An Artichoke ..holy crap Batman

How cute is that ...I know I said I would not get any till next year. But in hindsight the plant was already one year old when planted...Thus two years first crop.

Here is some information I got forwarded to me from the Mater Gardner at our Community Garden ...Simi at the Garden ..Thanks Bill

Here is the direct link this way I am not cut and pasting and it will give you all the information...Happy digging  ...Artichoke Info

Egg shells

I save them in a Mason Jar till it is full

This is a great little trick .Save egg shells crush them then place them in your garden. The snails cut there little skin's. It is an easy and natural way to get rid of some of the peskier pests.

Hummingbird Bush

Potatoes here

Future Flower Area

Right here is a new butterfly bush
and below that is my newest lil' raised garden the potatoes go there. Then I have a little area I want to grow flowers on.

So much going on in the yard

My lil helper

Wow this last month has gone by so fast. I have been super busy in the garden. I have spent most of my time up top. That is the area behind the barn. I planted the raised gardens from last year. I have found that with all the new fangled raised gardens you really do not need to spend a ton of money to make a raised garden.  I have taken old wood and just bordered the areas.





 I planted Amish Snap Peas in one little area. The rabbits got to them but I netted it up.
In the two side by side ones I have one filled with regular snap pea’s I got at the Seed Exchange. I surrounded them with pine-cones so the rabbits would have a hard time getting around them but I noticed after about a week or so they had pushed some aside and ate away. Damn !

From garden pumpkin pie

One bed has Beans the other has Cucumbers and in the middle of the  two rows I just planted Pumpkins. I have grown pumpkin before and made a great pie from scratch.
 That experience was one of my first in getting to know how great fresh ingredients taste.
 

The tomatoes

  Just below the two beds I have started my tomatoes and in the middle of them I planted Basil. They say that basil bugs and tomatoes bugs eat one another. Will see. I also put some oregano around the corners of the bed it fens off other bugs. “They say”
I made a really goofy scarecrow. LOL I think the ravens are laughing at me.

My long neck scarecrow

Next to the scarecrow in the same garden are beets these are also a first time root plant.  I have some fingerling potatoes come up right above them from last year. I thought I had lost them but they came back this year.

Do not laugh my scarecrow is a project in progress...remember progress not perfection....LOL...I still will be gardening and look around and the darn thing scares the crap out of me!

Look at the picture right below the scareycrow I do not know what but something is growing in my mulch pile!                                                                                

What is growing in my mulch pile?

Wagons to keep rabbits out

 The artichoke will give off veggies next year it is only in it’s 2nd year. It takes 2-3 years in the ground to produce. Next to the artichoke I have planted this years potatoes crop. Last years was a loss even though some did come back this year. Did you know you should never plant potatoes in the same spot each year. You plant them harvest then wait 3 years to replant the area. Interesting..

My herb garden is a project in progress. The Box Basil took and the Sage took but the others nothing but I keep watering because you just never know what may pop up day to day. That is the fun of gardening.

I planted the Rhubarb as you know and one is doing well the other not so good. I took the time to put up my garden wagons to net the beds you can see them in the pictures this is so easy I will link you to the how to on the blog. Notice my little helper.

My picker 

Now that is fresh

Long day beautiful sunset

  That is my son holding up my first radishes. Now here is the problem .When I got them in and washed them I went to eat one and almost broke a tooth. They were so hard on the outside but yummy inside. Do you know why? I have to get a Google going on that one.  Waiting on carrots.  All the fruit trees are blooming we are working on getting the watering right on that.

I could go on and on but I wanted to just catch you guys up so I can get in here daily and update. What have you got going on this Spring?

Simi at the Garden Day!

Happy Earth Day Simi !

 What a great day. If you do not already know we have our first Community Garden and we need to kneel and sing praise to Salina that hot little blond is the the brain of the whole outfit.

It has been her pet project and obsession for many year and to see the joy it gives her that day was well "priceless" ..... It was an honor to just be a small part of it by supporting the project.

 This opening day was just packed with activity. The kids were busy painting the walls. How fun I wanted to get on my knees and grab a brush but with so much to see and do. On we go 

 This here raised bed is called a Hugelkulture bed. It i s made from sticks and branches and is so earth friendly. Believe it or not this raised bed can support your veggies all summer with no water. Go to the link and read up on it. It is really fascinating.

 Just a few shots of the gardens being set up and the general area.
The information I got on price is you can get a 10 x 10 space for $50.00 per year. The other option is a 10 x 20 space for $100.00 per year. I think that is right but go and check it out. Having the community rah-rah is awesome. I love gardening and my own yard gives me enough work but to be a part of this is awesome not matter what....

