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artinthegarden · 9 months
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I'm doing any July planting and bed prep that I can do before the heat increases even more. So many of our plants have already died from the heat and drought. My tropical avocados also took a toll from the heat, so I'm moving them to the porch, and maybe they'll survive.
There have been a lot of setbacks and failures.
I have more money now to afford more of the supplies we need to get things ready. Please don't beat yourself for failing like I did/have been because a lot of the success stories you'll see online require a surprising amount of money to get going and maintain if you have absolutely no help with other gardeners, community gardens, etc.
I know that part of why I'm doing this is motivated by anguish and concern for the future. My main motivation, however, is that this is what I'm supposed to do. I've truly wanted to do this for so long, and now I really can.
My heart breaks when I see the environment as it is, and when I see where things are headed, it's so much. I don't feel that I'm moving fast enough to mitigate and help my family and community, and I get angry about it of course, but as long as some progress is being made, it will be okay. Could things have been more efficient? Maybe, maybe not.
Just move forward.
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artinthegarden · 1 year
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Does North America have any native bees, or were they all imported for agriculture?
North America has thousands (probably around 4,000?) of native bees, most of them solitary (miner bees, sweat bees, digger bees, cuckoo bees, longhorn bees, and many many others) but also a fair amount of social bees as well (carpenter bees show some speciality, bumblebees have colony structure).
there are also a few non-native introduced bees like Megachile sculpturalis, a large East Asian resin bee.
but it’s Apis mellifera, the honeybee, which was intentionally brought for agriculture and honey. there are no native Apis honeybees in the New World. it is important for honey (obviously) and pollinates a lot of introduced crops which humans eat. however, native bees are necessary to pollinate many wildflowers and crops native to the Americas (squash bees pollinate squash!).
honeybees aren’t inherently bad, though they can outcompete native pollinators and can be a nuisance to other native animals, but what gets myself and other critter-minded people irritated is that they overshadow all the native pollinators which are also imperiled but often for separate reasons. the problem of disappearing pollinators can’t be solved by only caring about honeybees.
honeybees are livestock, captive or feral. “saving the bees” can’t just mean combatting honeybee colony collapse syndrome or whatever other things are damaging a domesticated species, it should mean taking care of native ecosystems to support the pollinators that run them! that means native bees, wasps, flies, ants, butterflies and moths, beetles… the list goes on.
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artinthegarden · 1 year
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I'm writing this with kraken covid brain fog and am really struggling to keep up. I really want to prioritize my garden project and feel like I'm not able to.
After a year of struggling through unreasonable weather extremes, a lawn crew that destroyed a lot of my work, pots, and killed all of my plants I intended to sell for spring supply money without saying anything or even apologizing, after a year of getting sick whether I went out or not and suffering from my disabilities whether I liked it or not, and losing out on a lot of income opportunities in general there, after a year of losing friends for not being able to socialize after being sick and struggling with disability so much, I'll be honest... it's been really hard for me to even continue to want to do all of this. I can't find the strength or energy to start over where I have to, and where I maybe can, the brain fog is really real. Also, so what if I can sow seeds? I have no healthy soil to plant them in so that they survive, no way to clearly make beds to plant without someone else doing it, and the original plans are just. Not going to happen.
It took me years to make it here, and it's difficult to account for "setbacks" because there are just going to be more of those. I'm sorry, I'm so tired and broken over struggling/losing so much just to get one tree planted. I'm not even sad that a few seedlings died. It's really just the funding and lack of support since I really do seem to be doing it all on my own, and I'm really hurt over the amount of people in my life that don't care about me and only about what I can specifically give them when they want it.
So, I'm doing my best to heal from all of that and doing my best to keep this a priority in my life. I don't want to give up!!! I want to make it happen even if it seems extremely... like extra unnecessarily difficult for me, specifically, for some reason, lol. I want to keep going despite thinking that life sucks and no one cares, because listening to the environment and taking care of it to give native wildlife a healthy, more balanced sliver of home is more important to me than anything. It doesn't have to be a huge forest, I know I'm not capable enough to accomplish something so massive or great, but something small is still worth it. I can die leaving something of actual value to the earth in my stead.
I still want to have a life, though, and that requires being able to bring in an income, and being able to have physical and social skills in order to make the income-making part of living not a massive hell. It would also be nice to be able to leave my home and NOT get the plague, but that is too large of a request to make on society as we know it.
Everyone got mad for a year and most decided that trying to change society for the better was too hard, too much, and that it was easier to just pretend that everything was always fine and to just go back to work while everything continues to slough off and fall apart.
I understand that the reality was and still is a lot to accept.
