My Tropical Garden - in Minnesota!

I love tropical plants because they are beautiful and unique! Here in Minnesota, it is common to grow tropical plants in pots and gardens as annuals.

Path through my tropical garden

They are expensive to buy and it's hard to justify the cost of buying new plants every spring. 




For several years I have grown canna lilies in my gardens during the summer...and every fall, I dig up the bulbs and overwinter them inside.

I used to have to cram the bulbs in throughout my perennial gardens, and there was never enough space for them. So two years ago I created a new garden area in my yard specifically for growing tropicals and annuals. I call it my "tropical garden". 

My tropical garden

My initial plan was to create a dedicated space where I could plant my canna lily bulbs and fill the remaining garden with the annuals I grow from seed. 

As it turns out, I filled my new garden space up very quickly, and keep adding to it every summer.
 
My collection of tropical bulbs and tubers has expanded to include several types of tropical plants, not just canna lilies. Every year I add more bulbs to my collection. Buying bulbs is much cheaper than buying plants, and I can enjoy the same varieties year after year.

 

Getting all the tropical bulbs laid out and ready to plant

Having a dedicated space for growing my tropical bulbs has made it much easier to plant them in the spring.
 



I usually pull the bulbs out of the basement in April/May and pot them up in the peat they were packed in. This usually gives them a head start.

My tropical bulbs unpacked and temporarily potted up

This weekend we finally had some decent weather and I got all my tropical bulbs planted. 

Tropical garden at it's peak

Here's what I planted in my tropical garden so far this year..

• Elephant ears
• Peacock orchid
• Canna lily 'Madame Butterfly'
• Peruvian Daffodil
• Calla lillies
• Caladium Illustris
• Gladiola mix
• Alocasia odora (EE)
• Canna lily mix
• Canna lily 'Bengal Tiger'
• Dahlia 'Le Baron'
• Canna Tropicana
• Calla Zantedeschia species
• Dahlia mix
  Red Spider lily
• Calla aethiopica
• Crinum light pink
• Voodoo lily
• Dahlia 'Rigoletto'
• Crocosmia orange
• Canna 'Indica'
• Watsonia
• Dahlia 'New Dimension'
• Gladiola 'Tiny Tot'

Winter Sowing Status Report #10

I was going to start plating out my warm weather vegetables and annuals last weekend... but boy am I glad I waited! We got frost both Saturday and Sunday nights. Yuck! Hopefully the weather will be better this weekend so I can start planting them out.

I have 15 more containers sprouting...

• Green Striped Cushaw Squash
• Pole beans
• Golden Zucchani
• Cucumber White Wonder
• Waltham Butternut Squash
• Winter King Squash
• Cucumber Boston Pickling
• Morning Glory
• Eyeball Plant
• Lemon Drop Peppers
• Banana Peppers
• Cucumber National Pickling
• Cucumber Sumter
• Anaheim Pepper
• Jalapeno Pepper

The weather this week was better so I managed to plant out 6 more containers, all peas.

• 'Little Marvel'
• 'Alaska'
• Mammoth Melting Sugar Pea
• Cocopeas
• Sugar Snap Peas

I tell you, this has been a bad spring for peas. The fist batch of seeds I sowed were all rotted, and most of the peas were rotted in my second batch too. I guess it's this cold, wet weather we've been having. I am going to start yet another batch of peas this weekend... but inside this time! It seems so late to be planting peas!

In case you missed them, here are links to my previous winter sowing status reports from this season...
 
Winter Sowing Status Report #1
Winter Sowing Status Report #2
Winter Sowing Status Report #3
Winter Sowing Status Report #4
Winter Sowing Status Report #5
Winter Sowing Status Report #6 

Winter Sowing Status Report #7
Winter Sowing Status Report #8
Winter Sowing Status Report #9 

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Weekend Project: Large Compost Bin

Last spring I wrote about my method of composting in my cheap and easy compost bin. That method of composting worked very well for me during my first several years of gardening.

