Backyard & Garden

Hobby and How -To- with coin collecting and other interests. Photography and Gardening

Backyard & Garden

It is great fun to photo your first fruit or blooms of your plants. Notice the tiny cucumber at left of the bloom showing. I raise my cucumbers along the fence row or on a trellis like the one shown on this page.

For the backyard gardener with small space, this is an ideal way to grow your cucumbers and green beans. Ten feet in width and six-eight feet in height for your trellis- will yield all the green beans a family of 4 will want. Some plants are natural climbers- like the cucumber for example. A trellis of the same size mentioned here above will yield all the cucumbers you family can use in salads for the entire summer.

Scarlet Runner blossoms and the Bean Seed

This is considered an heirloom bean by some growers. These seeds pictured are about 1 inch in length- and the bloom you see is the result of the seed after being planted about 75 days. Hummingbirds are attracted to these blooms and will visit them two or three times every day.

Garden picks every third day; Lucious mouth watering cucumbers and sweet juicy tomatoes. A happy satisfaction for the whole family. These tomatoes, Cherry variety or larger may be frozen whole for later use after the growing season. Excellent for cooking, soups and even salads. For your salad, allow the tomato to partly thaw, then cut in slices or into (if a cherry tomato) and place on your salad.
It will still have that fresh taste. Superior to those you buy in the Super Markets. Of course this is for the dedicated gardener who has the time. What you see in my photo's are the result of starting from seeds- not the transplants you buy at a nursery.

One of the joys of backyard gardening is with containers. When you run out of space in your designated garden- you may be able to find another space in the yard- such as this old wine barrell. I planted this Zuchinni in the barrell and placed the soaker in the right place over the barrel. Then I rigged up these plastic trays as support for the vines. You see the result in the picture I have stictched the picture of the Zuchinni bread that my wife made from this one Zuchinni. You can make great fun out of your backyard garden. One never need be bored. Watch the plants grow. They won't disappoint you if you take good care of them. Just like the children you raise.

Here are more pictures of the results of my hobby or of me enjoying my hobby.

Here I might put a picture of something I made.

Man playing guitar; Actual size=240 pixels wide

Here I might describe this picture.= To your right is but a small corner of my back yard. To the left- is a space about equal to the one on the right. Each space consists of 4 ft square raised beds. The space to the right has the tall PVC trellis and is attached to the south side of the 4x8 boards that make up the 4ft squares. On this trellis, I raise green beans planted outside the raised bed boxes. At the end of the trellis, I plant melon (such as cantaloupe, or butter nut squash and let the vines run along the PVC. One year, my Cambodian squash planted at the end of this trellis yielded a 39 lb squash (Pumpkin like) The trellis' in this are have yielded up to 85 pints of green beans- counting another trellis by the side of my house that is 10 feet in length by six feet in height. By this it may be seen that a backyard garden may yield much enjoyment for the gardener and of course the home grown taste of your vegetables is unsurpassed by anything you buy. Cucumbers are grown in the trellis to your left. This space yields an average of 4 cucumbers per day at peak of season which is very adequate for up to 4 people. You can grow tomatoes in the same box along with the cucumbers- or green beans on one side of the 2x8ft box.with trellis attached. (not visible -in this picture. Much fun- and yes some effort- but worth it.

Here I might put my favorite picture of me involved in my hobby.

After setting out plants or weeding, watering and whatever else you do in a garden, time for a break. Or sometimes as seen here in welcome shade during heat of the day-just stretch out on the swing- and listen to the birds. Sweet repose! That is what it is! What could be nicer-than a pleasant garden in your back yard?