End of summer round up

Well, its that time of year again when I must look over my accomplishments in the garden this year. I did zero work out there. We are calling it the pit of despair. You see when I made the ginormous plan to build this thing I had two kids, I did not go to college and did not have a dog. Four years later and I'm really reevaluating this plan. We have scaled down the planting area quite a bit but the mint is so prolific that I think I will have to newspaper and mulch, everything. That plan is working well and so far we have been able to keep the beds fairly cleaned up. This is good, except that the dog is so destructive my plants are barely hanging on. I did actually harvest a cucumber. That was so cool and it was GOOD. I wanted more. The tomatoes were damaged in June by a freak hailstorm and just never recovered. They grew well enough and flowered but never produced any fruit. Ah well. My dreams of fresh tomatoes will be delayed. Next summer however there will be no school, no babies (dare I hope for no dog). So, I look forward to more time to just relax and dig and hope that in the mean time we can still enjoy what we have.

More working

After working steadily yesterday we have acheieved a great deal. The center bed (which is hidden a little in this picture) has been covered with newspaper and mulch. I also planted some amaryllis from my grandmother's house in that bed. I hope on hope they survive. I have zero experience with bulbs but I gave them some food and some space and some water, so cross your fingers. I am going really intensely on the round-up. I am typically an organic gardener but I cannot keep up with the weeds. I am hoping to get a handle on them this year and have enough plantings this fall and next spring that I will have some good ground cover going and feel like I have things more under control. Surprisingly, the tomatoes are looking pretty good. I am down to four plants but I think they may survive. I gave them another round of organic fertilizer today. I also planted cucumbers, green beans and basil in the box. I have a small space that's easy to water and keep clear of weeds. Once the sprouts come up I will mulch with some hay I have. I think we will do well with our little box. I am hoping to have another box built tomorrow but will not plant anything unless I add something in the fall.


This area is my favorite. It is cool in the shade and I added a sort of rock and pot garden. We were really struggling with what to do here because the dog and kids love to run through this space. So, I thought we should put the rocks there just so it looks nice. Well, there was enough room for the pots and it looks great. We sat under the pergola all morning just enjoying the cool breeze. It is starting to feel like summer and I am loving it!



This is the front view of the pot garden. I have aloe vera in the terra cotta pot. In the blue pot I put some impatients, mexican heather and cilantro. Its an experiment. I have never done a planting like that before. We'll see how well it turns out.



Don't you just love my indian lady? I moved her to a spot where the dog likes to walk. I think I will plant something in her bowl, like trailing rosemary or thyme. She's sort of like the guardian to the entrance. I really like her. I found her in my parent's neighbor's trash! One of my favorite finds. She's a little beat up but I love her just the same.

Tomatoes

Well, I am just doomed! Ok that's all the drama I'm letting in but I'm so frustrated. It appears the tomatoes I planted this week have a fungus. I am not positive. I'm giving a few more days, but seriously....how many times do I have to fail. I would love to grow tomatoes because they are good to can but I think I may have to give up and plant beans or something. At least, give myself some opportunity of success. I am going to get some Garrett Juice and spray them. Its this awesome organic foliar treatment and I ran out like 2 year ago. I am so out of practice in the garden. I didn't do anything last year. I just keep telling myself...Slow and Steady, Slow and Steady.

Lady Banks

This isn't even the height of what this incredible climber can do. It is dwindling now. Our recent storms leveled many of the blooms. Every year I'm a little disappointed that the bloom is so short but I love my pergola. It is cool and comfortable in the shade. We've moved chairs under there and mulched so it isn't muddy. I am really enjoying being outdoors. I went to a nature writer's conference yesterday and have been reflecting all day about being outside. I'm really a granola girl at heart. I've been cooped up in classrooms and taking care of babies but my soul belongs to the wild :) I have thought a lot about what I love about being out side. One of the reasons is LIFE. Things move, they dance, they sing and