If anyone else feels this frustration, I hope you know that you're not alone, or maybe I just hope that I'm not alone in this.
Keep going, even if your garden endeavors went from a massive plan to just a small potted plant. It's alright, keep going, gently expand your efforts as you can. You are good enough.
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artinthegarden · 1 year
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⚠️ emergency art & commission sales ⚠️
10/14/22
All money goes towards my cat's necessary biopsy and removal surgery that I can't afford
Show your support and donate directly to my kofi page if you can & please reblog!!!
✨️ITEM DETAILS✨️
An original handmade abstract art piece by me. This piece has been made with alcohol ink markers on 4" x 6" paper and has then been signed, mounted, and framed by me, the artist.
It will be shipped directly to you through USPS priority flat-rate mail the following Monday after payment.
Contact me for more information on my kofi: https://ko-fi.com/ejuggalo
For private (digital or physical) commission services contact me at: https://ko-fi.com/ejuggalo/commissions
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artinthegarden · 2 years
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We officially have space for our own garden!
The area is basically barren of an ecosystem excluding an old mango tree and hibiscus shrub on sandy soil, and so it's extremely hot and dry. My partner and I are in the process of laying mulch to establish a small forested area and in the meantime I've got some potted plants going. We're letting the mulch rest this year and will be transplanting saplings, shrubs, cactus, and vines I've started over the last 3 years to help create a healthy layer of soil and mycelium. The worm farm is expanding happily and the castings will be a huge help in the rebuilding process of the ecosystem. The trees aren't all necessarily native to the area but they hold ancestral power for me and will feed my family and community, we do want to establish a thriving native ecosystem and primarily grow native plants for food and health, though. Many plants have been chosen to provide food and shelter for wildlife as well, that is very important to us.
A lot of our potted plants died through the drought due to the heat, but I've got plenty of seeds and am starting again. What plants die this year will die and that is okay. I was also able to harvest the first tomatoes from the plants this year! It's not much but it's a start.
I feel so empowered to move forward with this project and continue my responsibility to my ancestors and the earth.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Hibiscus cutting after 3yrs. July 2021 (1/3)
This is the third time to keep things more compact with airflow in mind for now; small ramifications and hopefully backbudding in progress. Some bits are left for now to try and thicken the trunk or create branching and will be cleaned up later. Still very skinny but shows good vigor. In tropical and subtropical weather you can trim these once or even twice a month depending on growing conditions and species, I plan on letting them grow out through summer unless major pruning needs to happen.
This is 1 of 3 main cuttings at the time, and there are 27 other cuttings rooting or under 1yr.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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It's been a tough year to keep up with! I hope everyone has been doing their best to stay safe and not get sick from the plague as it is still happening.
This year I decided to count all the avocado sprouts that have grown/survived over the last 2 years and counted 12 in total! I also counted the loquat sprouts and have 11! Our 4 orange sprouts and the native seedlings are all doing well too, I need to repot them. The papayas have grown like weeds and I've started to pluck them out on sight, otherwise I did cut back a few to sacrifice for mulch. The leaves are good for medicine just like the fruit, and when there is enough room I'll have some grow. I've also been taking lots of hibiscus cuttings from my grandmother's and mom's old plant and am growing them for tea/ornamentally🌺 since propagation creates "clones" I have effectively inherited this hibiscus and it is special to me.
No herbs or vegetables really took this year but I've been having plenty of luck in sprouting fruit trees! Just the other day I noticed an old seed from months ago started germinating above the soil (we've gotten a lot of rain) so I covered it up, yesterday the soil started to break and today we have a seedling! I'd given up on it and didn't expect anything to grow! Don't give up, just keep trying and be patient, summer has only just begun✌🏼👽
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Small potting updates
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Baby Orange 1
Baby Orange 2
Orange twins replanted!
Forestiera segregata replanted! I miscounted and there are 7.
The red pot is more suitable for bonsai training but it works for now since I ran out of dirt. I'm enjoying the unintentional forest planting arrangement.
I reuse as many mushroom containers and pot bottoms as I can for seedlings and smaller plants. The one mango got replanted and has basically no roots yet so I feel less rushed. The other 2 are going to sit while I find decent sized containers.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Prickly pear update!
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These cactuses are 2 years old! They're growing slow probably due to the amount of shade here but I am happy to see them beginning to swell up in size and budding out.
The squirrels have been pests and digging into the pots and it looks like one of them even got nibbled on, but they're doing well imo. Each stick has started developing buds in the last few months and I look forward to seeing them swell out and grow 😊💖
My partner and I spotted a wild prickly pear in the field by the house last month, and the only reason I saw it was because it bloomed a beautiful yellow flower. He got pictures of it and our native plant group absolutely loved seeing them. I'll share them here too.