Large wire compost bin

Last summer I made my wire bin 3 times larger and I liked this size much better.

It was easier to turn, it allowed me to compost way more stuff, and it seemed to generate the black gold much faster.

But I didn't like that it's open and looks messy, especially in the spring right after the snow melts.

I also noticed that a raccoon was invading my bin at night, and I want to keep those critters away.

Plus now that I've gotten the hang of composting and I am passionate about it, I'm ready to invest in an upgrade! I wanted a large, enclosed bin with a top, but didn't want to spend a ton of money to buy one.

My husband was excited to try building one for me, so he did some research and found the plans for this bin…
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/xml/services/home/environ/waste/recycle/compost/WoodWire3BinFlyer.pdf

Framing up the compost bin

I loved the idea of building one, that way I could customize it any way I wanted.

One major change we decided to make in the design was to put on three tops instead of one, and to use mesh fencing for the tops rather than fiberglass. I also chose to add clasps to the tops so I can secure them and keep critters out.

Last weekend, It was rainy and cold so we decided to build the bin. It took a LOT of lumber and is WAY larger than I expected it would be.

Added the wire to the bin compartments

It looked huge in the garage and I was nervous that it was too big.

But, now that we've moved it out to the garden, it doesn't look as huge.

The footprint of this new bin is almost exactly the same as my wire bin last year, but it's much taller.

I love this new bin, it has three compartments for the various stages of compost.

Compost bins removable front slates

The front slates are removable for easy turning and removing of the compost.

The slates also hide the compost from site, so it looks much cleaner.

Now I can compost pretty much everything, including yard and kitchen waste.

Compost bin in the garden

Heck, I might not even need a yard waste bin anymore (which will save me $70/year).

By the time we complete this bin, it will the cost will be about $150.00 (I haven't added up the exact cost yet).


As I have mentioned several times before, I am cheap. It was hard to swallow spending this kind of money on a compost bin.

Compost bin almost complete (two tops to go)

But if I can get rid of my yard waste bin, it will pay for my new compost bin in less than two years.

Plus, after pricing retail compost bins, I would never have gotten anything close to this size for this price.

It's a MAJOR upgrade from my previous bins. By the way, the compost the half filled my old wire bin (first picture) only filled one compartment of my new bin half way! Wow!!

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May What's Blooming

I am so excited to finally have a large amount of blooms to share with you! I planted a bunch of spring blooming bulbs last fall and they are putting on a lovely show for me this spring. I am definitely going to plant even more this fall. Here's what's been blooming in my yard...

Fritillaria

Moss

Daffodil

Tulips

Tulips by pond

Tulip

Tulips

Daffodils

Lungwort

Creeping Phlox (white)

Bleeding Heart

Creeping Phlox

Creeping Phlox (light purple)

Dandelions -- grr!

Is anyone else noticing a large amount of dandelions this year? What else is blooming in your yard?

When you have a chance, check out all of the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts to see what's blooming around the world.

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Winter Sowing Status Report #9

**Note: I originally posted this on May 11th, 2011. Due to the Blogger outage, I had to repost it. **

The lids are permanently off all of the sprouting containers. I have also removed the lids from the non-sprouting containers and moved the sun lovers into the sun. We'll see if that gets them sprouting faster.

Bean seedlings ready to be planted

It's pretty hot today, but up until now, it's remained chilly in the shade.


Hopefully once the soil stays consistently warm, the seeds will sprout.



If those containers dry out too quickly in the sun, I'll put the tops back on and move them back to their shady spots.



New sprouts...

Squash seedlings ready to be planted

• 'Little Marvel'
• 'Alaska'
• Mammoth Melting Sugar Pea
• Cocopeas
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Zinnia Oklahoma Pink
• Foxglove Strawberry
• Borage (although these sprouts look like they could be weeds)
• Asparagus Bean
• Bronze Coleus
• Coleus dark purple
• Money Plant
• Salsify Taste of Italy 
• Cucumbers
• Acorn Squash
• Marigold french/tiger eyes
• White Butterfly Weed

That brings my total of sprouting containers up to 54. That means over half of my winter sown containers are sprouting!

