Grow Garden Grow

Thinking of my garden growing this week! Grow garden grow!

Squash Blooms Already?

Um, didn't expect that so soon! And the plants are way to small to be blooming so soon I'd say but bloom away little squashes? I've got more I just planted, so if these don't do anything than that is okay. The blooms are just an amazing reminder of how awesome gardening truly can be! It is like a surprise waiting to be found everyday! You're walking around going about your business and wham there's a big bright yellow bloom that's about to open up? Hope to get pictures in a bit and upload this evening. Yes I know the plants are a little scraggly looking, but those are some that I saved from one of the rounds of storms knocking my greenhouse over.

Pictures to follow....check back later...okay didn't get the photos up, but will in the future!

It's still not too late to get out there and get your summer garden put out! It's getting hot and peppers like it hot hot hot!

,ijustwannagrow

Scored lunch from the garden today!

I had a plain 'ol can of chicken breast and wondered hmmmm what am I going to do with this? Opened the refrigerator and saw the champagne vinegar, Hellman's cholesterol free mayo, & a jar of german mustard w/herbs. So we ran out to the garden and picked a hand full of fresh dill. I handed the DEEL (as Savannah calls it) to her and showed her how to pull the springs away from stem. As she worked on that I through the remaining portion of the chicken salad together! Grabbed her DEEL sprigs and stirred them into the chicken salad. We both LOVED it! Just ate it as it was with a fork. No bread, no crackers...SO good!

I had half of an heirloom tomato I needed to use, so I ran out to the garage to some basil pots that I'm getting ready to transplant and pulled a hand full of leaves off from them. Chopped the tomato and basil. Tossed both with olive oil, s&p, and some basalmic vinegar. SO YUMMY

For dessert we both split a Chobani Greek Yogurt w/ Honey! I had water and she had a grape juice.

I LOVE MY GARDEN! And it is only beginning :D


Fresh Herbs at your fingertips make for a great lunch on the fly!

,ijustwannagrow

I've dusted finally!

I don't feel like I was really of the respiratory health to go out and dust my crops, BUT I did mask up and quickly wet all my veggie leaves and finally put a round of diatamaceous earth (food grade). It is organic and if I understand it is like fossilized algae ground into dust...when the bugs are on the leaves and they run across this stuff it dehydrates them and they are no more! Sounds good to me! And it is safe for people and pets! Just wait 24hrs and then wash the veggies harvested really good! We'll see, but I'm tired of seeing everything look like swiss cheese! Now that is really making me mad!

Since Clint harvested potatoes last night I had almost and entire 4x8 bed open up, so I shook out some organic granulated rock dust to replenish the soil's nutrients before I planted a row of zuchinni and a row of patty pan white squashes. And was really thrilled how much straw I got to turn over into the bed from where I hilled up all the potatoes as they grew!

You say potato I say OMG I grew an actual potato! I'm SO proud! :D

Okay, so once again I have never grown potatoes! YES, I almost peed a little when Clint helped me harvest these for tomorrow night's dinner! A mixture of golden yukons and baby russetts. Since growing potatoes were purely a test this year I only planted a few potato seedlings and much to my suprise I grew actual potatoes. I'm over the moon that not only did I grow potatoes successfully, but they look, AND TASTE like potatoes! I know you can laugh at or with me, but by jingos I grew potatoes. It is what it is! LOL

My ONLY regret is that I didn't grow two 4x10x8 beds full of potatoes, but don't worry I won't make that mistake again :D

Tuesday Night Dinner: Rosemary & Garlic oven roasted potatoes from MY ORGANIC GARDEN!

Okay if I can grow potatoes you can grow potatoes! Tip: Organic Bonemeal was used to fertilize and boost the phosphorous levels of the soil! Too much nitrogen will only give you big green potato bushes according to what I've read on youtube and several books I've been studying!

Getcha grow on, girls!

,ijustwannagrow

Yes, some of us do get this excited over fresh organic peas!

Wish I wouldn't have over planted my peas in one spot, but I've got the right plan for the Fall crop planting & harvesting!

Today it is really our first humid day in my opinion! With the sinus congestion that dropped into my chest last night I just couldn't be out there more than 30 minutes.