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This is the native cactus in its natural habitat of sandy scrub and how the babies should look when they're older! The fruits and pads are edible and very nutritious. Please be sure to eat them from a reliable and ethical source. Most plants are grown from pad clones and not seed, and all prickly pears here experience disease from invasive pests. Since it's the only cactus there we are watching it.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Seedling updates
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The forestiera segregata (swamp privet) need to be potted out, I'm growing these natives for future forestry and use. This is an ancestral plant for me and the small fruits were one of many used by my people to color and decorate our skin. They make great privacy shrubs and food for animals, and would also be suitable for bonsai.
Orange seedlings from the old neighbor's tree, the fruit is deliciously sweet and surprisingly dry for an orange. A non-native plant but as a dwarf variety it would be suitable for a home garden/large pot.
Loquat sprouts in the worm bin. It seems they like 70-80F moist loamy soil. Another non-native variety but again I'd like it for my home garden in a large pot pruned to size.
A single ilex cassena that came up in another pot 😂 all ilex are being grown for future forestry and maybe some bonsai.
The accidental ilex forest... 30 counted sprouts. Needs to be potted out, first I need to make room. My yard is turning into a majority native tree nursery rather than a veggie garden but I'm happy with that.
Side shot of the forest
Triple trunk mango lost a trunk and popped a new one out! Leaves are developing. I'm scared to repot it lol but all mangoes are going to be pruned and kept for the home garden in pots.
Another mango sprout! Both are the palm sized honey mangoes iirc. I've felt quite blessed with these.
Still dealing w shoulder injuries but started rehab so I'm feeling a bit better and happy to be back out with the plants. The second mango and loquats sprouted this week I think. Another mango looks like it's coming up in the next 2-3 days, I think the rain and humidity have really helped my mini greenhouse. I apologize for photo quality! These were taken with messenger due to no room in my phone 🙇‍♀️
Stay safe friends 👽🤙🏼
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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It's been tough, I keep getting injured and the squirrels are being huge pests this year eating or digging up all the seedlings. Most success has been with native trees and wildflowers (spread locally). Everything else died of the heat. I'm probably going to continue to focus on native or naturalized plants for now, I can't seem to get anything to grow and survive so far. I'm super scared to harden off and transplant the mango tbh
So far there are
2 loquat cuttings from the naturalized tree
Etheldrea the mango
The basil pot
4 dragonfruit plants (1 cutting, 3 seedlings)
Some mystery shrub(?) with micro-sized flowers and berries, alternating delicate ovate leaves, reddish bark. Seems to be perennial
A regrown lettuce
So many papayas that they've become like weeds
31 counted native ilex cassena sprouts
6 native forestiera segregata sprouts
3 native opuntia sp. Stalks from 2019
7 native passiflora incarnata seedlings that I hope take everything over
It's raining so today I replanted some pots (thanks, squirrels) with sugar rush peach peppers, Suriname cherries, and dwarf tamarillo for fun, along with some native kolibri and red maple for the animals.
The avocado pits have been sprouting and I hope the loquat seeds left by our squirrels do too. I've never gotten them to sprout before but 2 did before seemingly dying. Progress!
The foodgrowing doesn't seem to be going well this year and that's okay, focusing on native trees and flowers to plant out has brought me peace of mind.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Super low quality pic but this triple trunk honey mango sprouted about 2 weeks ago after I figured it rotted out!!! Best news for awhile, repotting and naming this week.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Update 🌱
So I started seeds in late december and on the 1st already, and need to get some pics out! Here is a quick rundown for now.
We got chamomile and catnip in, and radishes in. I think the planting on the radishes is still being figured out (they kind of grow and flop over?) But if nothing else the greens will be good.
I accidentally sprouted some chia seeds which are great as raw veggies in microgreen form, and if you can grow it out far enough you can use it in tea to calm anxiety!
January is the time to start melons, peppers, and tomatoes in my zone so that is the bulk of my seed starting. There were volunteer peppers last month and I'm not sure what they are but they're hot.
The overgrown section of the garden is being cleared of invasive plants that got in so it will theoretically also cut down on whitefly and venustae orb weaver issues (not that spiders are bad but I got bit by a male one last year that swelled up into a pellet under the skin and bruised deeply for weeks)
The hibiscus cuttings I took from the main shrub are going to be 2yrs old next month and are doing wonderfully!
All cacti seedlings have been repotted! The prickly pear seedlings are going to be 2 this july, and the pitaya 3.
