Sunday, February 22, 2015

Small Garden-Part 2-Growing UP



Gardening in a small garden can be a challenge...there's not a lot of space to use and in the city where we are, containing things helps with the neighbor's perspective of our gardens. So what to do?  We grow things UP as much as possible.


If you missed part 1, you can see it here:
Small Garden-Part 1- Crop Rotation

Many plants can do very well growing up on a trellis. It doesn't even have to be an "official" trellis... you don't have to spend a lot of money.... and maybe not any at all.

The picture above shows more than one kind of trellis... there is a piece of lattice held in place with stakes, there are 2 chair backs tied together to form a trellis.... and there is an old wooden patio umbrella frame in the corner of the picture.

 This picture shows just some metal in a U shape for the cucumbers.


 I always stake my tomatoes. I know that some people like to let them sprawl and if they have a lot of room, that works, but I think even if we get to the country and have more land, I will still stake mine. :)  I have learned to love the neatness of staked tomatoes... and I think it actually helps them.

Behind the tomatoes, see the pretty trellis? It is a metal bed headboard! :)  When you start looking, there are lots of possibilities.

This is the old patio umbrella frame. One of the posts on it is broken, but it is tied together and works great. We used this for cantaloupe and it worked well.  When the cantaloupe get big enough, I create a sling out of pantyhose tied to the wood and the melon rests on that. 

Here are a few other trellis... some of them are "official" trellis... and they are pretty and useful, but I need many more than this.

Below you can see the chair backs trellis... those were for squash this time. Over to the right is another metal bed headboard... I tied the two together... one is tall, one is short... worked well for the first crop of cucumbers.... and of course, there are all of the tomatoes with their pole stakes.

By the way... no need to buy pole stakes if you have something that will work... old pvc pipe...or metal pipe... or bamboo... etc will work also.  I like sturdy stakes... and have used 2"x 2" wood stakes cut to a point on one end... those were wonderful. In this picture, you see that I have "real" tomato stakes... I acquired a large amount of new ones, so decided to use them for the first time ever. They would be fine for smaller lightweight things... like passionflower or even cucumbers, but I hated them for my tomatoes... they weren't strong enough to hold them when the tomatoes were bigger and heavy... especially with storms.










 This is a metal trellis with the clematis growing on it. It is actually an old metal king size headboard and footboard that I hooked together...  We also had other plants growing up this trellis.












Having things grow UP sure helps to save space in the garden... it also allows room for other foods that cannot grow up.... like carrots, onions, radishes and more.









 Over toward the right in this picture... you can see some metal baby gates that have been secured in the stretched out position.


In the picture below, you can see 3 smaller poles tied together.... that was for one of the melons this year. Next to it there are a couple of single trellis tied together... for the second cucumber crop.

In the far right corner of the picture, toward the top, there are old supports from an outdoor canopy... with a board across between two of them (you can only see one of them here). This is for our blackberry vines and it works well.  You can also see the side entrance to the back garden (I like those arched entrances. :)  It is a couple of old porch posts with a couple of metal trim pieces from something... We have since painted it and it looks nicer.  There is another entrance to this back garden with other metal items....  These work well for morning glories and passionflowers to climb and also add charm to the garden.   :) 

There are many possibilities and it is surprising how much we can fit in our little city lot... and I try hard to keep it looking attractive and still be workable.  Growing UP is a big help to gardens... big or small, but especially small. Thank you for visiting today....  I hope you enjoy a great garden season this year. :)




Small Garden Series:
Small Garden-Part 1-Crop Rotation

Small Garden-Part 2-Growing UP

Small Garden-Part 3-More Beds





Shared on:


Gardens Galore
Simple Saturdays
Homestead Blog Hop
Friday at the Fire Station
Modest Mom Monday
Art of Homemaking Monday


42 comments:

  1. Your garden looks amazing! What a lot of hard work you have put in and it looks like it will all be worth it. I am just starting a new garden after moving - so much work in the structure before I can even start any planting.

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    1. Thank you! It has been a lot of work, but it is worth it.... Our first year here, we just used pots and did container gardening... we moved in June and it was just too hard to try to put gardens in that year. Enjoy your new place and your new garden.... I hope it produces well for you and that you love your new place. :)

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  2. I really enjoyed this, I was especially interested in how you grow your cantaloupe. Thanks for sharing this at Good Morning Mondays. Blessings

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    1. I'm glad.... it has worked well to trellis the melons and so many other veggies... I have even trellised pumpkins. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  3. So awesome! I'll have to check out your first post too - we are hoping to garden a lot more this year and I could use a lot of advice :)
    Thanks for sharing on Tuesday Talk :)
    Katie
    www.sweetlittleonesblog.com

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    1. Good... gardens are such a blessing... it is fun to watch the progress and then reap the harvest. I hope your garden does wonderfully well. :)

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  4. I love the old patio umbrella idea! I am going to use that this year.

    saw this on Talented Tuesdays.