:*(

I will have to go back out this evening after 7 o'clock. I tried to start to mulch my pole beans, but only got 1/2 of them mulched and had to quit. In between the humidity, congestion, and the mask I was wearing I felt like I was suffocating!

But we did pick some peas before I came in, so that will temporarily hold me until I can go back out!

Also, sprinkled my organic Azomite granulated rock dust in the open spot where the broccoli was harvested already. This will add 70 trace elements back into my soil, so that the next vegetables: (basil, peppers, & two tomato plants that HAVE to go out like 5 days ago! San Marzano plants!

Helped Clint transplant his black eyed susan vine the girls bought him to remind him of his mother before I came in to the house. Standing in the cooler garage transplanting wasn't so tough to breathe.

Did score a self-recycle project! My PVC hoop house 4x8 that we made in Jan was recycled and re- purposed by hack sawing in half to make a hoop house frame for 2 different 4x4 beds. No waste here! Waste not want not! :D

Get out there and grow something people it's awesome!

,ijustwannagrow

Things are a happenin

 The sweet bell pepper that is destined to be yellow one day is making a lot of progress due to the rain we just had!

 Never grown corn myself, but I'm pretty tickled it is still resembling corn? May not see cobs this year, but we're still in the running hopefully?

 Well since I messed up my soil PH not paying attention in this planter, my 1st round of cukes just weren't progressing, so I went ahead and pulled the weak straggly poor little things and threw them in my bucket to reside in the compost bin. Hopefully they will contribute something more to the cycle in their 2nd lives? LOL

And my sweet Alaskan Peas are about 2 inches in length and when I say sweet I mean as sugar! If I produce really well in the Fall I may just never buy store bought peas again! WHAT A DIFFERENCE people! I cannot even describe the flavor difference coming right off the vine! And other than over crowding & forgetting to inoculate them when I planted these were NOT hard to grow. They grew on their own. The trellis was the most work I put into them!

Overall the most satisfying thing about this evening was turning around as Savannah identified Basil, Sage, & Thyme herbs to her daddy and watching my family pick peas from the vine and eat them! So rewarding to hear your 22 month old tell mommy her peas are YUMMY right off the vine!

Okay if you've never grown peas you have (WE HAVE) a second chance for a Fall CROP! You MUST try!


,ijustwannagrow

Overgrown grass!

Well we're stuck inside today until the hubs gets home and mows the grass :(  Not his fault for sure! Glad to see the rain, but gotta be honest I'm as glad to see it go! I've got so much to do in the garden in the next 8 days! Have to get it all done!

Here in a bit the girls are headed to p/u our last 2x4's to finish one of my raised beds waiting for a new crop of something yummy to be planted! Possibly brussels sprouts & something that pairs with them well like carrots, onions, spinach, or MORE tomato plants! Most likely onions though! I have 200 sets that need to be still put out! Gotta keep putting them out! Will throw in some Azomite & Bonemeal in that bed I'm cleaning out this weekend from a prior grow to both replenish the soil nutrients and boost the phosphorous levels "organically" for those phosphorous loving brussels sprouts! Onions really don't care, so they can come along for the ride! LOL

Dreamed of my new strawberry fountain structure I'll be working on constructing soon (idea from a friend, gotta give her the props & street/cred) and of a new climbing vine of anysort structure (squash, beans, peas, etc.)

If you've got a 4x4 space or some empty pots/planters/buckets....throw in some compost & seeds and enjoy! You've really got to try it!

,ijustwannagrow

Heirloom Mr. Stripey - about 3 inches in width

Mr. Stripey has yellow flowers ALL over it and I cannot WAIT to eat this tomato! The sweet 100's have atleast 15 tomatoes a little larger than quarters hanging on them already! SO excited!

More later :D

Companion Planting: Lupine Russell's Hybrid Mixed Colors- Annuals

I just learned tonight by researching that you can companion plant these flowers with squash, cucumbers, spinach, or broccoli. Apparently these flowers can pull nitrogen from the air and supply/distribute nitrogen to these vegetables which are all heavy nitrogen feeders! Hmmm you learn something everyday! And to think I just picked up the package because they were pretty and I though bees would like them. I wanted to plant them near my squash, but hey I can plant with my squash. Hope the bees like them, so I can get a two for one deal: a nitrogen factory & bee attractor? Anyway, I picked up Poppy Oriental Red Perinnial, & Shasta Daisies (also a perinnial).

