Seedlings Thriving

I spent the afternoon transplanting my precious seedlings, it's finally time. The cabin looks like a nursery, I'm quickly running out of space under the grow light! 


Thanks to hubby for drilling holes on tons of plastic cups we already have, they were perfect for the seedlings. 


I transplanted Roma and Cherry tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, Merlot leaf lettuce, Cilantro, Parsley, and Leek to larger containers.

My Sweet Peas flowers are getting taller and Jalapeno Peppers are growing well too. Hopefully pretty soon, there'll be a harvest of home grown veggies. I don't know what it is but something about gardening is absolutely therapeutic. I love getting my hands on the soil, finding myself losing track of time in the joy of it all. It's amazing and rewarding to watch seeds sprout and become little plants. I'm anticipating warmer weather...Hurry up Idyllwild!   

Strawberry Baby!

My strawberry plants has been growing indoor on our windowsill. I've been waiting for the right conditions to plant them outside, longing for snow to be over. I found out strawberries grow well up here so a month ago, I purchased two kinds of strawberries due to impulse: Quinault and Sequoia, I couldn't decide. The baby above is Quinault and I noticed a couple more tiny ones getting ready to blossom. My sweet husband built a strawberry box about 2 weeks ago. I started working on amending the soil and trying to make it more acidic. Yesterday after adding homemade compost with pine needles to organic soil, I tested the ph level. The result was 6.5 so it looks like I'm getting there, only if it would stop snowing!

I also transplanted some houseplants like this variegated ivy to a cute watering can. My ivy plants are doing wonderful.

Nepthytis is one of my favorites for indoor gardening, I love the heart shaped foliage! 

                     

                        

           

Weeds, Ivy, Dead Leaves, etc.

Yesterday afternoon I spent most of my time spring cleaning. Other than the usual housework, I spent 3 hours in the front yard pulling weeds, raking dead leaves with pine needles, and yanking unwanted ivy groundcovers in random places. I ended up with 14 bags=630 gallons of all this stuff, that's right...Incredibly a mess and indeed hard work. I woke up with a backache this morning, man I feel old! The goal is to prepare the yard so hubby can build the deer fence and have my garden for the summer. As for now, I'm enjoying my plants inside the cabin and waiting for veggies under the grow light.    

Purple Mystery

It's a warm mellow day in Idyllwild, finally beautiful clear blue skies. I ran a couple of errands and then I noticed mixed wildflowers in the front yard I sowed a few weeks ago have sprouted! Maybe I'll have some poppies soon as well. Perhaps covering the flower bed with tarps during 2 days of rain and snow showers helped. We also noticed pretty purple flowers growing, something I didn't plant. I used organic fertilizer on the flowers to see if they'll continue to bloom. I wonder what these little purple flowers are? They almost look like Vinca Minor but I could be absolutely wrong. If someone can identify them let me know, I truly appreciate it!

My Lovely Hosta

Mid May is the best time for gardening in Idyllwild according to my husband's friend, a local resident. I believe he grows tomatoes and tulips. All the snow we've had is beginning to melt away and I'm looking forward to sunnier days, dreaming about my garden. A dear friend of mine surprised me when a belated birthday gift came in the mail, this led me to buying plants! Last week, before hubby and I did groceries he said I could pick up plants at the nursery, I'm way excited to start with a few to get me inspired. I haven't planted them directly on the ground but keeping them in containers, soon I'll be when I clean up the yard.

I'm getting ready with some ground covers and later add flowers. I brought this local garden club book with recommended listing of plants that grow well in our climate. I decided to purchase Hosta Plantain Lily, Vinca Minor Periwinkle, Silver Dragon Lily Turf, and Bacopa White. Ok Bacopa was not in the list but it was adorable I must try! Who knows, this plant might flourish. 


Hosta on the other hand are hardy perennials, once established they'll thrive and last for years in Idyllwild. I fell in love with the large heart shape foliage in beautiful shades of green. I have a big area of part sun and shade and from my research, Hosta grows well in the shade. I can't wait to get out in the front yard, soon enough the soil will warm up and then I'll be busy gardening.

Herbs Delight

I've grown herbs upstairs in the loft windowsill for about a month, they're doing fabulous in the south facing window with afternoon sun. I thought about moving the boxes but the herbs are doing good there. I didn't grow them from seeds but from small plants although I'd like to, perhaps next year I'll start seeds early spring indoors. I spend a great amount of time cooking to wait for these savory herbs. I have basil, thyme, oregano, sage, and rosemary. I love the aroma of fresh herbs whenever I come to snip some for cooking! Tonight's menu is BBQ teriyaki mahi mahi with garlic and basil served with grilled corn and zucchini...YUM I'm getting hungry! I also marinated chicken to grill ahead of time for another night's dinner with lemon, oregano, special seasonings, and olive oil. Ahhh the joys of eating well, my hubby would agree. I don't think I could live without herbs, they're essentials in the kitchen.      

Tomatoes sprouting more

My daily routine when I get up in the morning is to grab a cup of coffee and head upstairs to check my seedlings. Good news today, my organic roma and cherry tomatoes are doing well with more seeds germinating. I often wonder if I'm doing this correctly because I planted several veggies and flowers requiring different temperatures. Like what my husband said, it's trial and error. I'm doing my best and reading up on everything I'm aspiring to grow. 


