Back to the land

It doesn't take much to get back into the dirt. After a hot summer and very defeating feeling of being completly overrun by weeds, I went out this evening and cleared a small space. Its the space intended to be the butterfly garden. I have good soil there and I added some more organic material tonight. The evening was so cool and comfortable and after spending the afternoon reading my new book about being a Farmgirl, I just couldn't resist. My back hurt, I have a head cold and I was so thirsty but once I started it was hard to stop. I love the smell of turned earth, the feeling of being outside, working. I love to listen to my children sing songs to me while I plunge the shovel into the ground. Ayla serenaded me with a gardening song that was impromptu and senseless and beautiful and Wesley kept saying "Watch Mom" I want them to feel the same draw that I have. It isn't perfect or productive but my little garden is growing and changing and giving me life.

Bare is better

Two hours of hard work this morning has removed most of the overgrown summer annuals. Underneath all of this thick overgrowth were these six watermelons and quite a few handfuls of okra which Dave is itching to fry. We are hoping that at least one of the watermelons is or will be ripe enough to eat. We finally got the enormous okra pulled, it was taller than me. The tag on that plant said "Red Dwarf". It didn't look like a dwarf to me. After weeding out the center bed I realized that the soil there is very rich and healthy. I've been adding Max's rich fertilizer and I've mulched there the most. The soil there is really loose and dark and happy. I also had added some composted material as a top dressing around many of my perennials and I think that combined with the ground cover left me a lot of beautiful things. Of course, now that there is empty space I want to head over to the garden center SO BAD! I'm working out a better planting scheme for the center bed and trying to figure out how to get some fruit trees planted this fall. We would love to have a peach or plum tree, maybe a pear or apple. I also have *(of course) big plans. I want a grapevine, a new trellis, a water catchment system, more vegetables like cabbage, onions, winter squash and garlic. I would love to try to have a fall and winter crop since it seems to be harder to tend the garden in the fall, and of course I love a challenge. How will I do this and go full time to school, you ask?? I will do it 15 minutes at a time. I have determined that my garden needs 15 minutes of love a day and it will flourish into the beautiful sanctuary it is in my dreams. Well, you can't say I'm not resilient. Everything has just died every year, but this year I have 6 watermelons, green beans and okra. I did harvest cucumbers earlier this summer. So, if nothing else I'm improving and learning.

Small is beautiful

So after 10 days of being gone on vacation, we come home to find out that it rained the whole week we were gone. Hooray for rain! I was so worried that my garden would be completely dead and we have a small harvest for our meals tomorrow (good thing too cause the fridge is empty). It felt so incredibly empowering to go out tonight and pull green beans, cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, chard and basil. I don't know what to make with a few small things but I am certainly going to try. Everything is overgrown and I will have a lot of work to do this next week. After resting tomorrow Monday will be a busy day, cleaning out beds, and maybe running the weed eater. The straw that we laid down has been a wonderful covering for the paths between the beds. I am anxious to get some more squares built. For my four years of failed garden plans the 4x4 ft square recommended in Square Foot Gardening has been an absolute dream. The plots are easy to manuever around and easy to keep weeded and clean. The herb circle needs some more cleaning out and mulch and the side beds are desperatly in need of some new plantings and mulch. Mulch is the most important aspect of keeping a garden. In all the years I have been trying to figure this out, I have been most stubborn about this and realized I have wasted so much effort. Hopefully, this brat has learned her lesson and will keep all garden areas adequatley mulched and watered. Now off I go to dream of expansion.....

Greens harvest

A Few More pics

Far left, icky pond that will be filled in with topsoil and more raised beds created. We decided to scrap the pond idea. It is dangerous with small children and expensive to run and maintain. Also, I can fit sweet potatos, green peas and other fall plantings there while the summer stuff finished up. The middle pic is doggie destruction. We had a neighbor helping us out with the dog while we were out of town. Nora must have gotten into it today. The other pic is my hollyhocks. They were worth the wait (they're biennials).

Thank Heaven for the rain! We got back from visiting the Beaumont area and our garden was graciously watered from above. I am farther along this year so far than I have ever been. I'm entering a new area of gardening, what to do with the plants when they live! The far left picture is of two tomato plants and a zuccini. The middle pic is of my pole beans (only planted about 7 days ago) with their second set of leaves. There are also nasturtiums in this bed and a watermelon. I'm hoping I can finish the gate after finals and put more in. Things are so fresh and clean and I would love nothing more than to do stay the whole afternoon in the garden. Alas, school will take priority for the next two days and then SUMMER BABY!!

Quiet in the Garden

I have been chastised for not posting very often so I am going to try to kick things up a bit. Its been slow going in the garden for a few months. Things have been ready for spring since Feb but we have been busy with other things. The weather has been so unpredictable as well that we decided to wait until we were sure warmer weather was here, good thing too because just two weeks ago we had a freeze, or a really close one. Anyway, seeds have been planted and things have been watered but we are having a bit of a puppy issue. Nora has decided that the empty space in the garden is a perfect spot for her toilet/playground. A fence will be erected this weekend to try to solve that problem. As you can see from the picture I was also able to cover one of the boxes that has lettuce, flowers and spinach planted there. It should also help the little hands that like the dirt to find other spots. We have really enjoyed the weather though and have spent a lot of time playing outside. It doesn't help us get much work done though. The pond is still sitting idle, waiting for Dave to finish lining it and installing the pump. I have deemed it a manly project and will patiently wait until he gets to it. Meanwhile, I'm trying to focus mostly on growing things. I have a few more areas to clear out and get ready for transplants and then I think we will have a finished plan. I would like to add a grapevine and a fruit tree this fall so I need to make a space for those. I also am working on figuring out a watering system for the front yard. This will expand the possibilities.

Spring is just around the corner

I am so excited about the weather today. I have completely enjoyed the yard. I built the two boxes in the picture on the right and put the gate up on the one side. This area will be for my tomato neighborhood. I am going to put things in this space that will work together to keep away pests and maximize nutrients. One of the boxes will hold tomatoes, possibly some basil and a few strawflowers. The other box will hold cucumbers (I'm still drooling over varieties) dill and possibly two more things. There is a yarrow already near and the trellis will hold something that will draw our favorites pollinators. The other side is still in the shade and if I can get the boxes built for that side this week we will get them filled with compost and get planting. I can put in lettuces, spinach and other greens now and possibly peas. I really didn't spend too much time out there working. I sat in my chair and just enjoyed the breeze. The kids are still outside. Even though the winter was pretty mild I am really feeling the spring fever coming on. The longer days, the warmer nights and generally a feeling of new growth! It is so exciting. I also feel like we've been here long enough to know what we're doing (ha ha) and maybe we can be more successful than previous years. For instance, we have decided that it is an absolute must to have a timer on the hoses so I don't constantly flood the yard. We are also adding more plants that will work as deterents for bad bugs and draws for the good ones. Finishing the pond is top priority and also getting the organic fertilizer out to boost up the perennials. My big problem now is how to keep my water loving lab out of the pond and the beds.