West Oak Forest Garden

We grew 2 lemons on our little tree this year! Not much but...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:49:34 -0500

We grew 2 lemons on our little tree this year! Not much but it’s a start, and they are super tasty. More next year!

Just picked 8lbs of sweet potatoes from our garden! Not bad and...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:46:38 -0500

Just picked 8lbs of sweet potatoes from our garden! Not bad and definitely more then last year.

Grass clippings broken down

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:21:46 -0400

Grass clippings broken down

The PVC cage covered in sweet potato vines

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:20:15 -0400

The PVC cage covered in sweet potato vines

Photo

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:30:28 -0400

our first successful squash!

our tomato plant a week or 2 ago

we're getting this many every other day

caprese appetizer with all our own basil

the prettiest beets ever - from our CSA

i bought myself a birthday present! i love it a lot.

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:54:56 -0400

i bought myself a birthday present! i love it a lot.

Y’all. We got the banana tree (henceforth known solely as...

Sun, 13 May 2012 11:24:42 -0400

Y’all. We got the banana tree (henceforth known solely as “nanner”) a month ago, and he only had one leaf. Now he’s up to three! We’re so proud. (Taken with instagram)

From L-> R Mint, Parsley, and Basil. Our awesome herb garden

Thu, 10 May 2012 18:22:43 -0400

From L-> R Mint, Parsley, and Basil. Our awesome herb garden

Our banana tree has grown a second leaf and he’s only 3...

Sun, 06 May 2012 09:06:35 -0400

Our banana tree has grown a second leaf and he’s only 3 weeks old. Can’t tell from the picture angle but the big leaf is the new one. Proud of this little guy. (Taken with instagram)

Magic bean plants - seeds courtesy of Matt A.

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:50:32 -0400

Magic bean plants - seeds courtesy of Matt A.

Taken with instagram

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:19:27 -0400

Taken with instagram

2 normal strawberries and 3 little baby ones

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:03:50 -0400

2 normal strawberries and 3 little baby ones

Our new banana tree courtesy of Angie’s mom! Pretty...

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:18:53 -0400

Our new banana tree courtesy of Angie’s mom! Pretty excited about this one

Onions in a new raised bed

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:17:55 -0400

Onions in a new raised bed

Sweet potatoes for all (we did 27 plants this year)

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:16:32 -0400

Sweet potatoes for all (we did 27 plants this year)

Our PVC structure to keep the birds out of our berries!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:14:13 -0400

Our PVC structure to keep the birds out of our berries!

Strawberries and spinach in a raised bed

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:13:18 -0400

Strawberries and spinach in a raised bed

Watermelon plants!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:12:30 -0400

Watermelon plants!

Test

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:43:57 -0400

Test

Veggie Gardening 101

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:48:23 -0500

This past Saturday I took a class sponsored by the Charleston Parks Conservancy called Vegetable Gardening for Beginners in the South. Could it have been titled any more appropriately? It seemed perfect in title and description, so I signed up and adventured over to James Island to see what I could learn.

And learn I did! Jim Martin is a fantastic teacher! He doesn’t claim to know everything, or believe there is only one way of doing things; he merely shared what has worked for him over his many years of gardening. His garden (and entire backyard, for that matter) was gorgeous, and there were only 8 of us at the class so I got to ask all the questions I could possibly think of.

A summary of what I gathered:

We need to make our soil better. Fill those raised beds with some mushroom compost!
We might not have enough sunlight coming in during the summer months when the trees that tower over our backyard fill in with leaves. We may need to think about moving the location of the garden, however awkward it might be, so that the veggies can get enough sun-food. According to Jim (ha) they need at least 5 hours of direct sunlight a day, between 10am and 5pm.
We need to let our garden lay dormant in July, August, and September. It’s just too hot for both us and the plants. We should be able to get plants every other month of the year though. This excites me because the last thing I want to do in August is go outside where it is humid and buggy and hang out in the garden.
We can definitely utilize our space better. I was always putting plants way too far apart. I’ll admit it - Brady was right on this one.

On another note, BRADY IS CONSIDERING ALLOWING US TO HAVE CHICKENS. Everyone call or text him and tell him this is the best idea he’s ever had.