Gotte get some stuff done around here, so Savannah can go to parent's day out tomorrow. She loves going and playing with the other kids and doing crafts :D

I've also begun researching how to attract bees to my garden to help polinate my vegetables like squash. I know how to hand pollinate, but if nature can do the job let 'em do it!

The below information was copied and pasted from this website.
Credit to:

Attracting More Bees And Pollinators to Your Garden

Plant Lists for Bees

By Marie Iannotti, About.com Guide

http://gardening.about.com/od/attractingwildlife/a/Bee_Plants_2.htm

*Native plants should be your first choice to help our native bees.

Use a wildflower guide or contact local nurseries to find your local species.

• Aster Aster
• Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia
• Caltrop Kallstroemia
• Creosote bush Larrea
• Currant Ribes
• Elder Sambucus
• Goldenrod Solidago
• Huckleberry Vaccinium
• Joe-pye weed Eupatorium
• Lupine Lupinus
• Oregon grape Berberis
• Penstemon Penstemon
• Purple coneflower Echinacea
• Rabbit-brush Chrysothamnus
• Rhododendron Rhododendron
• Sage Salvia
• Scorpion-weed Phacelia
• Snowberry Symphoricarpos
• Stonecrop Sedum
• Sunflower Helianthus
• Wild buckwheat Eriogonum
• Wild-lilac Ceanothus
• Willow Salix

Garden plants for beesFlower beds in gardens, business campuses, and parks are great places to have bee-friendly plants. Native plants will create a beautiful garden but some people prefer "garden" plants. Many garden plants are varieties of native plants, so this list only includes plants from other countries--"exotic" plants--and should be used as a supplement to the native plant list. As with the native plants, this list is not exhaustive.

• Zinnia Zinnia

Gotta get those Zinnias planted!


,ijustwannagrow

Let the Compost Bin System building begin!

Savannah & I scored 7 recycled pallets today! Paid $6 for 7 of them and they loaded them for me! What a deal! Have I mentioned how awesome it is that I have full time custody of the truck right now? LOL  Poor Agri-Van couldn't have pulled this score off! So now if the sunshine would please return I could get that project constructed and put it to good use immediately! I've been saving all of my garden clippings, cardboard, straw, etc. And I sometimes have more kitchen waste than my wormies can handle, so I have to bag it up and give them a couple of days to chomp the load down before I can add more. So between the wormies and the composting system I have somewhere to throw those excessive kitchen scraps. My next order of business in a few weeks is to print out a "your compost wanted flyer" for the neighbors. I'll supply them with a 5 gallon bucket and I'll collect every day or so to add to the compost pile if they'd be willing? 

Savannah saw her first real life Rooster today at the Farm Store. He even crowed at her several times. She grinned and scrunched that nose and yelled WOOSTER! The grown chickens were clucking, and the goat was chomping on some hay. Another unscheduled & unexpected learning experience :D But a fun one of which we took full advantage! I have to admit seeing those chickens made me want to get my coop and chicken run built even faster! I pictured homegrown healthy eggs, and egg shells for the compost pile flash out into a thought bubble! I'm getting closer as the days go by! Counting down the days!

I guess I'll try and get some housework done tonight, so that tomorrow when I've got some mommy "free time" ,which is a rarity, I'll be able to work outside in my garden!

And the rain has to stop so that the hubs can get that grass mowed down! He literally just mowed it and it is way over ankle deep again! If only I had my chickens to keep that grass down????? hmmmmm

,ijustwannagrow

Pass the Peas Please!

My 1st  Pea Pod EVER! I've never grown peas of any sort. And I'm happy to report I achieved growing atleast 1 pea pod thus far. Not the best picture, but will be sure to take a few more pictures that is more clear. I hope it doesn't rain this evening, so I can finally Diatameceous Earth dust my veggies. I've got aphids spreading quickly! Everytime I see a leaf with a tiny hole it makes me cringe! Attention ALL buggies I'm ordering ladybugs today, so you don't have to go home but you can't stay here!

