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Weekend Project -- Gardening

This year my big outdoor project is the new vegetable (and fruit!) garden. We have a 12' X 8' raised bed which is too big, I know. Two smaller beds would have been perfect, but this is what my contractor put in when I wasn't paying attention. I decided to put a path down the middle so that I can reach everything I grow.

This past Sunday I planted carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, cucumbers and basil from seeds. I also transplanted some basil I had started indoors and transplanted the strawberry plants we purchased from the local nursery. I'm waiting a week or two to transplant the other seedlings I started indoors -- 2 varieties of tomatoes, green peppers, more basil and some flowers.

While I was planting, Pete was putting in the fence around the garden (and even making a gate!) We have rabbits and I've already seen them in the yard this spring, looking for goodies to nibble. They ate the leaves of the crocus plants down to stubs and I saw them eating the few weeds that were in the raised bed last week. We are hoping this fence will be enough to keep them away. Fingers crossed!

The Pea Patch

So at the end of August, the backyard project was finished and I finally had my raised bed.  Unfortunately I couldn't find any seed that late in the year (despite several trips to garden centers around town).  Then one Saturday Pete and Maddie stopped at the local Ace Hardware and while looking through the clearance bins found a lonely packet of peas.  Hmmmm. . .

I rushed to plant them so that they would have a good chance of growing before the first frost hit.  When they began to flower a couple of weeks ago, I had high hopes.  In fact, we do have some pea pods:

The weather is supposed to take a turn later this week, but today is sunny and warmer than the forecast predicted.  Grow peas, grow!

A Terrarium

This is a project I've been wanting to tackle for ages -- but of course it didn't work out at all as I had planned.  About a month ago I bought some awesome huge, old canning jars and I planned to make little terrariums in them -- one for me and one for Maddie.  Never mind that my hand couldn't even fit in the mouth of the jar, or that I couldn't find plants small enough anywhere.  I carried the list of supplies and plants with me optimistically for weeks -- visiting every "garden" center I could find.  I ended up buying rocks for the bottom layer from Hobby Lobby (and needed a second bag which Pete graciously ran out in a downpour to acquire!) and never found horticultural charcoal -- I'm using fish tank filter charcoal instead.  Sphagnum moss (used to keep the layers from leaking into one another) was nowhere to be found, so I cut pieces of tulle and used that instead.  And finally . . .

gave up entirely on the jars and opted for an old fish tank that had been banished to the basement awaiting the next fish or a new purpose.

Whew.  (This is why I call these things my "crazy" projects!)

New Lawn Toy

The way we take care of our lawn has been evolving.  First we gave up the professional lawn mowing -- I mean, they used a big gas guzzling monster mower and had to drive a big truck to get it here.  Not very environmentally friendly.  After that we canceled the lawn service -- no more chemical herbicides, pesticides and fossil fuel fertilizers.  And finally. . . we got a new mower.  Not gas, not electric, just good old fashioned human power. 

We purchased it last night and today Maddie was very excited to see it in action, so even though there isn't much grass to cut yet, I took it out and gave it a spin around the back yard.  It is a good work out and I think I'll be able to give up the elliptical machine on the days I mow.  I also like that I can mow the lawn -- at my leisure -- without a lot of fuss.  There isn't any gas or oil that has to be added, there isn't any cord that I have to pull (I've never been able to start a gas mower!)  Oh -- and a reel mower is quite inexpensive.  We got the wider model (20 in.) because we have almost a 1/2 acre lot and it was just over $100 -- the smaller model was under $100 (and no gas or annual service charge!)

Peonies

It was an awful year for the lilacs, but whatever the lilacs dislike, the peonies must love.  Our two peony bushes are looking incredible this year!  The pink one is blooming now. . .

Almost open. . .

Open!

But you know what they say about peonies -- the ants love 'em!  I guess there is nectar on the buds.  They seem to leave the flowers alone -- but look at a bud on the bush that hasn't started bloomin yet. . .

This makes my happy that they are located at the back edge of the yard and nowhere near the house!

Sunday Afternoon

Before:

After:

Not only did the windowboxes get filled, the front planters got planted:

Want to know my secret for getting beautiful full planters like that?  Buy a pre-made hanging basket.  Pop it out of the plastic container and into your planter, fill in around the edges with potting soil and you're all done!  Super quick and you end up paying about the same once you add up everything you would have bought individually.

I'm trying something new this year too.  A vegetable garden!  In a size that won't freak me out:

We bought two big pots and I planted two tomato plants and two basil plants in each.  I am trying two different locations to see which does better.  We have lots of trees, which means lots of shade, so I'm not sure how this will go, but I thought it would be fun to try.

Now I'm all worn out!  Time to go lie around on the couch and eat some of that homemade peanut butter ice cream I made last night!  Yummy!  (I used the recipe from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book and it was a winner!  I bought a copy of this in a used bookstore ages ago and use it every summer -- one of the most used cookbooks I own.)

My favorite garden visitors. . .

Every year I forget about the butterflies -- then they arrive and I remember how much I love them!  The first ones are just starting to arrive this week.

And of course there are the bees.