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    1. Good... I hope it works as well for you as it has for us... it looks pretty also. :)

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  5. This is beautiful I wish I could grow anything at this point I seem to kill all plants

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    1. Thank you.... that is sad ... I hope that changes for you. Maybe start with something simple.... even like marigolds. I can't imagine not having plants growing. :)

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  6. What a clever and delightful use for a headboard :) Your garden looks so lush and green - simply beautiful. Hugs and blessings! Thanks for sharing at ROI.

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    1. Thank you... I have learned to be very creative in what I use... the garden ends up looking charming, for the most part, but my guys groan when I get a new idea for another item to use in the garden. :) They seem to like it, but they can't believe some of the things I will use. :)

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  7. thanks for sharing!

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  8. What a wonderful post! I'm visiting from Weekend Retreat blog hop - thanks
    Angie

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    1. Thank you... I appreciate the encouragement. Glad you stopped by. :)

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  9. The patio umbrella frame is a great idea! Some day I'll try gardening again. :) Stopping by from Saturday Soiree. Have a good weekend.

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    1. Thank you... I like to use things I have on hand or that are not good for anything else.... and as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. :)

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  10. So many great ideas -- can't wait for garden time again!

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    1. Thank you.... me, too! It is getting close. :)

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  11. So pretty thanks for sharing this post on Fab Friday, i love garden posts its right up my alley and I get so many ideas from your blog
    Thanks
    Maria

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    1. Thank you for such a sweet comment... it was fun to read. :)

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  12. very nice garden, thanks for sharing with hearth and soul blog hop. pining

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  13. I'd love to grow my own veggies but I can't even keep herbs alive! Do you have any recommendations for good starter plants for people like me who try so hard not to kill plants but usually do? Thanks for sharing at Talented Tuesdays we hope to see you again this week!

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    1. I'm sure sorry about that. You might even talk to some of your neighbors and find out what grows well in your area... You might try starting with one small section and only a couple different kinds of plants. If your natual soil isn't very good, you cold use a pot or small raised garden bed and put in some good soil and compost mix. Plants need good drainage... they don't like to sit in water.... but they do need to get enough water. You can also have your soil tested to see what nutrients are lacking.

      Some vegetables to start with, could be tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green beans..... or others. If you start small and experience some success, you could then branch out to other things. By the way, one herb that should be quite easy to grow is coneflower, also called echinacea.... one nice thing about this one is that it is pretty and comes back every year... and it is a useful herb. Other herbs that would be easier are those that are native to your area.

      It might help to start with a tomato plant, rather than seed... it should be much easier to grow... and actually, this is usually what I do for tomatoes. Cucumbers are so easy to plant right into the ground and so are green beans. It might also help to find a beginning gardener book. I hope you are able to start growing your own veggies... there is just nothing like picking your own veggies fresh from the garden. :) There will be more of the Small Garden Series coming... I hope you will return. :)

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  14. You should be so proud of your garden! It's beautiful and lush! Thanks for linking it up to the #ShineBlogHop

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  15. Your garden looks great! I especially like how you reused the old patio umbrella!

    Thanks for linking up with Green Thumb Thursday. I hope to see you again this week!

    ~Lisa M

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    1. Thank you.... the funny thing is that the old patio umbrella was a real accent to the garden in addition to being a great trellis.... it looked pretty. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  16. This is really great info, I need to start thinking about a garden for this year for sure!

    Thanks for stopping by and linking up with the Country Fair Blog Party!

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    1. Thank you.... I also need to get started on garden plans... it is a fun time of year. :)

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  17. What a great use for your patio umbrella frame!

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    1. I tend to "think outside the box" when it comes to garden trellis or decor... and this one did work great. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  18. I think growing things vertically adds so much interest to a garden! We live on a farm with acreage of soybeans. I wouldn't dream of adding more "flatland" plants for gardening. Your different trellis and staking ideas are wonderful!

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    1. Thank you... that is what I have thought too, though I have faced the questions of WHY would you do that? I think it looks nice and I love that added benefits of less bug and rot damage..... and of allowing better air flow. :) Thank you for visiting.

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  19. I love how you garden so creatively! Great ideas of staking and using repurposed items...growing up is a necessity for most gardens! Thanks so much for sharing at Gardens Galore!

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    1. Thank you! I love being about to use what I have... and the artist side of me loves creating beauty out of something no longer needed for its original use. :) Thank you for visiting... I sure enjoy your party.

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