I started planting stuff out this past weekend. I planted out 13 winter sown containers.

• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Swiss Chard
• Cabbage
• Endive
• GA Collards
• Leeks
• Purple Vienna Kohlrabi
• White Vienna Kohlrabi
• Rutabaga
• Brussels Sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower

Starting to plant out winter sown seedlings

In case you missed them, here are links to my previous winter sowing status reports from this season...

Winter Sowing Status Report #1
Winter Sowing Status Report #2
Winter Sowing Status Report #3
Winter Sowing Status Report #4 
Winter Sowing Status Report #5
Winter Sowing Status Report #6 

Winter Sowing Status Report #7
Winter Sowing Status Report #8
 
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Planning the vegetable garden

One of the tasks on my to do list last weekend was planning this year's vegetable garden. Taking the time to do this makes it much easier for me when it comes time to plant.

Here is my plan for this year's garden...

2011 Vegetable Garden Plan

When I first started gardening, planting time was a very stressful time. I used to "plan" as I went, deciding where to put stuff as I planted it. It was stressful because by the time I was half way through the pile of seedlings waiting to be planted, I was pretty much out of space in the garden. I would find myself cramming the last few seedlings in amongst the stuff I already planted.

This messy way of planting made it very difficult when it came time to weeding and harvesting too because I didn't have much room to walk between the plants.

2010 Vegetable Garden Plan

I also found it difficult to properly rotate my crops since I couldn't always remember where everything was from year to year. Rotating crops is difficult in a small garden anyway, and pretty much impossible without a plan.

So a few years ago, I began planning my vegetable garden before I started planting anything (huh, what a concept!). I also started grouping plants in the same family, (cabbage family...etc) to make crop rotation easier.

2009 Vegetable Garden Plan

Planning the garden has taken the stress out of planting. Plus, it's kinda fun to look at my garden plans from previous seasons.

P.S. Please excuse the poor quality of these images, our scanner is broken so I had to take pictures of my drawings. Also, these are not drawn to scale.

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Fancy Birdbath

The other day, I spotted a bird near my pond. I ran to grab my camera just in time to watch it use the fountain in my little pond as a birdbath. I've seen birds drinking out of my pond before but I've never seen one use it as a birdbath. It was so fun to watch, I wish I would have thought to take some video of it rather than snapping pictures.

Here are the pictures I took...

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Putting My Cold Frame To Use

I did it, I've met My Cold Frame Challenge. This weekend, I got it all set up and I'm trying it out again. Plus I've decided I'm definitely going to keep it.

My cold frame after planting seedlings

I was originally going to use my cold frame for hardening off my indoor sown seedlings, but my porch works great for that. So I decided to use my cold frame to protect some of the seedlings I planted in the garden instead. I wish I would have thought to do this a month ago!

My biggest fear is frying everything again because I don't know how to properly vent the cold frame. I did a little research and it seems that venting the cold frame is pretty much a manual process.

I haven't found much information on how/when to vent the cold frame, but I guess I should prop it open on sunny days, and close it on freezing nights. I have no idea how far open to prop it, I guess I need to learn by trying. Seems like it could be a bit of work to get the hang of it, but not too difficult.

My cold frame all set up and in use!

I'm thinking it's a bit too late in the season to start using my cold frame, but I'm doing it anyway. I am determined to figure out how to use this thing, and to love it! I found a great spot for it in the garden and I think it looks pretty cool. I'm excited to use it much earlier next spring.

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Invitation For Nesting Birds

When I first bought this house (almost nine years ago), I put up a couple of bird feeders

Cats salivating over yellow finch

The only reason I did is because my cats like to watch birds... and it's funny to watch my cats watching birds.

Over the past few years, I've joked about the birds costing me a fortune.

