Green giant..... Green thumb.....Mr(s). Green Jeans

One of our flower beds around a backyard tree.

Our first attempt....

OK! ....... So we are attempting something completely new.......to learn how to grow veggies, herbs and plants and not kill them. I went to the library and got a couple of books on square foot gardening and lasagna gardening which is layered gardening in raised beds. I don't think we are doing the raised beds, but I am interested in container gardening and the square foot gardening. We are going to try the Topsy Turvy Tomato planter too. We got it for $9.99 at Target.

Green thumb or brown thumb?

I should not speak for Joe, but I will.... neither of us have ever been gardeners. In the past, I have not had the best luck keeping any plant alive, except for Herbert my rubber plant. I should be a green thumb considering that my paw paw has grown a two lot sized garden for decades and my mother is good at keeping plants alive. Herbert was a pretty small rubber plant that I got in 2002. Rubber plants are tropical plants and they are hardy which is why I have had success I guess. They actually like to be root bound and they like to go long periods between watering! Now he's a small tree! I have re-potted him about 4 times. I named him, because I wanted something to take care of and if I named my plant I knew I would remember to take care of him. I have even neglected an ivy plant and it died! Who kills ivy? And, once I was given an African violet and I could never get it to bloom once the initial blooms fell off. I read they are supposed to be easy to grow. Not for me.

Our forest friends.....

Anyway, we have a large space around this tree in our backyard. It is close to our back porch so we can admire the view. We have little critters like rabbits, squirrels, opossum, raccoons and hawks who visit our yard. Well, the squirrels are permanent residents and they are our main concern. See, the tree is a pecan tree and it is the home of many squirrels. They love to bury their pecans in the yard including our flower beds and especially under this tree! Last year, we planted some pretty flowers and within a week, the darn rodents dug up half our flowers looking for their pecans! I used to think squirrels were so cute, especially when they chase and play. Not when they mess up my plants!

They're not my friend anymore!

Another thing they do that bugs me, is they raid the bird feeder! I have a pot hanger drilled into the side of my tree and a cedar bird feeder hangs from it. The little sneaks take their back claws and dig them into "their" tree and lean out with their front feet onto the bird (squirrel) feeder and munch away as they look in the window making sure I'm not coming out to shoo them away again. Sometimes two at a time are eating with more in line waiting their turn. One "holds on" to steady it (while eating) and the other stuffs his face while keeping a lookout. Meanwhile, the sparrows, finches, redbirds and blue jays are trying to dive bomb the stingy squirrels and reclaim their feed. The squirrels run from the blue jays and wait watching for them to fly off, to return to the feeder.

Squirrels....can't live with 'em

One day last week, the squirrels did a raid on the feeder and it was half gone. Frustrated, I moved the bird feeder to a plant hanger on the overhang. It hangs in front of the window in our breakfast area that looks out to our new flower/veggie plantings. I thought moving it would keep the rascals from taking advantage. Kid you not, within an hour they proceeded to hop from their tree's branches onto the my roof and climb down onto the bird feeder and have their fill. Others jumped onto the plant stand under the window, then hopped onto the window screen and sprung up onto the bird feeder. All while I was watching and banging on the window and saying "go away"! They just looked at me like "I'm eating it anyway....nanny, nanny, nanny"! I really hope that they realize that we dug up all their pecans and leave our "garden" alone. My dad has a squirrel story or two to tell. They are smart little buggers just ask him. He battled with them for years at our old house and finally he just let them be. He spent tons of money on all sorts of traps. In the end, he knew he'd been out squirreled. I don't want them to get the best of my garden though! Since we planted seeds, maybe my gardens will have a better chance. I am seriously thinking of getting a squirrel feeder for them (Joe says he's getting a pellet gun) so they can leave my gardens alone, and a squirrel proof bird feeder for the birds. I figure if we distract them with what they want, then maybe they will leave my garden alone.

Tough times....

We planted a fragrant flower mix on the south side of the tree closest to the house. On the back side, we are doing our first attempt at some veggies and herbs. I don't know how successful we will be, but we thought it would be fun to try. If we are successful, then we can save some $$$ at the grocery store cause we love veggies! Tough times call for tough measures! Plus, I thought we would all have fun learning to be a little "green" and a little more self sufficient. It's a fun project for me and Joel to do together and Caitlin wanted to try out her green thumb too. We also started some seedlings indoors in these cute little pots I found at Target. They were in the $1 section for $1 each. Joel, Caitlin and I planted them today and put them on the window sill in the kitchen.

What we planted.....

In all, we planted some sweet peppers, basil, chives, parsley, oregano and tomorrow we are going to clear another bed for tomatoes and strawberries. I have some space for a few other things so I am thinking maybe yellow and zucchini squashes, or lettuce, or Serrano peppers, radishes, cucumbers, or maybe cantaloupe. Just a little, not rows and rows. I know this sound ambitious, but if anything grows, it will be fun and productive and a good lesson for the kids and I will feel like I have lost my brown thumb. I'll have to keep posting on the progress. If anything grows, I will have to show it off of course!!!! Please let me know if you have any suggestions, especially about the squirrel problem. Anyone else trying out a vegetable garden? How is it going for you? What problems have you had and how have you delt with them? Any advise on pest control? I hear birds and bugs LOVE strawberries and tomatoes. Anyone know a safer alternative to pesticides?