Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Frosty Morning

Its been awhile since I posted, all summer has gone by without one post from me updating the garden. The reason for that, is I was not able to post photos all that time, I was posting photos in their raw form, (opps :)) and kinda got locked out of the account for a bit. I think I have it all figured out now, just in time to post a picture of the frost from this morning, and few others from this week that I like.

 Naturally since its been so long I have to include a photo of Arty. He was watching his reflection in the water, and then just stared at me while I was taking pictures, it was kinda goofy and I love the pic with the garden in the background.
 Here is a shot of the Ghost peppers, aka Bhut Jolokia I grew this summer, finally got them to flower, and produce fruit. I think mother nature giving us over 71 days of 90+ degree really did the trick this year! My family was brave and tried them, brought 4 men to tears and made them drool in pain :).
Now that I have the photo problem figured out, hopefully, I will be updating with more photos from the summer and with plans for winter work to make the garden easier for next year. Thanks for stopping by, sorry for the long delay in posting, I'll get caught up!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

July 4th already....

 I can't believe it's July 4th already, man, time is flying by. Spending all my time trying to figure out how to keep the garden from burning up, and keeping me and the cat cool have just made time fly. Having the hottest temps on record for June kept me scrambling to keep things calm in the garden. I did lose most of my peas to the heat, they just can't take it. The potatoes look like they will be next, but the peppers, pumpkins and squashes seem happy.
 I have a few little pumpkins on the vines, they are getting curly and doing my favorite thing running their little green viney fingers all over the garden. I love those plants.
 The okra is doing well, its happy it also seems to be happy in the heat.

 I love this small okra budding out and doing its thing, it kinda looks like a little green fist, GREEN POWER! hehehe
 The new strawberry bed is doing really really well, I am so excited about that. Can't wait! I'm hoping that it just makes itself a nice little home so that next year it can really do some magic!
The corn is also feeling the heat, but mostly I think I need to add a few more watering spouts, the sides are doing good, but the middle is pretty weak. Not sure what will come of this, but as long as I have some cool tried corn stalks for decorating in the fall it will all be good. Gotta find the good side to things for sure :) More updates coming soon as well as a few other projects I am working on. Happy 4th everyone, stay cool and safe.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Heating up outside

 Things are cranking away in the garden right now, its absolutely wonderful! The first blossoms popped up this weekend on the okra and squash, and the potatoes are flowering already! This blanket flower has mutated into kinda  a triple head, its very very cool to watch it do its thing. The stem on that one is about 3 times the size as the others as well. Nature is amazing.The temps of 95+ the next few days should help the peppers, but my poor lettuces may get wilty, I need to find a covering for them.
 All the garden beds are full now, when I am starting my seeds it always seems like I will have way to much, then as I plant, I think, hmmm, I can make more room over here. Thats how I have now ended up with 14 beds...and plans of course for more. I have decided that all squashes need their own round beds, and that some of the existing beds with the fences need to be perennial things. I had hoped to have all the beds nailed down by this summer so I could start putting in permanent stone semi-raised walls for them, but I just seem to keep finding room to add more beds, :) which is okay, I just need to take a summer and make them all permanent. I also learned this week that you can hand pollinate squash, (and other plants I am sure) I have never tried that, but it might interesting to see if I can do it.

 The peas are coming in nicely they are at least 3 feet tall now and producing many many delicious little pods. I have tons of tomato plants, including a few donor plants from my friend Marsha that are climbers. I have never tried that with Tomatoes, so it should be a learning experience for me, but I am excited for it.
 The potatoes have grown completely out of the trash can. I neighbor told me he tried it last year and it did not work so well, that they were to crowded and ended up small. he suggested that I just rip them out now and plant them in the dirt, but I think I am going to stick with this and see how they turn out.  On another horseradish note, it has now taken over the garlic, which is not cool, but since I can move the garlic at the end of the season I think that horseradish will be declared the winner yet again. I have such a love/hate relationship with that plant! mmmmm wish it wasn't so tasty!
As always, HRH Arty hung out in the shade while I worked this weekend in the yard. He is such a goof. Also want to send a shout out for prayers and happy vibes to my Cousin and best friend Lisa who lives in the Poudre Canyon here in Colorado. The canyon is on fire right now, and  we are hoping for the best. I was able to make a run up and bring home some her things just in case, but keep them, and all the residents up there in your hearts.
 This is a shot of the fire as I drove up on Thursday to get a truckload of stuff off the mountain for my Cousin and her family.
This is my Cousin Lisa, Justin, and Jordyn over there on the John Deere. They have a lovely 100+ year old cabin right on the river, my thoughts are with them and all the other family and friends in the Canyon, hang in there guys!! Much love, have a beautiful day!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Quick catch up


