Jun. 27, 2008 Summer Flowers Jun. 17, 2008 Good Quote & Some Garden Updates Jun. 12, 2008 Garden Update: The Longest One Yet!
OK, if anyone is wondering, it is not normal for a garden to look like mine does in June in Indiana. This is what a normal garden looks like this time of the year. (It's my neighbor's.)
I have to say with all the natural water and the superior soil mix (sand, peat moss,organic top soil) my garden is incredible. Even 2 neighbors have remarked about how healthy every thing looks compared to their sparse plots of improved clay soil, which in my humble opinion is an oxymoron because you cannot improve clay! The Square Foot Garden is the only way to go for me from now on. But enough of this, let's get to the proof.
Grace harvested some lettuce for lunch yesterday. She was very excited. She reminds me of a bunny when she eats whole leaves of plain lettuce.
 Look at these tomatoes!
 See this little guy peeking through? There are lots of little green cherry tomatoes now.
 Look at the cilantro. I think the flowers are so pretty. Makes me want a box dedicated to herbs next year.
 The greenbeans and strawberries are doing well, too. Oh, I almost forgot the lone basil in the bottom left corner. It is recovering from some frequent trimmings to make pasta sauce.
Here is one last look at the cucumbers. I found some scrap lattice hiding in the garage. I hope to get these cucumbers to vine on the lattice.
I found some for my Morning Glories as well. (Don't you just love free stuff!)
 My precious lilies are going to bloom soon, too. What color do you think they are? I am thinking a dark orange red.
 Here's another look at the Pictim. I think it is in heaven with all the rain. I've not seen it this lush before.
 We started some Zennia seeds a couple weeks ago. Look at them grow!
One sad note, we had to have the apple tree cut down. It was leaning across the backyard and as it turns out it was hollow down the middle. Here is a view of the backyard without the tree.
So there you have it. I would encourage anyone to give the Square Foot Garden a try. It doesn't have to be big at all. I can be as small as one square foot like my friend Lynn has. I have very little previous gardening knowledge. I just got some books from the library and gave it a go. The most important thing to remember is to enjoy this process with your kids and let nature take its course! |
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The year's first bloom.
I think I have figured out why my Clematis is not as robust as I would like. I have come to the conclusion that the soil where it is planted is probably very impoverished. So my new plan is to spread some of my compost there and see if that helps. Looking back, I probably should have thought of that before I fist planted there. Hindsight is always 20/20. I'll be posting a garden update tomorrow. You won't believe the changes.
UPDATE: Thanks to Michelle's insightful comment, I now know that my Clematis is doing just fine for it's second season. Here is the saying she included in her comment.
The first year they 'sleep,'
The second year they 'creep',
and the next year they "Leap!"
Thanks again, Michelle! |
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Jun. 5, 2008 Garden Update May. 29, 2008 Pressed Flowers
Here are some of the pressings we made last week. Darling Husband is going to take them to work and laminate them for us to see how that turns out.
 I am so glad we pressed some of the Bleeding Hearts because now they are all gone. |
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May. 27, 2008 Garden Update
 Sunday afternoon we planted 2 yellow bell pepper plants and 3 yellow squash. There is still one empty square. I am going to attempt broccoli from a seed since I have them on hand. That will complete this box of 24 squares!
I also planted my shade container.
I could not pass up these two half price trumpet lilies to go with the one I got for half price last year. I still do not know the colors of any of them! I don't really care. They were cheap!
My oldest son, 10 years old, planted his flower box, which is in partial shade, so it was a challenge to find just the right plants.
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May. 27, 2008 A Freebie You Won't Want to Miss
Do you know about CurrClick? They offer a free ebook to download each and every week! This week just happens to be one that speaks to my heart, as they often do! They are offering us the LBC Nature Journal! For free! You have to go check this out. I have already printed off a copy of the first 14 pages which features information about the following topics:
- Introduction to nature study
- Finding delight in nature study
- Charlotte Mason on nature study and nature diaries
- Better nature journaling
- Dry brush technique for nature journals
- Instructions for nature journal
- Nature journal template
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May. 21, 2008 Green Hour Challenge #1
We are way late in joining this challenge that Barb has so graciously hosted these past months. But now that our formal lessons are winding down, it seems like the perfect time for us to get started. If you would like to join in too, it is never too late. Here is the link to challenge number one.
