Learn something new...

While straightening up the garden, I noticed this.

Looks like toes

This is what the bottom of two of my cornstalks look like. I had never noticed it before.  They look like little toes to me. I am wondering if this is normal or not.  I assume they help stabilize the stalk as it grows.  I just think it is kind of neat.

My favorite is the zucchini blossoms. 

If I did not know any better I would just pick the blossom to have and then I would never have any zucchini.  I wonder why nature made it that way.  I guess it is designed more for the bees than me huh?

Try, Try, Again

I have had some "learning experiences" with my garden this year. My Dad didin't call them failures, just learning experiences.

1) Eggshell containers- You need to make sure you Carefully wash out the contents before storing. I didn't get a couple of radished to sprout but being so little they dried out rapidly

2) Strawberry plant- I think you need two different types of plants for them to flourish.  I have one left over from last year. It has done really well, but the strawberries weren't as plump as I thought they would be.

3) Make sure to cover plants even if it is close to freezing weather. Weather people are often wrong.

So... here is my latest.  You know how they have those watering globe things for plants.  I have some old bottles so I am going to try that and see how it works are far as watering goes.

Don't worry it is lemonade

Strawberry bottle for strawberries :-)

Potato Patch

I was watching a video called Homestead Blessings by the West Ladies.  This particular one is about gardening.

They showed how to make an easy potato patch. So I have decided to try it.
You just put down some newspaper to keep down the weeds.
Throw some potatoes on the newspaper.

Extra! Extra!Potatoes are coming!!

Then cover it with 6-8 inches of covering. When the covering (hay, mulch, compost, etc) goes down, just add some more.

Just make sure no light gets through

Bad Weather Blessings

There was a really bad storm on Thursday night. Nothing major in my neighborhood was effected, as far as I know. However, my onions did get knocked over. But look at these blessings.

no crying here

These were the first things that I planted this year.  I am so pleased with how they turned out.

At Easter

This is what they looked like at Easter. The lettuce is right behind them.

Other onions

These were planted at the same time as the others so the size is the same. Yeah!

Ghetto Gardening??

I think maybe I should rename this blog to "Ghetto Gardening" because of my methods. Here are some examples:

notice the packing tape?

For the pea vine(?) I had to add another stick because it was growing so tall.  I used packing tape to tape the two sticks together.  Then, I used some leftover yarn from my tomato "cages" to tie it to the old grill leg for more support. Yikes!

not bad huh?

This is one of my homemade tomato cages.  I used sticks and some rose branches that I had trimmed earlier.  These are the supports and the yarn is some that I had leftover from my knitting.  For right now they appear to be doing well.  I have other cages but they look horrible.  This is the best of the lot.

Hope you have a great Memorial Weekend.

It is beginning

I am so excited that I am finally seeing some things that look like vegetables :-)
Besided the leafy variety which is kind of hard to judge when it is ready.
The first was some Easter Egg radishes.  I don't like radishes that much but they are pretty easy to grow and grow quickly.

They look like turnips but I promise they are radishes

My favorite pictures is this one of the broccoli. I am really proud of it (the picture,not the broccoli) I can't take credit for making the broccoli.  I will say it seems to have taken FOREVER for it to finally like like broccoli instead of just big leaves.

Pretty enough to eat. (almost)

I had totally forgotten about the asparagus.  It came up about 1 week and 1/2 ago.   I was so surprised. Now it has turned into that ferny thing.  I don't think I am suppose to do anything with it but i will read up and double check.

Sometimes it is best to leave things alone.

The watermelon is already past this stage and in the ground.  However, I love it when the plant has sprouted but you can still see the seed attached to the plant.

The black part is the seed it came from

My strawberry plant is getting in some nice looking berries.  I am learning that things happen on their own schedule. Everyone else was making strawberry jam and such so I was a little jealous.  Now, mine are coming in and all is better.

My favorite plant in the garden :-)

Lastly, are the sugar peas. I finally have a pea pod.  I am so excited.  I learned that the flower is what turns into the pod.  It is rather quickly from flower to pod.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and summer.

A Dirty Movie

Well, Daisy Janie has done it again. She told me about Dirt! The Movie that is available to watch on Hulu.com
1) Jamie Lee Curtis, my fav, narrates this movie.
2) It isn't one of the dry, preachy movies but gets its point across
3) Speaks to Nobel Prize Winners, Harvard professors, and brought up points that I never thought about.

Digby

There are several popular gardening trends that I do not like and after watching this movie, I felt better about the decisions I have made.
It also echoed the Back to Eden video that I recently watched and wrote about.

Celebration of Mother.

On May 9th

Here is what my garden looks like today. I must say that I am kinda proud.  Of course I haven't done anything, Mother Nature has done it all.  She is one of my favorite mamas. :-) She gives us water, food and air without asking anything in return.  The key is to take care of it.
So in honor of Mother's Day Sunday I want to take this picture.  It has rained here all day so I will say, the garden was looking particularly lush.

The Onions and Swiss Chard are ready for picking

Freezin for a reason

Well we had another frost warning this week. I was more prepared this time.  I was able to cover up everything before it hit.

Is this why they call them veggie  beds?

Last time the hydrangea and tomato got hit, but this time no damage seems to happen.

The cat didn't get frost bitten either :-)

I read in an Extension Office pamphlet, that it is better to use sheets and blankets and covers.  That way, the heat from the ground gets "trapped" in there. If you wrap them around to tight, it doesn't work as well. 

Interesting Video

This is the trailer to a video that someone on Soule Mama shared in the comments section.

The video is called Back To Eden and can be found on Vimeo.  I not have permission yet to embed the video here.  But here is a link to it

Back to Eden Official Film

I can't say that I am not totally positive of everything but.... I will admit this year since I have been using grass as mulch, the garden seems to be alot "happier"