They FLY

I sat outside this afternoon just watching things. Watching birds search for food, the wind tousle the trees. This is so magical to me. It is precious and beautiful and living. I have a certain level of distaste for things that are desolate, dead. Not all cities are. Some cities live in concert with the natural environment. They become a part of the earth despite their being created by the hands of men. Isn't that how it should be? Shouldn't we be a harmony of men and God? I feel a lack here in Ft Worth. I have missed that feeling. Everywhere else i have lived I have had a natural space to retreat to. I am searching for that now. We went to Bear Creek Park today to play baseball and have a picnic. We sat on a blanket next to the creek and ate our lunch. There was no better place to be today. The weather was absolutely perfect. We ate and then played ball for about an hour. As we were walking to the car we noticed three very tiny ducklings swimming along. They were adorable and we were all transfixed watching them swim. Because their legs were so short we could see them paddling in the muddy water. Ayla squatted next to the water's edge and just stared perfectly still. Wesley talked about those babies all the way home. Isn't it amazing that life can perpetuate? That nature can renew itself and infuse inanimate objects with spirit? I love that. I love that we live in a place that is energized with living things. There is spirit in the very air. The earth is definitly one of my favorite places :)

Resurrection

Spring sure hits me over the head. It gets under my skin. It takes over my entire body and spirit. I can't help it. The delicate buds of white next to the tiny neon green leaves just....well it sort of attacks me. I can't escape. Its a have to. Given the complete and total disaster that my garden has become, I've termed this season one of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. I let things go that I shouldn't, I let things fall that should have been supported. I find myself hungry for dirt, for air, for water. It is in my nature. Unfortunatly, I have an exam tomorrow (didn't study today). I have a paper due on Sat. I have another exam next Monday. Whew! I'll just say gardening is my destressor. Oh wait, I'm not stressed. I'm spending time in the garden. HAHA!


The big find today was the frog in my daughter's hand. She caught it and carried it around. We also found some lovely little geckos and some butterflies. Ah, Spring.



Ok, new plan. As usual. For the record, I am learning new things despite the need to start over every year. The box had to be moved. I had the boxes in a place that recieved little sun and not enough water (out of sight, out of mind). So, I moved it here. I also put newspaper underneath the compost. Hopefully, this will work! Cross your fingers, do a juju dance and say a prayer. I desperatly want to actually harvest, SOMETHING.

This is a basil. All told my expenditures today, $20. I am trying the KISS method. For those of you who don't know, Keep it Simple Stupid. I need capitals on the stupid. I have spent so much time on wasted projects that were too big for me to finish. More than I could do. I'm starting so small. I little space here, a few plants there. We'll see. I feel encouraged. I found fertilizer in a bucket ( I thought I would have to buy it and then there it was). I also have plants emerging carefully from their winter rest from neglect and weeds. If I can get the weeds under control we'll be ok. SO, big, huge lesson, newspaper and mulch are absolute essentials. Every year I say this. Every year I fall short. I'm not doing anything without these two items. I have straw to cover the veggie box once I get it planted. I have a bed cleared and Dave is picking up the mulch tomorrow or Thursday. Slow and Steady wins the race.

Rollin' up my sleeves

It snowed yesterday but spring is definitly in the air. When the trees start their blooms and the little white flowers on my spirea begin to show I know I'm in trouble. I have a love hate relationship with nature right now. I hate it because it is so inviting and so tempting yet so much work! I want to invest my days in playing in the dirt and digging and building and planting and enjoying my yard but I can't. I can make only a few small steps at a time. The area off the back porch looks really good. We filled it in with mulch and have a picnic area out there. I need to clean up around the roses and fertilize them. I have a good spot for some herbs there but I'm worried about the foot traffic. I'm not sure how to protect my plants. We are brainstorming ideas for doggie protection and have come to the conclusion that Nora needs to be on a run when she is in the back yard. She needs to be contained because we just don't have the time to train her properly. This makes me sad but its my own fault. My own ADD. As for the side yard, I kind of feel like I need a nuclear bomb! It is a mess. A total and complete failure. I'm hoping to salvage the few plants I have left and try to make something somewhat beautiful there. My goal is to start with the front yard. It needs mulch and cleaning up and it will be great. I never plant annual flowers but I think I will try this year. I need some color. The other thing that has been on my mind lately is planting a plum tree. With my grandmother's passing in Oct, I have thought long and hard about her plum jam. I have missed for a while (she stopped canning it a long time ago) but I want to have my own tree so I can put some up. It is one of my most favorite homemade items. I don't know much about caring for trees. I am realizing I don't know much about gardening period. Hopefully I can make all my book knowledge grow one thing this year.