Friday, September 9

Daily Farm Photo 9/9/05: Simple Farm Pleasures


Happy mint and handmade fence

© FarmgirlFare.com

9 comments:

  1. That mint is HUGE!!!!
    and that gate!
    oh sooooo cute, so sweet, so jealous :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a cute gate..you really made that yourself? Or purchased it separately and attached it? Wonder if growing mint on my fire escape is a possibility. You must be an avid gardener...do you have any recommendations for outdoor plants? I want to start a little garden on my fire escape..and the workers in city garden shops don't really seem to have a clue...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why Howdy there Susan. I just happened upon your site...looks very interesting! I am looking forward to reading future posts! Well just thought I'd say hi ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Clare,
    Yes, that mint is very, very happy! I really like that gate, too. : )

    Hi Mona,
    Oh, I wish I'd made that gate! No, just the fence is handmade (though by Joe, not me). If you click on the words "handmade fence" you'll see some more of his handiwork.

    I think growing mint on your fire escape is a definite possibility! I have seen pictures of some wonderful little fire escape gardens. Mint does very well in containers. Mine is actually growing in a container of sorts--it's a hollowed out hunk of tree stump. Thank goodness, because otherwise I think it would have taken over the entire yard by now.

    There are lots of other plants you could probably grow in containers on your fire escape. All kinds of herbs, for example. Many are cold hardy, or if you have a sunny window ledge, you can bring them indoors for the winter. Even though I have plenty of garden space, I have lots of plants growing in pots. That sedum autumn joy I posted as yesterday's photo is doing very well in its large pot (and is a hardy perennial that requires virtually no maintenance). To see some happy herbs growing in pots click here and here.

    Most plants need about 6 hours of sun a day (shade tolerant plants need less, so if you don't get enough sun, you might consider looking into some shade loving varieties.)

    You could even grow some edibles. Cookiecrumb at I'm Mad And I Eat harvested delicious tomatoes for six weeks from her tiny patio garden. She put them in pots on wheels and moved them around, chasing the sun!

    As for other edibles, here are links to some of my previous posts that you might find helpful:
    Chives & Herbed Yogurt Cheese
    Onions In The Garden
    Strawberries

    One thing plants in containers do need is lots of quality (natural, please!) fertilizer. Since you probably don't have access to any nice sheep manure, kelp is a good alternative. You can buy it in liquid or granulated form that you mix with water (usually more economical). If you can't find any locally, I recommend Pinetree Garden Seeds as a good source. I have been buying seeds and supplies from them for years. I have a link to their website in the sidebar.

    Early spring is usually the best time to start a garden, but now would be a good time to scout around your neighborhood for fellow gardeners you can beg for cuttings or divisions. They are usually happy to share, and you will be getting plants that you know can survive in your climate.

    Hope this helps. Good luck! : )

    Hi Amy,
    Oh, you have no idea. Oops. I guess I already admitted to Mona I didn't build the gate or the fence. : )

    Hi Alicat,
    Welcome to the farm! So glad you stopped by. Thanks for taking the time to write. : )

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello!
    I was introduced to your blog by a good friend of mine. I will be telling her thank you again over the weekend. I have really enjoyed scope-ing out your space here and have started my own blog now too. I look forward to reading about your adventures with the Pitas. You have a wonderful place.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ok... last try...... great site and will return soon? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  7. ACK! someone needed to slap me!! I am soooo sorry about the half a dozen posts. I didn't "scroll down" to see if it added my post.. the page kept "appearing the same" without my post on it! you can delete them if you so desire... can you tell am a newbie to this realm yet? sorry again for multiple stupid posts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Heather,
    Welcome to the farm! Glad you enjoyed your visit. Don't worry about leaving all those comments--I got a real kick out of them, and I appreciate your taking so much time to make sure your nice words got through! Hey, we were all brand new to blogging at one time (and you wouldn't believe some of the silly things I've done in the name of "blog innocence" over the past few months : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. All that mint... makes me think of mint pesto. It's the most wonderful thing with grilled chicken or fish!

    Mona, I see that you are in NewYork. You may be able to overwinter mint outside as long as it is in a pot that is at least 10 inches in diameter. Because it's on your fire escape, you might want to wrap the pot in bubblewrap as well - to protect it from wind. There's a great book on container gardening: "The City Gardeners Handbook" by Linda Yang. I believe that Ms. Yang's first garden was on the balcony of her New York City apartment....

    -Elizabeth

    P.S. Hey, farmgirl, I bet you have a pecan tree too so you could use your own pecans!

    ReplyDelete

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!