I can't believe I just ordered 1500 ladybugs of of Amazon. Oh I don't know if I can release them. I did good getting the 1500 worms released. My husband may have to release the lady bugs. Got the chills thinking about the bugs. Anyway, more later....

Gardening by night again! LOL

Put the kiddo to bed at 8:01p, but she talked until about 9:30p. So after she drifted off my husband and I ran out to the garage to get those 2 4x10x4 raised beds knocked together and set outside while we had a chance. Husband was SO nice and told me just to go prepare the spot where I wanted them and he'd knock them together for me! What a man! So I grabbed my landscape fabric, fabric pins, and utility knife and ran outside in great joy! Although realizing that I mistakenly picked up really light weight landscape fabric this time by accident ALMOST crushed the joy, but I managed to pull through it once the hubs came tronsing across the barely lit yard with a one of my raised beds over his shoulder! Got them both built and both sitting where they will soon be filled with plenty of compost, rock dust, and MORE ORGANIC VEGETABLES! Or VEBLES as Savannah would say!

I've got 3 pallets spoken for at Hill's Lawn & Garden in T'Ville I must go p/u tomorrow! They are charging me $2 a piece, but it is so worth getting the first of three bins knocked together! Thanks Aunt Carol for the reminder about pallets. I had forgotten about them! I've been saving all of my cardboard for my compost bin floor! I'm going to put down a doubled blue tarp, then a thick layer of cardboard and then let the layering begin!

I'll garden in my dreams ALL night long knowing there are 32cubic feet of empty gardening space out there ready to grow! Seriously, that's torcher! I've got 5 5gallon buckets waiting on more transplants.

Gardening at night kinda reminds me of the little man turning off the refrigerator light after you close the door! I feel like a little magic gardening gnome that comes out when everyone is sleeping! LOL

So much to grow, so little time :D

Get out there and grow!

,ijustwannagrow

Purple Hull Pea Fencing/Trellising going up!

Today was a "FUN" day! Savannah & I hit Home Depot for some 1/2" EMT conduit which was a fun time in itself! Lowes & Home depot are so EASY to entertain a child while you're conducting business of any sort as long as you're in one of the isles with LOTS of gadgets like hardware, plumbing, & electrical! LOL

I was waiting on my EMT conduit to be cut and I handed Savannah 2 plastic snap connects and well she made quick & good use of them! She put them right over her eyes and said, "I see you" "my noclars" and giggled! LOL   Translation: I see you through my binoculars!  The Home Depot guy died laughing while he was cutting the conduit! LOL   

Anyway, after lunch with daddy at Red Lobster we headed to Lowes in High Point because Home Depot on Wendover was out of 1/2" EMT elbow fittings. Of course Lowes had them and we had more fun at Lowes, but not quite as much as we did at Home Depot!

This evening I'll be constructing 2    4x10x4 raised beds and to 6ft x 4ft trellising so that I can get these 2nd round cucumbers transplanted this week or weekend!  I've had all the materials, but it has been too wet outside to do anything! But the tomato plants are LOVING the rain we've been having. They are almost elbow high now! Crazy! :D

Tomato Bamboo Grid Supports installed last night!

I've got tomatoes on every plant but two now. And if I'd get those two transplanted I'd get tomatoes on those too I'm sure! I've never had any luck with good support with those upside down cone shaped wire tomatoe supports, so I decided I'd take a different route this year. I had installed 2x4x6 supports on all 4 corners of this bed as a trial and I believe I'm happier than I originally expected! Convenient for anything! I can't take full credit for the bamboo idea; however, I planned on installing some type of grid support over that 4x4 bed. I got the idea from my new book Vetical Gardening by Derek Fell! I love him! Used screw in open eye hooks, 48" long bamboo stakes, & zip ties to create the support. All I have to do is go out and trim the zip ties! So happy with the way it turned out!

We've got our first tomatoes!

 First tomatoes growing outloud now! These are sweet 100's! I cannot wait to eat the 1st one! If nothing else produces I'm just happy I got this far this year! I've been in the house so long dreaming of getting back outside in the soil and producing good healthy vegetables for my family! If I had it to do all over again I'd own a small farm!

