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Amy Beam

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Container Gardening

Plant a Winter Vegetable Garden in Containers

Starting a winter garden filled with lettuce is relatively easy and rewarding since you can start harvesting as early as a month after planting. I don’t currently have raised beds, but with containers, I can still have a nice little vegetable garden.

I prepped one container that I already had and a second container that I bought for small space gardening. I filled the containers with soil (adding vermicompost to the larger container.

Watering your lettuce

Lettuce likes to remain moist. Inconsistent watering where the lettuce dries our will produce bitter lettuce. This is less than ideal. I have heard that lettuce can rot with too much water, but I have not experienced that. Perhaps it is that I like in a warm climate that can be arid.

Because of this ideally I water it every day. This is easy with an irrigation system. I will be watering this by hand. So I am hopeful that if I skip a day, it will still be plenty of water. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

 

 

leeks seed packet - front
leeks seed packet - back

Follow the seed packets recommended timeline for planting. If the temperature is too hot then the lettuce will taste bitter.

Also if it has been warm and your lettuce looks wilty when you harvest it, place a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator and place the lettuce in there for an hour. It should revive it and give you a nice leaf for salads.

See the update on this little container garden after the first two weeks – Spoiler Alert, it did not die

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Learn About Awesome Plants

Let’s learn about some awesome plants – Little Ollie Olive Tree

We planted the little ollie olive tree, which is a fantastic drought tolerant plant, as part of our backyard redesign. Olive branches are a symbol of peace and the Little Ollie, sometimes known as a Dwarf Olive Tree, definitely adds a peaceful element to a garden.

Little ollie, dwarf olive planted in the backyard

Planting your Little Ollie / Dwarf Olive

As with most plants, a good rule of thumb is to dig a hole twice as deep and wide as the container that your plant comes in. My soil can be difficult to dig so I often give it 4-6″ extra on the bottom and then backfill. This may seem odd, but the loose dirt helps the plant get established and not stay in a compact root ball.

Place your plant in the hole so that the top of the rootball is level with your soil. Then backfill the dirt around it carefully.

Once you have your plant in the ground, use mulch, rocks, or bark to help trap the moisture in the ground. I can not emphasize enough how important this is, especially in a hot climate.

 

Olea europaea 

The Little Ollie is a dwarf non-fruiting olive variety. It grows to about 6 feet, but it can be easily pruned and shaped. It is mounding and slow growing. This fantastic little plant works great in a Mediterranean Climate. The Little Ollie is drought, heat, and salt tolerant.

This works great as a small hedge. This is such an attractive and low maintenance plant that since we have planted it several people we know have added it to their yards, all with great results.

USDA Hardiness Zone: 8-11 find your zone
Sunset Climate Zone: 3 – 24, 29, 30, 33 find your zone
Drought Tolerant: Yes
Deer Resistant: No
Sun: Full Sun
Water: Once established, only occasional water is required. No water needed in winter with rainfall.
Size: 6 feet tall and wide (can be easily pruned smaller though as it is a slow growing shrub)

I have seen the Little Ollie Olive Tree for sale at Lowes for a reasonable price. I purchased mine from a local wholesale Nursery called Evergreen Nursery.

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our patio couches from World market
Backyard

We have patio furniture

It feels amazing to have this seating area start to take shape! I already see this as being the perfect spot to read a book or hang out with friends. The couches are comfortable too and fill the space nicely. I added a clear finish to the wood before assembly, which was a pain, but I want to protect my investment. I also coated the cushions with a waterproof finish that is used on boat cushions. I am hoping that it will help it last a bit longer in the elements. I won’t be bringing this inside in the winter as I live in Southern California, where you can enjoy a patio year round, however, I am planning on purchasing covers for the rainy season to help protect it.

These couches were purchased from World Market and are the Sevilla Collection

New Patio Furniture! Yay!
I sprayed the cushions with 303's Marine & Recreation Fabric Guard
I sprayed the cushions with 303’s Marine & Recreation Fabric Guard
Backyard iwith concrete patio and Decomposed Granite
I laid out the base of the couches and painted them with a clear sealant before assembly
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Backyard

Concrete Day!

We are in process of redoing our back yard and we have opted for a large patio for entertaining instead of the traditional lawn. Our fabulous designer suggested…

Backyard

Brazilian Pepper Tree bites the dust

In the process to update our backyard and make it more functional a major component is the very old and very large Brazilian Pepper Tree hat is smack dab in the middle of the yard. There are things that I have loved about this tree. It gives us lots of privacy for one and for another, I know that more than a few birds call it home. It is a very invasive tree though and it takes up the bulk of our backyard. So any design that we do will include removing it.

The difference is amazing! While we can now clearly see out neighbors house behind us, the yard now looks huge. I had no idea that we had so much space back there. In this last picture we laid out where the concrete will go. I am so excited for the new yard (even though it is not a pool like I had dreamed).

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