 This is Jean she has a cute little plot.Her son got the plot right behind her. It is warming my heart to know our kids appreciate this. You will know his area by the sink, and the bathtub that is coming...Creative lil guy

Look at the cute little pot project she did. It is nothing more then re-bar and pots with holes balanced on one another...Clever Jean

 Right there in her cowboy hat is Shelly another Plot Gal!

 Check out this pine cone border. I had such a nice day and really loved seeing our community out supporting this great project.

Here is the link for the website for any information you may need and more information on Simi at the Garden.

All natural Fertilizer

I got this little wonder from book by Gayla Trail called Easy Growing .....This has got to be the easiest task I have done in a long while .I just walked through the yard an clipped herbs and put them in a bucket...Easy Peezzy





All Natural Fertilizer

1. Place a large bunch of roughly chopped fresh herbs in a bucket and add water. 4 parts water to to one part herbs.
2. Set the mixture aside for three days. Stirring it a few times each day.
3. Strain our the herbs. Toss them into the compost pile or lay them around those not so happy plants for extra help. Now spray the full strength liquid directly onto your plant leaves. Or add a few cups to your watering can. I do both...I will post the  results of my fab results....Enjoy

Here is Gayla's blog link also for other great tips You Grow girl

Took a walk in the yards today

Pretty Deep Red

This ole' rake fell apart and I saw a post somewhere that someone had made a really fancy hanging gismo out of it. Well this is not so fancy but it works. I put it on the ole' pine tree stump to hang my stuff

 Alright now I am a collector of many things for example I have a juice glass collection, vintage cooking books, tea cups, ole plates, I get caught up in the chase and well usually do not stop till I have gone over the  top. I think Gnomes are adorable. These days very over priced in my opinion but cute. Here are a few  of the ones I have scattere3d across the yard. I found therm here and here. Some are gifts .....and really this is only a few....
 
Yesterday I planted a bunch of my summer veggies so after my shower and once this ole' house is cleaned I will post more stuff. Have a great week it is so pretty out and the weather is going to be Pee-rrrfect for yard work. I need to sharpen my shovels.

Planting my Rhubarb

the gift from Dennis

Trimed the leaves to use the stock for jam

Rhubarb is a special plant. I did not even acknowledge it until I started to do my canning. It is an easy growing veggie and it has so many option for canning as well as baking and cooking. I think it is one of the under loved veggies. Thus we are doing a whole lot of talk about this little wonder today. Last year holy moly two years ago  walked down to a my neighbor who I knew was growing the stuff. I wanted to see if I could grab some to experiment with it in some jams. Well that afternoon he brought me up two beautiful plants. How sweet was that!

Just a baby this spring year 2

So in the last year I have learned a lot about this plant I am giving you two great links for information.  I knew I would only be able to use  the stock that had bloomed on it.  I did I made the best Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Follow the link to the Jam yummy make some do not delay! So through the last year I think I lost the little plants! Nope low and behold they are coming back up. That is what this post is for so you can understand these plant better. They go dormant during the winter and only bloom out once a year from April till about September. Do not  harvest rhubarb the first year after planting. Each plant needs time to build up food reserves in the root to produce thick, robust stems. I learned this the hard way. So this year I will leave it alone again then next year use the stocks. Even though the plant was an established plant I think it needs to get use to my soil. Here are two great web site for Rhubarb. I am planting things in my garden this year that dome back every year. Save me time to put more effort into my tomatoes and other moody fragile plants....


  Rhubarb Central  and The Rhubarb Compendium

Here is a little something from one of the sites:

"Plant rhubarb roots in early spring. Planting seeds is not recommended as it may take too long for the plants to become established, and the seedlings would not come true to color and size, if that is important to you.

Space rhubarb roots 24 to 48 inches (60-120 cm) apart in rows 3 to 4 feet (1 m) apart for commercial growing. These distances can be decreased to 36 inches for plants in rows and rows for smaller gardens (non commercial). Much smaller than this will seriously crowd the plants and result in a diminished crop and increase the likelihood of spreading disease. A 2-3 year old plant, the Victoria variety can be 4 feet (1.25 meter) in diameter and 3 feet (1 meter) tall. Plant the roots with the crown bud 2 inches (5 cm) below the surface of the soil. The hole for the crown should be dug extra large and composted manure, peat moss or dairy organic should be mixed with the soil to be placed around the roots. Firm the soil around the roots but keep it loose over the buds. Water the crowns after planting. Give the plant 1/4 cup of 5-10-10 worked in to the top 10 inches of soil at planting time. Good garden drainage is essential in growing rhubarb. For home gardeners, planting in raised beds helps ensure against rotting of the crowns. Crowns will have a longevity of many years, but because of diseases and insects, it is Normal to reset a bed after 4-5 years."