Green pea & snap peas flowering and crawling up the trellis. Potatoes are towering and are in need of hilling again!

Builder's Wire- What is it exactly?

For those who vertically grow their vegetables I just wanted to help you out! As I'm researching and reading I keep seeing this term "builder's wire" being referred to for many uses; however, I couldn't figure out what the product actually was. I believe they are referring to 42" x 84" Mesh Sheet (Lowes: Item #: 353630  |  Model #: 737624) that they use to reinforce freshly poured concrete. Hope this helps you, because it took me forever to figure out what in the world! :D


http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=353630-46086-737624&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3351530&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=sim&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

Yay Out for delivery!

Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space [Paperback]/Derek Fell  - bought off of Amazon

I should get my book today! YAY! I'll give you my review this weekend :D

Correction: Aphids not Cutworms!

I have Aphids on two plants. And the funny thing is the plants that are affected where in the garage not transplanted yet. I'll have to dust them with diatomaceous tomorrow for sure!

I'm totally stoked about a new book I ordered today. I found a few books I'd like to add to my gardening research books :D 

Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space [Paperback]/Derek Fell  - bought off of Amazon

I'm supposed to get it tomorrow and I could not be more excited! I also ordered a 6lb box of Azomite (organic trace minerals) to help replenish the soil as I harvest my vegetables and space opens up in my beds :D 

The next few days are rainy, so not much will be going on outside in the garden but I will be moving my small cuke transplants into larger pots for a bit longer. And will be starting more swiss chard & lettuce starters :D

Grow something ya'll!

, ijustwannagrow

I officially hate moths!

Apparently I had atleast one in the garage laying cutworm eggs! Egg plant & cayenne pepper transplants are starting to resemble swiss cheese! I'll be cutworm hunting!
Thank goodness my diatomaceous earth has come in to dry those suckers up!

I personally bought 50lbs of it, but I did paste in some links for additional information on what it is and where you can get it if no one local has it for you! I did not discover this, The Garden Girl uses it and well you see where I'm going with this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039UX8ZC/ref=asc_df_B0039UX8ZC1536152?smid=A3S3YF6WN9MSC5&tag=pgmp-1160-95-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B0039UX8ZC

Weekend Lowes List: Trellis Building Next week!

Researched and found all of the components I'll need to finish building trellises. The cool thing is these are going to last a LONG time! Extra strong and will fit any of the 4x4 beds :D  I've already got the re-bar and re purposed dog kennel fence panels for my cow peas I'll build next week. We're moving right along! Gosh this is SO fun for me!


Lowes Trellis Weekend Shopping List:

1/2" x 10 Ft. Electrical Metallic Tube EMT Conduit

Item #: 72711  |  Model #: 101543

http://www.lowes.com/pd_72711-1792-101543_4294821889_4294937087_?productId=3129551&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Conduit_4294821889_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_quantity_sold%7C1

Gampak 1/2" EMT Inside Corner Elbow
Item #: 224679 | Model #: 49591 http://www.lowes.com/pd_224679-15527-49591_0__?storeId=10151&Ntt=emt+elbow&UserSearch=emt+elbow&productId=1062457&N=0&catalogId=10051&langId=-1

Gampak  1/2" EMT Steel

Item #: 54982  |  Model #: 49920

http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=54982-15527-49920&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=1092569&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=sim&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

Garden Visited by Neighbors this morning & I was robbed last night!

We live on a street that is 99% retirees. They make incredible neighbors! Not only can they tell you everything about your house and how it and your property evolved, but knowledgeable in a lot of areas. Let this be a reminder that you should always utilize your unexpected resources and embrace the aging!

Walked the neighbor through the backyard farm in progress/garden this morning! Last night another neighbor came over to walk through the progress and offer their compliments! Gardening can open the door to socialization one of my favorite things as we all know! Already one neighbor has asked for information about our church's children's program for her grandson. Wow I never expected that to come of it all, but hey I'll be happy to share about our church (Richfork Baptist Church, T'vlle) :D

Even more peas have reached over and grabbed onto the trellis and I'm seeing a lot more white flowers on those peas from last night. I think after looking at my cukes this morning I'm thinking that since only the middle section of my planter bed is affecting cukes "turning white" then I bet I didn't distribute the manure good enough through the bed to have all the soil at the right PH throughout consistently. I'll go out this evening dig up the cukes, stir the soil better, and add worm compost under each cuke to see if I can save those or not? The outside perimeter of the tank bed is doing well, so the problem is at the center.

