Oh Yeah, Come Through

Some of the sunflowers have sprouted. Last year,  I planted two sunflower plants and they brought so much beauty to the front yard. I usually plant the tall varieties and sometimes multicolored ones, and they are usually grown in the backyard,but I thought, why not bring a splash of color to the front. 

The azaleas and the tulips in my front yard have really been beautiful, now I need my hydrangeas to come through with the color, and eventually the sunflowers, too.

My Blueberry Plants

The top picture is the first blueberry plant growing in a full sun location and I can tell that it's growing exceptionally well. It has a little reddish tint to the leaves, as well.

This plant  is growing in an area of the yard that gets partial sunlight. The leaves are very vibrant green and the plant has definitely grown a lot. 

Wonder how differently these plants will grow being placed in different sunlight conditions. 

Which plant will grow better the top one or the bottom one?

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Quote of the Week

A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.

                                       --May Sarton

Time to Fertilize

Today has been a very rainy and storm filled, Good Friday. Woke up last night at midnight and the power was out in my neighborhood. Apparently half of the power in the city I live in was out. Several downed trees took out powerlines in my area. Power was finally restored around 9:30 a.m..

For me, as a gardener, Good Friday is the time I usually transplant my tomatoes outside---not this year, though, weather was really bad earlier in the day, and off and on showers throughout the day, and not to mention tomorrow we're suppose to have a big cold front come through.  So, instead of putting my tomatoes and tomatillos(I'm growing these for the first time)at risk of extreme weather conditions right off the bat, I decided when I saw another break in the clouds that I would fertilize my brussels sprouts. 

So, when that break came, I rushed to put on my shoes and hurriedly gathered the watering can and the fertilizer. I collected the rain water that filled my gardening cart into my watering can, making sure I filled the can more than halfway and adding at least two capfuls to the watering can, and then I made sure the Brussels sprouts got a good soaking with the fertilizer. The brussels sprouts haven't been fertilized at all since being planted, so this is much needed. I really can't wait to see how much they'll grow in the next few weeks. 

So, there you have it, my Good Friday gardening story for the day. What is yours? 

#atlantagardener,#backyardgardener, #growingfood,#goodfridaygardeningstory,#rain,#fertilize

Happy Good Friday 😊

A First Timer:Brussels Sprouts

Got a picture of the Brussels Sprouts growing in a pot. They really look like they're doing well, thank goodness for abundant rain showers, the Atlanta area has seemed to have at least one a week, and as a gardener, I'm truly grateful. There's nothing like water from the heavens, so nutrient rich that plants always seem a bit taller, vibrant in color and stronger after a rain shower.

This is my first time growing Brussels Sprouts and I'm already so giddy about their progression. I hope to move some of them as they get bigger into other pots, and plant in the ground. 

This variety is Long Island Improved, semi-dwarf heirloom that apparently produces good yields.

Has anyone grown this variety or brussel sprouts before, if so, do you have any tips on how to keep them healthy and producing a good yield?

As always, leave a comment down below and, keep growing!

-Shelly 

#atlantagardener,#backyardgardener,#growyourownfood, #brusselssprouts,

The Spot

I finally found a great spot for my grapevines. Finding this spot was truly difficult since some of my backyard doesn't get as much sunlight as other parts furing the spring and summer months. 

Another factor that I had to take into consideration is how large the vines will get, so I decided against planting the grape vines along the fence or building an arbor and decided that the perfect spot is along the deck. 

Here along the deck, the vines can stretch out and grow and climb along the deck. I also think this will bring some beauty to the deck. 

#atlgardener,#backyardgardener,#growinggrapes,

#growingfood

Quote of the Week

"When you increase the number of gardens, you increase the number of heavens, too!"

                                                            - Mehmet Murat Ildan

Creativity Time

My daughter, Kennedy, also my gardening buddy just bought these two concord grape plants for us to plant and also bring out our design creativity---because I have no idea where I want to put them. She has no idea either, but hey, we're up for the challenge! 

Time to put my thinking cap on and find a new home for these grapes.