 I can't believe I went over a month without posting, so much has been going on that I just did not have time. Things in the yard are progressing very nicely, but I did have a few bummer things happen. The cotton I was growing died and I was not able to plant it outside this spring. I am really bummed about that. I created 5 new beds, which felt like a lot, but as I started planted all my seeds and seedlings, I realized I actually need more beds. ;) luckily there is lots of space for me to get a few little sneak attack planting spaces in. The squash and zucchini will have to be moved, so I am going to make new beds for them.
There are many things I need to get done in the yard this summer, one is a shed for sure, and greenhouse. The greenhouse may be put on the back burner for awhile, but the shed is a must. I have to many yard tools taking over the garage. My Dad is helping me figure and put in a water and drip system, which is amazing. It is such a nice relief to not have to hand water everything every morning, I've been doing that for three years, now all of a sudden with a watering system in I feel completely spoiled, and I have to admit, I love it!
 
 There are many things to update on this blog, but I am going to start small, and just cover a few things for now. The potatoes that I started in march are absolutely going crazy and already have grown to the top of the trash can. I am so excited I can't stand it! Aslo on the potato front, the ones I left in the ground started popping up through the dirt last week, I am super excited about those!
 I got some new blanket flowers for the new flower beds I created in the front yard, and this one seems to have a mind of its own. The flowers are blooming solid yellow with a tiny bit of red near the center of the flower. They are beautiful, I hope they keep this coloring. This plant is one of my favorites and I now have 3 in my yard. They are so bushy and flower all summer, they are awesome.
I planted 3 new rose bushes, so now I have total of 9 in the back and the one in the front yard. This photo is of last years roses blooming like crazy with this early spring we had. They are so pretty, I have pink, red, yellow, orange, white, and lavender roses growing back there. More to come on the new bushes soon! 

 I took a break from work and went to the Denver Art Museum with my friend Marsha last week, what a breath of fresh air for my heart and soul that was! I love it, not only did I get to spend time with a great friend, but the art just woke me all up inside, stirred things that have been kinda frozen inside for a very long time. This piece by Sandy Skoglund, called Fox games, was so strange that even now, weeks later, I am trying to figure out if I liked it or if it was to creepy for me. At first, when you are in the new DAM, its very overwhelming in the new space, that building has not one straight wall in it. Its like walking through an MC Escher painting. It got me kinda dizzy, and actually made me feel sick to my stomach. We nick named it the MC Escher vomit vertigo room, it was unsettling. All the walls are white, with art kinda tucked all over the place, and at one point you can look over the railings and down at this piece by Sandy Skoglund,  it just jumps right out at you. The bright red with the grey foxes against it is just so stark. You can walk through this piece, as you do, you actually cannot see some of the details, you only notice them once you are kinda out of the piece, the red almost made eyes throb. All in all, it  was a fantastic field trip,  just what I needed, wonderful time spent with a creative fun friend to get the sparks going again for my creativity, aaahhhhhh art is so awesome, love it when it moves things deep inside! 
And of course, HRH Sir Artemis loves being outside laying around in the spring sun. Have a beautiful day!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Todays Beauty




 Things go frosty last week, here's a few photos of that chilly morning!

 I have a few weeks to catch up on, but here are some shots from the last few weeks,There was a  night of chilly temps last week, luckily the soda bottle tops (in that top picture you can see them) covered my seedlings wonderfully and I did not lose any of them. It was a frosty morning, even the tulips were chilled, but it was beautiful!
 I have some new lanterns to put outside of my new tent once I get it all set up in the yard, I love purple and since the tent is purple and yellow, these will do beautifully!
 Here is a shot of the potatoes growing in the trash can, it is working beautifully! They are growing so fast, I can't wait till the end of the season to flip this sucker over and see whats growing! 
 
These are the peas that are coming up outside, they are super happy! Its my first time growing an early spring garden, but I have many things coming up out there, radish, romaine lettuce, spinach, peas, and onion! Yay for a beautiful growing spring!
 
 The above photo is horseradish that made after digging it up in my yard last weekend. I have attempted to move the horseradish twice now and it keeps coming back, which I love, but its taking over the asparagus, so I had to dig again to try to get it all. Well, after digging a 14" deep hole, its clear to me that the horseradish is like a weed, and it will take me a very long time to get rid of it all. I moved the bigger plant to another spot in the garden, and that one will now be there forever, never again will I try to move it, and if you are thinking of planting it, make sure you put it where you want it on  the first planting! Not so fun during the 3 hour dig process, but totally worth it to have fresh homemade horseradish, beautiful I tell ya!
As always, the cat follows me all around the yard, and I love that!! Have a beautiful day!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

New beds and smoothy goodness!

