonsai tree? How awesome! Cute and useful. Thanks Kathy for sharing the idea!

Garden Girl's Seed Warmer

Garden Girl recently posted about warming seeds before planting them. This may be a requirement to start a seed sprouting before placing into the ground.

Her idea to put seeds in a container above the fridge or a computer is not only clever, but it appears to actually work very well. Excess heat from computers and other machines usually stay pretty consistent. Some gardeners buy a heat mat but this may be the lifehack method to warm seeds to sprout.

Thanks Garden Girl for the unique garden tip!

Botanicalls Unit

Another great little gadget I’ve recently discovered is the Botanicalls gadget, which sends a message to you via Twitter from your plant and the plant tells you when it’s too dry and needs water. I haven’t had a chance to examine this yet, but from what I’ve read, it’s a great little item that may help some brown thumbs to finally become green. (I may be needing this item.)

Have any gardening secrets you would like to share? Any garden lifehacks? Let me know! I’d be happy to share your idea and give you credit.