Monday, April 29, 2013

Harvest, Tomato Box, Parsley, Lovage & Band


I am still harvesting spinach and lettuce.  The lettuce is finally growing to be a more decent size but the spinach is going to seed.  Boo hoo!  This reminds me that one needs to eat in season. 



I saw this heavy cardboard box in Aldi's and I thought hmmmmmm!
I brought it home and planted lettuces, spinach and radishes in it.  When it disintegrates it will improve my soil there.



I planted a small patch of parsley here.  I have a small patch elsewhere from last year and I think parsley is good to eat two years in a row but this will add to it and be good to harvest next year also.



My friend's daughter gave me this starter of brunnera last year.  It is a cheery welcome of blue in the spring!



My lovage is growing nicely.  Does anyone else grow lovage and how do you use yours???



I am enjoying the tinkle of my new chimes!



Doesn't every gardener feel this way!!!!! 



We  had our spring band concert yesterday. I am in the second row. There was an article in the paper about it.  This is not a current picture as we had our long black dresses on yesterday! If you would like to read the newspaper article here is the site.


And  this is the video of one of the songs from a previous concert. 

There is never enough time, energy or health to get done all I want to do!  My "wonderful gardener" does a great job of helping me but I could use two or three more "wonderful gardeners"!!!!!! Any volunteers!!!!!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Veggies, Boxes, Pruning & Birthdays


Honest!  This is not the same picture as last week!  I picked more than this but didn't weight it because it was a little each night for my salad!  Eventually I will have more veggies to post pictures of but right now I am thankful for this!


I planted 16 cabbages.  Well, really I planted 17 because one I had to plant twice!  I turned my head and Coco snitched one.  I rescued it from her mouth before any damage was done.  Square foot gardening said I could plant 16 in a 4x4 foot bed.  I thought that might be a little crowded and meant to only get 12.  Guess I had a senior moment as ended up with 16!  Maybe I will harvest a couple when they are small and make more room.


These are my new boxes with the screen tops to keep Coco, bugs and birds out.  I planted the cabbage in the third one.


I planted potatoes in this box. Left the little bit of spinach and lettuce to harvest.  I only had 12 to plant and was not too impressed by what they looked like.  Prayed they would grow!


I planted my beets in this box.  It was such a lovely day out but it is suppose to rain the next few days.  I love my pickled beets!


"My wonderful gardener" pruned the rose bushes and I fertilized and put epson salts around them.


This is Mike's grape bush at our house.  He pruned it yesterday.


Our daughter, Sue and son-in-law Craig both had birthdays this month so we celebrated at our house yesterday.  Here is a video of us singing Happy Birthday.  I am sure it will give you a chuckle!!!




Monday, April 15, 2013

Spinach, Strawberries, Bushes, Cabbage, Rooster & Potatoes


I harvested more spinach and lettuce.  5/8 oz. I think.  I am still learning how to use my scale and think last week was 32 grams instead of oz.  I will get it right yet!!  Sure love having my own spinach and need to get more planted.


My strawberry plants came in the mail.  It was raining but I wanted to get them in the ground so went out and planted them in the rain.  My neighbors probably think I am crazy for sure!


You will never guess what this is!  An old piece of Kale from last year.  Coco had pulled it out and was trying to eat it.  You would think we never feed her a thing!


Can you see it!  Can you see it!  A row of little radishes growing!  Hurry, hurry, hurry and grow!


I received two Butterfly starts the same day I received the strawberry plants.  We planted them the next day between the rains.  There is a little bit of green on the bottom.  It will probably take forever!


This is a start on enlarging the fountain area!


The raspberries got a little bit of compost and mulched!


I bought 12 Stonehead cabbage plants today.  I hope I can get them in the ground tomorrow!!!


Also bought these Yukon Gold potatoes and hope to get them cut up into eyes.


This one is for my cousin Karen!!!!  I caged my rooster to keep him away from the chickens in the following picture!!  LOL


Bob doesn't mind tending these chickens at all Karen!!!  :}


Monday, April 8, 2013

Peas, Cover, Table, Spinach, Doll, Compost & Book


This is my harvest of spinach and just a little lettuce that doesn't count!  The spinach I planted last fall is finally large enough to pick for salads.  This weighed a whopping 32 oz!!!!!!  The lettuce just doesn't seem to grow.


I planted some shelling peas here!  They are a lot of work for what you harvest but they taste so good!


My "wonderful gardener" made me three new boxes and covers like this one to go on them to keep Coco, birds and bugs out!  Strawberries will most likely come this week and be put in one. Cabbage and green beans in the other two.  Looking at the green beans through these covers will drive Coco crazy as she loves green beans!


 We brought home four of these tubs today in our NEW car with free compost and mulch in them.  Not exactly the thing "wonderful gardener" wants to do with his new car but what's a gardener's husband to do when they have no truck!!!!!


My gardening book from the library this time was "Caring For Perennials" by Janet Macunovich.  She has another one I want to request, "Designing Your Gardens".


We belong to a Growth Group from our church which is like a Bible Study and take turns meeting in each other's homes.  After study and prayer we always eat!!!!!  This past week was our turn to host it and this is my table setting for us to sit around.  We can set 10 at our table and squeeze in 11 or 12 if need be.  There are 11 in our group when they all can attend.


I wanted to share my doll that my youngest son bought me years ago.  The beautiful vase was a gift from Bob's Aunt.  Thanks for visiting.  I enjoy having you!


Monday, April 1, 2013

Still no Harvest, Raspberry Bushes, Planting, Bowl, Note Card & Easter


I thought I would go out and snitch a few lettuce leaves.  Ha,ha,ha! I gave up!  I did buy some Pak Choi seeds to try this year.  Have never planted them before!  In fact, I have never even cooked or used them !!!!!  Hope I like!


A few years ago I bought three Heritage Virus-Free everbearing red raspberry bushes.  They have more than paid for themselves.  I have moved them a couple times.  They multiply and I trimmed them back this past week.  I hope I did it correctly and that we harvest many yummy berries this year!


My "wonderful gardener" put our homemade compost on this little section of the garden and rototilled and raked it for me.  The sun is shining but it is pretty cold outside today and I am debating whether I should try to go out and plant peas!


Saturday was nice and I planted green onions and a little old Kale seed in this row.  If the Kale doesn't come up I won't be out anymore than if I threw it away!  Frugal!  I am still wearing a winter jacket and those are ear muffs sitting beside me!!


Green onions and Kale all planted!


Regular yellow onion sets planted in one of my large barrels.  It said plant three inches apart so I hope I don't have them too close!


I made this lime/lemon salad with cream cheese and pineapple to take for our Easter gathering.  The bowl is almost 53 years old and I like to use it for special occasions such as this.


I like to have a few cards made up ready to send out.  This one says Just A Note on the front with little treble staffs all over the outside. You can't see it very well but it also says Just a note in the lower part of the card.  I put a heart music note on the back with my initials.  I love my piano and on the left inside I put a baby grand piano. (I don't have a baby grand!)  I left the right side blank to write my note.  Stamped Snail Mail on the envelope.  I have six of them ready to go.


Our "littles" Cali and Gracie.  Aren't grandchildren great to have!


OH MY GOODNESS!  Look what the Easter bunny left in the tree!


The Easter Bunny even remembered us!  I hope you had a wonderful Easter celebrating Christ's Death and Resurrection!


Progress in the Courtyard!

  It was so nice to look out my bedroom window this morning and see the Clematis blooming instead of a pile of snow.  It is a rainy day agai...