There are still so many avocado and papaya seedlings and I pruned some for backgrowth experimentally
We are currently crossing our fingers on some more fruit tree sprouts to come up too 🤞🏼🤞🏼🌱
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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I planted some acorns from my grandmas trees 2 days ago and now we wait. In the meantime I need to pull the saplings that I can from the yard and repot them. There's one that's too big for that so unfortunately it's gonna be clipped but we're honoring it first and adding it to the new raised bed for compost. Fallen oak twigs and branches and bits from the palm tree have been slowly gathering over the last few months for the beds.
It's slowly coming along.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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Well, a lot has happened this year. I'll be real, there were plenty of "failures" but I consider them all valuable experience. I'm very content with what was accomplished considering all physical, spatial, and financial factors, etc.
The beans grew and were eaten by the squirrels, then the plants themselves were chewed by my one cat. The cowpeas grew and were harvested for the greens before they stunted, which is normal. My same cat killed a lot of my sprouts because he really liked laying in the bed, and we had a lot of rain this year which surprisingly killed all recent attempts at growing pineapples from tops.
Plenty of seeds either did not sprout or sprouted and then died or stunted due to one thing or another.
The basil and catnip which did well last year stunted this year, but the tulsi did decently and is still growing. I've harvested as needed for medicinal purposes. All of the peppers got infested with whiteflies this fall but I did manage to harvest a couple peppers and save the seeds for next time. There has been so much rain and humidity this year so I'm not surprised to have found whiteflies and powdery mildew as my main problems. I've also found which plants do decently in the pots that I have and have been gathering materials to expand growing space.
So many papaya trees sprouted and grew, and almost all avocados successfully sprouted and grew without any effort. Amalthea (mango) died suddenly while Etheldrea (mango) survived and has had new growth after a repotting. Zalgo survived a repotting and a big trim, and is already growing 2 new branches.
All of my 2 year old dragonfruit seedlings suddenly started to reach and bulk up, one even sent out more roots and they're already starting to grow siblings !!! They'll be repotted soon.
The worm city has GROWN to the point where it's hard to feed them all, so I was thinking to adopt some out. Otherwise I've taken 2 pots of compacted soil and mixed it with some mulch to aerate it and added some worms looking to leave the city.
I don't think I'll be growing much through fall/winter outside of sprouted lentils since the property is very shaded, and I'm overwhelmed with other things in my personal life, but I'm content with the amount of fruit trees growing and all the experience gained. I've decided to spend this part of the year resting and focusing on other requirements.
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artinthegarden · 3 years
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The Water-Purifying Storm Drain
Some trees in the municipality have come down, which means free wood chip mulch! I am glad to finally start covering up the newspaper mulch layer around the swale.
I have been picking up urban concrete waste, rocks, shells, and ceramic waste, in order to make a drainage layer in the water reservior. It’s all coming together in bits and pieces of recycled materials. As with the clay extraction project: a little bit of collection and recycling each day adds up to a lot of raw materials.
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This water-collecting and filtering project has been a few months in the making: building a wood hügel, digging a swale, planting an edible tree and shrub border, planting pollinator-feeding erosion control seed mix on the berm, and planting semi-aquatic irises that filter water and hyperaccumulate pollutants like heavy metals. 
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Once finished, this crescent-shaped drain should relieve flooded conditions on the grass plane and patio, while providing a space for the disposal of local concrete waste and broken ceramics.
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In a few years, it can be mulched over and turned into a rain garden.
I based the idea on things I read while learning about landscape stormwater management, phytoremediation and phytomining: I wanted to use largely botanical, recycled, or self-harvested components to build a drain that also functions as a place to process waste, and as a habitat and source of sustenance to local wildlife. It’s modelled on a bioretention water processing/groundwater recharge cell.
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VIRGINIA DEQ STORMWATER DESIGNSPECIFICATION No. 9     BIORETENTION
A number of the drainage elements – especially shells and concrete – are also meant to catch small amounts of water, in order to provide drinking water for the beehive I am currently installing.
Seeds are germinating on the berm, so soon the whole thing will be covered in flowers, and yet again virtually unrecognisable!
The whole project has been free of cost, and made with recycled, collected, or traded materials.
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artinthegarden · 4 years
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So for plenty of reasons (excessive heat, rain, lazy fat cats...) plenty has died in the garden, but I've planted for a second wave/attempt since my growing season is so long. It's been a tough year of pests and weather but I'm determined to get something. I've planted more tomatoes, more peppers, and am trying again with some melons... I think a melon seed that hadn't sprouted months ago finally did? Pictures of it soon.
Otherwise it's been quite a successful year for fruit trees! More avocados sprouted and I have plenty of papayas to pot up.
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