 I dug a few new garden beds over the weekend, you can see the biggest one in the above photo, the smaller one off to the left near the pumpkin patch is harder to see. I created the big bed in the center rather then two smaller ones simply because I love the idea of creating a path through it. I am still not sure how much I like it, so I have not set any of the wood or steps in yet, once I am sure I will level it out much better and create better bounderies.  These two beds almost completes the vision for this part of the yard, after adding these I am not sure that I have many larger beds to add, perhaps a few smaller ones here and there, but this is more then enough space for one person to plant.
 I also dug up the corner of my front yard that has always bugged me. It was not very full with grass and would mostly gets weeds all summer long, and just be an eye soar. I tilled it up and added some mushroom compost, all I need to do is finish setting the stones in and plant! I also added some stones near the house if look at the right of the photo, I covered the dirt that was close to house with large stepping stones and moved the planters there. I did not like watering this close to the house, and the all the cats in the area have been marking that area, so I decided to just cover it. I do plan on planting mint and marigolds in the new area to help keep the cats away from what I will be planting, that and sitting there with the hose for awhile to spray the cats, :).
 I also got 8 new solar lights for the backyard, these are very cool, they have a star pattern that is really large and lights up a big area. I enjoyed these last night, they were only up for about an hour before sunset, and they were pretty bright, I am looking forward to seeing how bright they are after a full day of sunshine tonight.

 My lilac bush is crazy with blooms right now, so I brought a bunch in and have them in the kitchen window. They smell so good, the smell is carried through the south side of the house since they are planted right outside a window, but having some in the kitchen is always a good idea. Plus, I love looking out my window with the lilacs and the yard in the background, makes me smile. In the beds you can see in this shot, the ones with the cinder blocks, and the one to the right of that, I have all my outdoor seeds planted now. I planted leeks, onion, spinach, peas, and a few others that are just starting to pop through the dirt, it's been so warm I have not even had to cover them at night, so its a lucky spring for sure! I still  have much more to plant inside this week, so things are moving right along, Yay!
 Something new I am trying is Green Smoothies, I did not have a blender, so after doing my research I decided on the Breville Hemisphere, I spend a lot of money on it, but it was totally worth it! This thing is amazing, with a friend giving me a recipe to try, I made my first batch yesterday and it was awesome! Green smoothies have greens in them obviously, the one I made had spinach, flaxseed oil, lemon (the rind and all) bee pollen, and frozen tropical fruit. It is so good, so refreshing, you feel great after drinking one of these guys!(pardon the photo quality on these last two, took them with my iphone)
This blender is awesome, I can make lots of homemade goodies with it, can't wait to share more with you as I learn. There is a lot going on here right now, in the swing of spring, trying to get things planted and growing inside and out, its a fun time. I hope your spring is popping up nicely as well!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Happy Easter!

The last two weeks were rather slow for me in the yard, a cold combined with colder weather, and a little snow kept me in the house for to long. The seedlings that I planted inside are sprouting up nicely, and always makes the day easier when spring fever hits!  
 It got down to 28 degrees the other night, so I was worried that my outdoor seedlings and flowering trees would be damaged, but they were okay, thank goodness! I am hoping they make it through this early spring.
 I used 2 liter soda bottles cut in half to protect my outdoor seedlings, it worked so great! I read about trying this, and since I don't drink soda I had my Mom save me a bunch of them, it was great, I had them cut and ready to go, so when the the temperature dipped I just plopped these little suckers out in the garden, worked like a charm!
 Before the snow hit I decided to move some flagstone and extend the path out into the garden. It previously stopped right after those 4 football shaped stones, which are reclaimed weights for my Cousin Seans Pumpkin launcher, they work great as stepping stones, but at 80 pounds each they were a bear to bury, the flag stone was much easier to move and will be much easier to bury once I decide that is where I want them.
I also added more rocks the little divider I am making between the grass and the garden beds, I can't believe how many rocks I have dug up in this yard. Every time I dig I find more, I swear the people who lived her before me must have been geologists or something!  There is so much to do in the yard again this spring, I love having work to do, it's slowly coming together and looking more and more like the vision in my head. I still have many projects to do, the greenhouse is going up this spring, the shed is going up by the end of summer, and much more planting of course!
 
