Garden Update

As a reminder, here is what my garden looked like a month ago:

And here it is now:

Honestly, it is a SHOCK that it has done so well. We have had very little rain and I am watering everything with my stupid watering can because we threw out our hose last fall and then the one we bought is too short.

I finally have some green tomatoes and a few tiny peppers. My jalapenos are buried beneath the zucchini vines, but I have already picked three, which I am going to use to can some apricot-jalapeno jam.

I have some zucchini ready to be picked, which I usually just shred and freeze for baking during the fall and winter, and I also have some cucumbers ready to pick, which I plan on trying to pickle. I am already making plans for next year's garden, which will be 6 times this size and I can not wait!!

Garden: Edition 2012 (or I sucked this spring)

Last year, I planted my first garden and for the most part, it was a success.  Although, I admit, at the end of the summer, I was pretty lax about taking care of it, and lost many tomatoes because of it, lol.   This spring, the plan was to double our garden space.  But, life got in the way and planting the garden was really pushed to the back burner.  So I ended up getting my plants in WAY late and didn't get as much as I wanted in.

The first major change I made this year was to plant my basil in the ground.  I never have success growing it in pots and since my flower beds along the side of the house get full sun pretty much all day, I planted them there and they are already getting huge!

 I also plant a small pot of mint every summer.  I like to use it in fruit salad and iced tea, primarily.


My other cooking herbs: parsley, dill, oregano, chives.

Getting to the actual garden, I definitely tried to be neater and better at spacing when planting and because of that, I seriously overbought.   I ended up only planting three types of tomatoes, jalapenos, green and red peppers, and zucchini.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't get everything in too late. 

We desperately need some rain. It has been like, 2 weeks since any substantial rain and this ground needs a good soaking.

Garden: Done!

Last weekend, the hubs and I took Logan to Home Depot and Lowe's and another local garden place to buy the necessities for our small, beginner's garden. The little man was a happy camper on his first trip to the big boy stores (LOVE that plaid hat):

We have lots of wildlife in our backyard so had to buy the necessities to build a fence around it. C started digging the trench so we could put chicken wire several inches underneath the ground to prevent critters. As he started digging, all the horrible weather hit, so we had to put it off. Then, the trenches flooded.

We had to wait TWO WEEKS for the damn rain to stop and it to dry up.
I did everything I could to keep my plants alive. For the most part, I was successful.

FINALLY, today, we were able to put up the fence and plant!
We dug right into the ground and added some excellent soil that was from our woods. It was nice and dark because it was under all the leaves we drag back there in the fall. Our land used to be a farm and orchard, and our neighbor said her garden used to be out of control because the soil was so excellent.

Here we have banana peppers, eggplant, pickling cucumbers and bush cucumbers (and a little irrigation ditch because the other half seems to be slightly higher up):
Watermelon, jalapenos, butternut squash, zucchini, tomatoes, buttercrunch lettuce, broccoli, and the big blank space is for green beans from seed.
Now I am going to keep my fingers crossed that SOMETHING grows!!

Summer Plans

...is this thing on? Well, it has been awhile. Our musical is over and it was a great success. I could not have asked any more from my cast of kids and I am so proud of what we accomplished. With that being said, I am so glad to go back to being a mommy and wife again! My house was a disaster, our fridge was empty and the TO DO list was growing! Summer vacation starts in a few weeks for me and here is what is on my agenda:

• Baby and Me classes with Logan at the library (Wednesdays, 10 AM)
• Swimming lessons (time/day TBD)
• Plant garden (more on that later this week)
• Repaint front door and porch rails
• Power wash house
• Landscape flowerbed against house in back
• Tear our shrubs in front, reform flowerbed, seed where needed for grass (we are making it much smaller)
• Repaint trim downstairs
• Paint master BR and trim
• Replace closet doors (this is going to be something we do a few at a time)

There is more to come, I am sure, but this is what we have for now! What is on your summer TO DO list?

Learning to Garden

My mother does not have a green thumb. In fact, I am fairly certain my mother has a black thumb; she kills any plant that comes in to the house.

I have always wanted a garden. A place full of herbs and 'mater plants and all the delicious, fresh veggies I could want.

Didn't it just figure that the house we bought has a wooded area? And with wooded areas comes wildlife in the form of vegetation-destroying deer?? And that BOTH neighbors warned us not even bother planting anything? I refused to heed their warnings, and went ahead and plated anyway.

Here is a shot of some of the violas in my front yard:


Here is my pot of cilantro (which, unfortunately, went to seed on the two hot-ass days we had last week), parsley, mint and lavender. Not sure what the hell I am going to use the lavender for, but whatever.
This is the planter we got for a housewarming gift from my aunt and uncle. A large selection of herbs!
Here is my other pot, with dill, chives, rosemary, and basil. My basil is not doing so hot, and no matter where I move it, the pot does not get enough light. But, it is struggling through and the dill is doing amazing and the rosemary is not doing half-bad either!

Tomorrow I will post more pictures of the overall landscaping of our yard and the work we have done. I also planted a tomato plant in a pot (it was meant for a patio) and although it is growing, I have yet to see a 'mater.