Me: Officer my garden plot was robbed!
Officer: Do you know who robbed you?
Me: Yes
Officer: Start at the beginning

My mom came over last night to return our blower & extension cord, I gave her some tomato starters that were more mature than hers, because I had no place to transplant and her transplants are still way to young to transplant. As we were leaving the garage she eyeballs my 4 grapevines and in a "sad voice" poor grapevines aren't gonna make it if you don't get them outside. I guess you're not going to plant? I asked, mom would you like a grapevine....YES she proclaimed right up out of the "sad voice" and droopy eyes that she started with, hmmm. I gave her 1 concord seedless and 1 white seedless and then I have the other 2 matches. I'm going to be really mad if mine don't grow and hers do!

Officer: Boy she worked you over! LOL

Anyway, finally expecting rain starting tonight and I'm ecstatic to see if that doesn't pop up all the corn, okra, pole beans, & cow peas that I just planted!

Garden and get to know your neighbors better!

, ijustwannagrow :D

Difference between isolated and scattered thunderstorms

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/archives-thunderstorms.htm

Q: What’s the difference between isolated and scattered thunderstorms?

A: The National Weather Service expresses the probability of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch) for a given location using percentages and terms such as isolated and scattered. Isolated means a chance of precipitation of less than 30% and scattered is used for a 30% to 50% chance. Likely describes a probability of 60 percent or greater.

For more, see our FAQ page about understanding weather forecasts.

(Answered by Chris Vaccaro, public affairs specialist at the National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Md., May 31, 2005)

---

Olive Juice! I love Olive Juice! I could drink it through a straw!

I like ALL olives, but could totally drink green olive juice until the cows come home! I don't know why, but I just love green olive juice. Anyway, I wanted a snack and couldn't decide until I remembered I just bought 4 new jars of green olives for my pantry! Yep went straight for the olives!

Watered my garden this evening just enough to get by until tomorrow when the rain is finally upon us for the next several days. I was afraid to let my veggies go another day without water, so I gave them all a nice little sip to hold them over.

I've got 3 more huge heads of romaine lettuce ready for harvest this weekend. I've got some outer leaves of swiss chard I could harvest and  could harvest some basil & dill if needed. Tomato plants are growing by leaps and bounds. Blooms are popping out on atleast four of the plants. I've got 2 jalepeno plants with flowers on them. And both types of my peas (sugar snaps & alaskan) have little white flowers on them! Um, bush beans? I don't know they aren't looking as chipper as I'd like them to, so I may plant a few more of them in a rubbermaid container or something to see if they'll grow better? Some of the plants are a really healthy green, but others are turning yellow with dirty spots on them? Gotta research the problem soon, but again this year was all about grow as many different things as possible, formulate questions, and be extra prepared next year! I'm happy with my efforts & results thus far, which is all that really matters :D

We harvested a few more strawberries off of the few plants we have and man I hate myself for not putting in 50 of those plants this year because they taste like they grew in a bucket of sugar! I kid you not! Savannah, LOVES running to the DAH BERRIES to see if she gets to eat one! And when we go check on our four blueberry bushes for some reasons she breathes in really deep to smell them and then says awh like they're flower bushes or something! LOL   Too Cute!

My 1st round of cukes are kinda peeking my interest/concern? I don't know if I've got too much manure in that bed or not, because I've got a few that the leaves are turning almost white? So I don't know if I didn't have the tender plants shielded enough from the sun on initial transplant or what, but am keeping a really close eye on them. But not to fear I have 26 other cucmber plants started in the kitchen window that are all about 3 inches tall that can go in right behind these if need be?

1/4 watermelon has made it so far, I'm going to replant watermelon from seed straight in the ground where the other 3 seedlings died back due to lack of water. But if the weather is calling for rain it could atleast shower a bit? Seriously!

Gotta find a spot to throw my cantaloup & pumpkins out next week!