I'm new to starting from seeds and learning a little everyday. The romaine lettuce seems to favor more moisture and the small fan blowing a gentle breeze is helping them from becoming leggy. I've had the leggy issue and it's frustrating! Setting up the fan on low, making sure everything is getting enough water, light or heat is keeping them alive. I noticed how much more attention seedlings need as they emerge. It has been a couple of days and my jalapenos haven't germinated yet, could it be wrong temperature or bad seeds? I read that peppers can be a challenge.      

Romaine lettuce on the bottom and parsley growing on top tray, tons of seedlings to thin out!   

I'm eager to use the new deep-root tray from gardeners.com I received the other day as a birthday gift. It arrived late because whoever packed the box with other items I ordered forgot to put the tray inside so it got shipped separately. In addition, I needed organic germinating soil mix and that turned out to be backordered so my plans on sowing the heirloom tomatoes will be delayed. Hopefully, it won't be too late to plant more tomatoes! However, it's probably a great idea to have something to look forward to making gardening much more exciting.

Deep-root seedstarting tray with a pack of Heirloom Tomatoes waiting to be planted!

Habitat for wildlife

My mom in-law bought me this bird feeder for my birthday (I was spoiled) and I love it! My husband attached a long branch on a big tree in front of our living room window. It's important to create a garden where birds, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and beneficial insects can live. Today is Earth Day, a time to appreciate the environment and contemplate about the beauty of our surroundings. Right now we have a foot of lovely snow outside, it looks like winter wonderland. The tall trees are covered with fluffy snow and deers are foraging for food! For the last 2 months I've been living here, we constantly see deers through our dining room window, usually about 4 to 6 of them! Squirrels are regular visitors and they certainly love the new bird feeder.

The problem are squirrels taking over and leaving no seeds for the wildbirds therefore we have to create a separate feeder for them. Hubby said we're going to make a birdhouse first then the peanuts feeder for the hungry squirrels.  

A deer peeking through the bushes. Deers get fed pretty well too since I cook so much we have plenty of left overs for them! 

Rain with snow showers

The weather forecast predicted rain and snow today and tomorrow. It's pouring down hard at times, looks like we're staying in. I'm relieved to be prepared ahead of time by bringing my container plants inside yesterday. Last time 2 of my poor plants got killed by the frost when we went away for a few days. It's a sad thing to see something unexpectedly wilted, I'm learning about how weather in the mountains can be erratic. The raised flower bed my husband and I began is now covered with some kind of water proof tarps. I recently sowed a few annuals and perennials seeds there, I hope they survive. If not I'll have to wait and try again. 


The photo above is the front yard of of the cabin, it's where we plan to establish our flower garden. My husband's grandma had a garden here 20 something years ago, it's somewhat of a half circle and we decided to leave the layout the way it is. Hubby will build a fence around to protect the garden from the deers, and he plans to make a cute cottage gate made of strong branches, tree stumps, and lumber wood. I need to pull a lot of weeds, rake dead leaves with pine needles, and amend the soil. There are tons of work to be done but will be worth it. I'm ecstatic and looking forward for warmer weather and sunny days. For now I can just dream about my garden!

We woke up and the front yard was covered in snow!

What, hail with snow? It just happened about 30 minutes ago...

Our front porch, my plants are safely inside the cabin!

Grow light station

My husband bought this 4 foot indoor T5 high output grow light for my 30th birthday several weeks ago. I was thrilled for receiving so many gardening presents including a $125 gift card to gardeners.com from my awesome mom in-law! My grow light station was in the kitchen but it started to take over the dining table giving us little space to eat so we finally moved it upstairs to its own table in our art studio loft. Now we have our office, art studio, and gardening corner all together. This morning I noticed more tomatoes and zinnias sprouting, giving me hope. I'm discovering that gardening from seeds requires patience and determination. It's a mystery...I'm waiting to see the miracle unfold, a journey of watching something beautiful grow.        

Finally spring!

Hubby and I got married 2 months ago. Since we're newly weds starting out, his wonderful parents allowed us to rent their cabin here in Idyllwild. Living in the mountains is temporary but it's practical due to our finances. We came from Orange County to a small nice town nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains. It's quite a change from fast paced city to mountain life. It's peaceful although sometimes it's easy to experience cabin fever if you never go out. 

Winter can be lonely and tough if you get snowed in and unable to leave. I'm glad it's spring because I've wanted to have an organic garden for so long. Years ago I had an apartment balcony container garden in which birds and butterflies were attracted to. This cute little garden was my sanctuary, a place of rest. For me, gardening is healing and it's one way to decompress from stress. In the past I've grown flowers, herbs, and indoor plants all bought from the local nursery.

This time gardening is different because of the colder climate and danger of frost. I bought a few plants for the front porch and they seem to be doing pretty well, the cabin looks cozier! I'm also growing organic veggies and flowers from seeds indoor under grow light for the first time. It has been about 3 weeks and to my surprise most of the seeds germinated! So far I have leaf Lettuce, romaine lettuce, cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, leeks, and zinnias.

However, it's frustrating because all the waiting is testing my patience! Each morning I'm checking to make sure everything is getting enough light, water, heat, and moisture. When the weather warms up, I have more veggies and flower seeds to sow outside after amending  soil with organic compost. It will take awhile to get my rustic garden going. My sweet husband is building a deer fence and raised garden beds. Gardening will be a challenge because we have tons of deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, and gophers here in the woods.