Garden update ~by Kandi

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This is just a little garden update.  We've had a lot better garden this year than last!  I'm totally patting myself on the back for researching and reading about them before planting this season.  In reality, a little prep work went a LONG way for the garden.  I prepped the soil and then marked off the places I wanted to plant things.  Not quite a square foot garden, but the same basic concept. 

The picture of the entire garden (with my fantabulous shadow in the pic ;-) ) is what it looks like after a small amount of work yesterday.  Along the front I had planted 2 types of lettuce and spinach.  The spinach and lettuce were starting to wilt though and we had eaten almost everything produced, so I pulled them up.  I will plant more when it starts to cool down around here a bit, but for now I'm back to the organic section at the grocery or the farmer's market.

There is a picture of a bloom on the squash plant (the big yellow flower), and then the grape vine is producing really well this year!  It was here when we purchased the house a couple of years ago, so it was a gift!  I hope I get enough off of it to maybe make 1 jar of jam.  I would be really happy with that!  It's the small accomplishments you know!  The carrots are really sprouting too!  I can't wait for them!  They are a small variety, so I'm hoping the are going to be good!

The tomatoes are getting HUGE!  After reading about the difference in heirlooms and hybrids, I decided to try planting all heirlooms.  I'm hungry just thinking about the sauces and salads to be made with these!  My pepper plants are slow-growing this season.  They aren't quite as big as they should be, but they are blooming and growing none the less, so I'm not complaining. 

One bean bush survived the chipmunk attack!  I planted seeds 2 different times and both times the chipmunks dug them up right as they were sprouting.  I thought about blocking the garden, but for the location ours is in that is nearly impossible.  In the end I just decided to be happy that one plant survived and let the chipmunks enjoy their feast. 

Finally, there is a picture of one tiny, little round potato.  Something I didn't even plant!  Last year we did plant some seed potatoes, but they didn't produce.  I thought, well, they just can't grow well around here.  No problem.  Then yesterday I noticed an odd-looking plant that was growing in the garden.  It didn't look like a weed, but I wasn't sure what it was.  I began digging and hit something white.  I thought "no way!".  Sure enough, it's a potato plant.  I left the plant, but I had broken the little potato from its root system, so I took it in and washed it.  I don't think I'm going to do anything with it.  It's too small to really cook.  I'm so excited that it was there that I don't want to just compost it either.  Oh the decisions...haha.

Anyway, that's what's up with my garden.  I hope yours is growing well!

My garden is ready!

Yesterday, I was wondering what to do.  See, originally we were supposed to go to Ev and Paisley's birthday party.  Buuuttt, things have a way of changing.  A woke up saying her belly hurt and about 5 minutes later was spilling her guts all over the living room carpet.  Fun times..ugh!  She then ASK (which NEVER happens) if she could go back to bed.  I told her sure thing, and sent her on her way.  She wasn't running a fever, but has really bad seasonal allergies, so I'm thinking too much drainage overnight?  Long story short, she slept for about 5 hours and woke up feeling a lot better.  We still didn't go to the party.  I refuse to be the parent accused of bringing a sick kid somewhere and spreading germs around.  That left me with a dilemma.  What to do?  The smaller two wanted to go outside and play and I thought some fresh air may help A a little, so outside we went. 

Seeing as I'm not a person who can just "sit and do nothing" for very long, I started cleaning up the garden area.  Raking out the leftover leaves, pulling out roots from last year and tilling up the soil.  I will give credit where it is due and let you all know that I was reading email when I first went out and saw this post from Erin at $5 Dinners.  Thanks for the inspiration to work Erin!

So, this is what I'm working with for this year.  It's 4 1/2 ft. by 4 1/2 ft. area.  I'm hoping to yield a little more than last year.  Last year was the first garden I've planted since high school, so it was a trial and error type of deal. 



Oh, and I cleaned out the strawberry pot and found these buried underneath all the leaves I'd put on there last fall!



I also cleaned up some of my flower beds and saw that the daffodils are coming along nicely.  Many already have blooms!  I was thrilled! 



The crocus is doing well too.  More of them are showing up daily. 



The tulips all have their big leaves up, but no blooms or anything yet.  To be honest, I'll be excited if 1 blooms.  Sadly though, it looks as though my peonies won't be showing up this season :(  I transplanted them last year and had hoped they would pop up, but they didn't.  Unless something happens around their area soon I'm just going to scratch them out of the plans for this year.  Then cross my fingers for next year!

That's what I did this weekend!  Look out Lowe's.  We're heading your way this week for supplies for our new drainage ditch and seeds.  Wahoo!!!  Gardening has begun!