Mavis Mail – Alison From Pennsylvania Sends in Pictures of Her Colorful Garden

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star gardens. Keep them coming!

~Mavis

This week we get a glimpse {through gorgeous pictures!} of Alison’s amazing garden in Pennsylvania. Wow!

Hi Mavis,
I love reading your blog. Gardening is my number one hobby. I begin planning my garden in December/January. Usually about the time that my counter-top sprouts just aren’t enough of a garden for me. I hope you enjoy the pictures of my garden (Zone 6a in PA).

I love Swiss Chard and nasturtiums. I must have them every year. My son’s Guinea pig has unfortunately developed a Pavlovian response to my voice because he expects me to bring him Swiss Chard whenever I pass by his cage.

I love this picture of garden bounty. The tromboncino squash crack me up whenever I look at them. They’re pretty easy to grow and a lot of fun to see the neighbor’s reactions to its unusual shape and size. It has a really nice nutty taste.

Amber is my awesome garden helper. Her number one gardening tool is her tennis ball. She’s able to toss her ball right where I’m working so I have no choice but to pick it up and throw it for her. When she sees me putting on my gardening hat, she’s off to get her ball. Weeding takes twice as long, but who can resist that face?

Marigolds everywhere! I have a thing for yellow marigolds. This year I grew 144 of ‘em and lined my main raised beds with them. They wound up crowding my peppers and eggplants a bit too much. Next year, I’ll go back to a sweet allyssum border for the peppers and eggplants.

Above, is the my broccoli house that I built using free plans from the blog, Bepa’s Garden. I stapled tulle fabric to inside of the frame and voila! For the first time ever, I had broccoli without one cabbage worm. I used sprouting broccoli that’s been going since May producing just enough for a stir-fry meal here and there.

Yes, I love marigolds.They’re such happy flowers. The above picture is at the edge of my main L-shaped raised beds with a center bed with a knock-out rose and lavender. When I planted the rose, a stray creeping jenny sprout came along. I now have a carpet of creeping jenny that’s turned my center circle into an amorphous amoeba shape. My youngest son loves to come out and walk barefoot on it and has admonished me not to pull it out. I’m afraid next year, it’s going to need taming along with the lavender.

To the side of my L-shaped beds, I have a line of four diamond beds. Last year, these had tomatoes in them. This year, it was various combinations of greens. This bed has a border of dwarf kale with strawberry popcorn in the center. The kale needs a bit of a trim in this picture, but overall it was a powerhouse plant. I’ve had a constant supply of kale since June. Dwarf kale is now on my must grow list.

Behind the diamond beds are the 13’ hop towers. And, in case you’re wondering, they are not just for show. My husband harvests the Cascade hops each year and makes a special harvest beer. This year, he made a blueberry saison lager.

It looks pretty wild because my garden butts up against the wild part of our yard. The garden entrance is covered by a grape trellis. After waiting for three seasons, I have discovered that the grapes that I bought are not what the labels described them as. They were supposed to be seedless table grapes. What I have are seeded and pretty sour. The birds were quite happy with them though. The border outside the fence is all deer resistant flowers and herbs: sage, mint, oregano, calendula, thyme, chives, cone flowers, lambs ears and more. The half-moon herb bed at the front of the picture is new this year.

Here’s a view of Garden 2012. I use electrical conduit for hoops to put bird netting over the strawberry beds. The birds around here are pretty crafty in doing the limbo under the netting. During strawberry season, I find myself rescuing a least one bird a week from under the netting. They can get in but not out apparently. The plan for next year is to develop a better cover. You can also see that I use electrical conduit for trellises between beds. Arches are such an appealing shape.

Swiss Chard bed from 2012. The nasturtiums and chard are a great combo. I covered them briefly against leaf miners early in the season hence the conduit hoops.

Ah, blueberries. I need more of them! They’re under-planted with strawberries and some self-seeded violas. Who has the heart to pull out a volunteer viola?

Another view of the creeping jenny carpet. Not an edible but the chartreuse color is irresistible. This is from 2012. It’s filled in all the way to the raised beds behind this season.

Flowers are a must. I usually try to winter-sow these petunias and collect seeds at the end of the season. These originally came from a totally purple petunia basket that I bought three years ago at a nursery. In the back is elephant head amaranth. I originally planted it in 2011. I have not ever had to replant. It self sows every year. I just transplant them to where I want them to be.

Garden 2014 on their first day hardening off sheltered in my messy garage. My husband started to get a bit weary helping me move the table in and out of the garage until they were ready to go in the ground. I think a new system is in order for next year. The last picture is my light set-up. Yep, all 300 plus plants are grown on a 6 foot 48 in wide shelf unit with florescent shop lights suspended from the shelves.

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

• Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so,  show me some picture of how you are going about it.
• Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
• Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
• Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
• Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go  HERE for the official rules.