Heck, sometimes I feel like I fill those feeders every day. There are times during the summer when I am so busy, I don't have time to fill the feeders. It becomes another bullet point on my never ending to do list.

The year after I got my first bird feeders, I bought a birdhouse because I thought it was cute. I got it purely for decoration and it never crossed my mind that anything would actually nest in there.

The birdhouse sat empty for a few years... then the wasps found it and there was a nest in there all right! I am terrified of wasps and made my husband take care of the problem for me.

My birdhouse with old nesting material in it

I wanted him to throw out the birdhouse, but he convinced me to keep it and he cleaned it out.

I'm glad he did, because the very next spring birds actually nested in it!!

We've had birds nesting in it every spring since then.

Bird watching has never been a formal hobby of mine.

Don't get me wrong, I like birds and find it exciting when I see an uncommon bird fly overhead, but I don't seek them out. I always thought it would be fun to be a bird watcher, but I'm always too busy in the gardens.

This year, I've decided to do more to attract birds to my yard. They are not only fun to watch and listen to, but they are very beneficial to the gardens.

So in an effort to attract more birds, I bought a couple new finch feeders, and just ordered a hummingbird feeder. This weekend, I hope to purchase a new birdhouse too (or two). Let's just hope the birds find it before the wasps do.

Old bird nest on the ground

Right now, the birds are busy getting ready to start building their nests.

They are cleaning out the old nests, and are busy collecting fresh nesting materials to build their new nests.

So I will do my part to make my gardens a nice place for the birds to build their nests and raise their babies.

My husband will take care of cleaning out the bird nest from last year (because I'm still worried about the wasps returning) and I will take care of the rest.

Hopefully my cats and I will be rewarded with lots of new birds to watch (don't worry, they are indoor cats).

Coconut liner in planter ripped apart by birds

Oh, and the birds really appreciate it when you provide nesting materials for them too (Doh!). 

Winter Sowing Status Report #8

After checking my winter sown containers this weekend for sprouts, I noticed that my peas haven't started to sprout yet.

Winter Sown Containers Sprouting

I would have expected at least a few of them to sprout by now.

I'm not sure what's going on, I think they may have been too far in the sun and were baked.

Or perhaps they don't like this cold, wet weather and decided to rot instead. (I have read that bean and pea seeds will rot if winter sown to early)

Whatever the reason... to be sure I have peas this spring, I decided to sow the rest of my pea seeds.

I was saving those seeds for a second crop later this summer, I guess now I'll have to buy more seeds.

I thought I was done with winter sowing, but I sowed 6 more containers (all peas), that brings my total up to 105...

• 'Little Marvel'
• 'Alaska'
• Mammoth Melting Sugar Pea
• Cocopeas
• Sugar Snap Peas

Plus, 10 more containers have started to sprout..

Winter Sown Squash Sprouts

• Summer Savory
• Forget Me Not
• Petunia Mix
• Poppy (orange)
• Pole Beans
• Jiminez Bean
• Patty Pan Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Blue Lake Pole Bean
• Deep Blue Morning Glory
• Lima Bean

That brings my total of sprouting containers up to 36!

Winter Sown Beans Sprouting

I'm happy with the number of sprouting containers I have since it's been so cold and wet this spring.


But I'm still not at 50% of my winter sown containers sprouting. It's definitely a late spring.


The weather is supposed to warm up, so hopefully that means I'll start to see more containers sprouting like crazy!!

Winter Sown Morning Glory Sprouts

I haven't heard from any of you in a while, everyone must be busy with their spring chores.

Hey all you fellow winter sowers, what's the status of your sprouts??

In case you missed them, here are links to my previous winter sowing status reports from this season...

Winter Sowing Status Report #1
Winter Sowing Status Report #2
Winter Sowing Status Report #3
Winter Sowing Status Report #4 
Winter Sowing Status Report #5
Winter Sowing Status Report #6 

Winter Sowing Status Report #7

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