All of my bulbs are coming up nicely, tulips, crocus, hyacinth (smells like gardenia's so awesome), the allium are coming up, iris, and the roses are growing like crazy as well. There is so much to see in the yard, but much more to do, this weekend is all about the yard. I am turning over 2 new beds, laying out watering lines, measuring for placement of the greenhouse, digging up grass in the front yard so I can start laying stones where the plumbers dug up the yard to lay the new pipes in January, that will make for a nice path to the house. :) I have tons of seeds to plant this weekend indoors as well as outdoors, and of course I have to somehow figure out how to get to both parents Easter celebrations, one Saturday and one Sunday, the only part of the weekend that sucks, is I will be missing my God Daughters first soccer game, :( boo! Other then that, the weekend should be very uplifting and full of good dirt digging!
Of course being stuck inside didn't slow me down, even with a cold :), I painted my guestroom white, it was a tan color before, I really did not like it. Now its shiny fresh "moon rise" white, the accent colors are going to monochromatic purples, and whites. I am still looking for bookshelves in white, but they are hard to find, so I may have to paint some, I need to find a desk, but once I get more of it put together I will share photos, but so far I love it. The cat and I had a little mini getaway this week by sleeping in the room a few nights, I am such a dork!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Vintage Trailers & Yard Work

Being spring here, I have tons of work to do inside and outside the house. I have planted some seeds already, and from here on out have a heavy seed planting schedule plan every week. This week its peppers. So far, the new cotton plants, artichoke, onions, and peas have all sprouted up, so exciting!

Every year I try to plant something new and different in my garden to challenge myself and grow as gardener. I've been in this house for about 3 years now, but didn't plant the first year, so for the last two years some of my funky plants were, horseradish, which I love, asparagus which is tough because it will be 2 more season before I can harvest it, and last year it was cotton. The cotton was my favorite because it is such an amazing and beautiful plant. So, what did I decide for my new funky plant this season? Well, me being me, I couldn't decide on just one, so I picked two. I decided on Purple Hull Bean, and Stevia. The Purple Hull Bean is a special one due to someone I met last year, click on the name of the plant to see my blog about that.

The other plant I wanted to try was linen, but I could not find the seeds, so instead I picked Stevia. I liked it for a few reasons, mainly though I just like beautiful plants,  seeing this all over as a natural sweetener, I kinda wanted to see how it starts its life out. As soon as those start sprouting I will share pictures and keep you updated on their progress. Also, I did plant more cotton this year, its such a cool plant, also I will try again for Marshmallow, I couldn't get that one to grow last year so I am going to try again!
A few weeks ago I went to a gardening class, they talked about an easy way to grow potatoes, so I decided to try it. Get an old trash can, cut some drainage holes in the bottom.
 Fill with 6-10"inches of dirt, officially container dirt since technically that's what your doing, so get the good stuff!
Then, add growing potatoes, cover with dirt, as they grow cover the greens with more dirt, and by the time the season is ended the can will be full, and potatoes will have grown all up the trash can. Then hopefully all you have to do is turn the can over and dig out the goodies! I grew potatoes last year, and the hardest part was digging them up, mainly because they kinda grow all over, you have to be really careful not to spear them as your digging. It was fun, but this sounded fun too so I thought I would give it a shot. I will keep you posted on how it goes!!




I started working on my vintage 1960 Forester trailer last weekend, my Dad and my brother helped me hook up the propane lines and test all the appliances to make sure they work, and every one of them did!! Its so crazy, I am not sure how long its been since they were all fired up, but the heater, stove, and propane lamps all worked! I wanted to check before I tear it all out and rebuild it, I want to keep it as original as I can, I am super excited they all work and get to stay! I have a cassette toilet to retro fit it with a bathroom, and am ready to start tearing it all down!!!


Last but not least, I love it when something I planted in the yard begins to pop up, even when I have no idea what it is, hahaha, I can't remember what I planted. I keep a little file of all the stuff I plant, but can't find the one for this spot in the garden, so kinda excited to see what they turn out to be :).

Things are blooming like crazy, flowers are coming up all over, mint is already going a bit crazy, all the trees are budding out, asparagus is coming up, and the horseradish is insane already. its so awesome, I love spring time!

I am also very happy that all of my rose bushes made it, I planted 3 new ones last year and was a little concerned, but they all pulled through and are greening up very nice!

I am really behind on the blogging, but will be getting things caught up in the next week or two, so many things going on with the garden, trailer, and house, its a nice break to sit down and blog it out, I hope you come back to see what else I am up to, its going to be a crazy summer. Oh, and just one more teaser for you.....I have something new this week, and it will be going up in my yard soon......Nostrovias are coming home! Have a great weekend!
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