Sunday, July 8, 2012

Summer Portland Garden Store Trip

What a beautiful Saturday! Just as promised, summer is finally here. Everyone says it always starts after the 4th of July. We all act surprised every June while rest of the country sits poolside and we've only begun to use our ceiling fans----but alas!

I spent the yesterday kicking off summer helping my dear friend plan her first vegetable garden. We visited two garden shops and she found some awesome bargains. Livingscape has super sales on tomato and pepper starts right now. They are selling for $1-1.50, and they have a large selection of pepper varieties that are still looking good.

I was also pretty proud of myself--I only bought one plant! Well, my friend bought me another pepper plant, and I picked up these two for free. They aren't looking so hot, but I'm taking reviving them as a challenge and will post updates on how they fair.
 

I transplanted them into a 5 gallon cloth pot with potting soil, compost, and some fertilizer high in nitrogen. Hopefully they will cheer up soon. These cloth pots are also a bit of an experiment. It's my first time using them, but the other tomato and cucumbers I have growing in them are lookin' good these days.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day was the purchase of this little guy.


This is a Mexican Sour Gherkin that we picked up from City Farm, which is my favorite gardening store in the area. Their staff are super friendly and they always have varieties of plants I can't find elsewhere. Also today they have a Groupon! So check them out!!

Anyway, look at how cute these little tiny gherkins are! I can't get enough.


They are also pretty drought tolerant, (I think because of the fruit's small size) and are supposedly good in containers. The City Farm staff told us that they are sour and have an almost pickle like taste when eaten fresh.

Now comes the worst and the best part--the wait...








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