Well that is all or now, good night, and happy growin to all! :D


, ijustwannagrow

SCORE! Just scored FREE recycled structure for my backyard farm! :D

So we know I planted my pole beans today which made me immediately start to ponder on how I would pole my beans? LOL  Well I'm sitting in my back yard admiring our hard work today and relaxing amongst the organic veggies and out of the corner of my eye I laid eyes upon an old swing set frame that hasn't been used in years in my neighbor's yard. I happen to catch her outside and asked her if I could borrow, buy, or have that swing set A frame and much to my surprise she say oh my goodness I've been trying to get rid of that for years! FREE STUFF!  So my beans get poled! :D  It's got some rust showing so I'll take care of that before I pole my beans, but still FREE! YAY!

Corn & Okra plots are planted!

Well since it is going to rain off and on for a few days I decided to dive right in and get those seeds in the ground while the soil was nice and workable! So I planted 2 rows of cow peas, 2 rows of pole beans, 2 rows of okra (clemson spineless my favorite), I got 8 short rows of two different kinds of corn, 4 watermelon transplants, and transplanted 2 more blueberry bushes into big pots for this year. Will be moving blueberries in the fall, so I just put the last 2 blueberry bushes into large planters for now.

Can I just say that my back has a slight radiating warm burning across every muscle in my back from the very bottom to the very top of my head? So when I show up to church tomorrow and I look like I've been drug out and beat today's festivities are the reason.

I guess the other reason why I did SO much today was because after I submitted my last final this morning, I had to just work off the overwhelming amount of stress that had built up over the semester. Well needless to say, I'm unstressed all in one day! LOL

Corn & Okra plots are tilled by my man for Mother's Day! What a Mother's Day!

I will add additional photos later once I empty my phone pics out, so I can take more :D 
For Mother's Day my husband gave me a 12 volt cordless drill with two batteries, so I can backyard farm and construct when I want instead of swiping his drill! I have already put a lot of miles on my new drill! I've got more constructing this evening when I put my 2nd 4x20x4 bed up! The great thing about this build is that all of the boards are already cut, and pre-drilled. We literally only have to screw the pieces together and attach the 4- 2x4x6 posts and fill with my lovely compost! I've still got plenty compost from my last delivery to fill up the bed. So Monday I'll transplant plants into that bed. Most likely more cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and dill? I have to double check if dill can be close to cucumbers I know I'm good on the other veggies I plant to put in that bed. MUST trellis 2nd bed of peas TONIGHT! I'll edit this post and add more in the pm :D

Wondering Weather or NOT I'll get much gardening done after Saturday?

According to the next 10 day weather outlook, I'm not going to get much more gardening done other than watching it get rained on! Saturday is a day of rush, rush, rush in order to get that last 110 gallon tank bed filled and transplanted. And hopefully & prayerfully get that next 4x20x4 raised bed errected, so that I can get it filled and transplanted. I've got to get the remainder of my overly mature transplants actually transplanted before I lose them! And if I lose them I will not be happy!

Every muscle and joint in my upperbody is screaming please stop, but I've got to push through this Saturday to stay on schedule. Of course, it doesn't help that I keep picking up transplants either! I'm sorry I totally couldn't help stopping at the plant stand on the way inside the grocery store today! You would have stopped as well if you had seen those San Marzano tomato starters! 18 inches tall, hardy stems, really healthy green leaves. 2 for $5 and they were MINE! I'll find a spot for them or find something to stick them in until I have a spot for them!

I've got my grape raised bed & arbor system sketched out and I can make it happen for under $100 which is so awesome! I'm looking around for reycled materials first, but if not I'll be able to get that project errected in the beginning of June!

So much to do in so little time. I also have a rich backyard farmer's vision, but have a poor backyard farmer's wallet! LOL  But I'll keep building and growing all of the way through winter and Spring 2012 is going to be even more bountiful!

Okay, that's all for me tonight! But let me encourage you to get out and dig in the dirt and grow baby grow! You can grow in five gallon buckets, left over rubbermaid storage containers you keep tripping over that you have no idea what to do with, etc.

P.S. - Check out my first head of Romaine Lettuce. Impressive? I know! LOL


, ijustwannagrow

I just wanna grow! Grow what, you ask?

I want to grow everything that is not nailed down & legal! More to come!