To begin our assignment we were to read pages 1-8 of the Handbook of Nature Study and highlight or underline anything that would be a help to me in guiding my children. Of course re-reading this section was a great encouragement to me. I had never thought to underline in the book.
Next, we were to get outside spending 10-15 minutes outdoors just to enjoy being outdoors. For this part of our assignment, we decided to walk around our yard looking for wild flowers. We took a few samples back inside to study and later press.
After our discussion time inside, we decided that we would like to investigate further the names of some of the wild flowers. We are going to get a book from the library and see if we are able to name them that way.
Thanks for stopping by to read this post. See you next week with lesson 2.
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May. 21, 2008 Garden Update May. 16, 2008 My Plot of Green
Since we have just now been living on this "plot of green" , to quote Barb, for a year, I am still discovering new plants.
Here is a fern I found. I think it is called Japanese Painted Fern or Pictum, a common wild fern,according to Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening. But that's not all, The Perennial Plant Association has named Pictum the 2004 Perennial Plant of the Year, saying that this perennial low-maintenance Japanese painted fern is one of the showiest ferns for shade gardens. Did you know that such an award existed? I also like the moss covered rock next to it .
And this little wild flower is near our backdoor. At first I was wondering if it was Poison Ivy. I am still trying to find out it's name.
I hope to post a garden update this weekend. Things are really growing well with all the rainy cool weather. How are things in your yard?
If you'd like to see more show and tell entries, please see Mary aka Canadagirl. |
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May. 13, 2008 Wordless Wednesday: We love our squirrels, too! May. 9, 2008 Garden Update
After several wet days, the garden is exploding with green. It amazes me. There are a few wholes, but those can be taken care of with some plant starts when I get some extra cash. So far our garden is progressing better than hoped for. Next thing to do is install a fence of some sort to keep the chipmonk from eating all the berries AGAIN.
The Morning Glories have sprouted! They are hard to see in this picture. They are the lighter specks.
Look at all the green!
Here are the poor strawberry-less plants. At least the green beans are doing well.
Up-close green beans
The weather has been cooler than average lately. Now if we could just get some sunshine again, the garden will take off even more. As it is, I am excited to see that everything is still alive. (I am not by nature a green-thumb.)
If you'd like to see more show & tell entires, go to Mary's blog. |
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May. 7, 2008 Spotted at Last!!
Yesterday, we finally caught a glimpse of our little hummingbird friends. Now, we must remember to keep the feeder filled with fresh nectar. (Note to self.)
 This is similar to what we saw, a female, but I am not 100% sure ours is a Ruby Throated. I have never seen a male at our feeders. Usually we will see a couple females who dart about and fight over the feeder. No sharing with these birds! |
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May. 4, 2008 Garden Update
It's been a couple of weeks since we made our planters and planted the seeds. Only two nights have we had to cover the tender tomatoes. When my 88 year old grandfather heard that I had committed the sin of planting before Mother's Day, he was skeptical of my gardening abilities for sure.
Here is my future shade barrel.
 I planted the hosta last year when I accidentally pulled it while weeding. I stuck the then leaf in the dirt and watered it. I figured it would die over the winter. Not so...free hosta! I plan to get a start of a fern from my dear mother soon. Then I will buy something else with color that grows well in the shade. Perhaps I will find a deal on something.
Here is Ryan's Clematis. It too has a survival story.
 We bought it a new trellis when I notice it was growing way bigger than the old one. But it was so entwined in the old one that we dared not move it.
Here is the spot where I planted Morning Glory seeds. Oh, I just can't wait until they bloom!
 The pipes will make a great place for them to climb.
Here is Ryan's flower garden. A few seedlings are starting to appear. Next to it is some basil I bought.
Here is the big 4x6 box full of little seedlings.
These are the cucumbers, the biggest seedlings so far.
Here are the strawberries and green beans. A few green beans have sprouted.
Our next big project is to work on this neglected bed. It needs definition and a few more Hosta.
 And finally the famous Bleeding Heart is doing its thing. |
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May. 2, 2008 A Little More Spring Apr. 29, 2008 Rails to Trails Hike with Daddy
We are blessed to live across the street from a wonderful rails to trails path, the Monon Greenway. This past Sunday, while I made freezer dinners to take to my grandfather, Daddy led the troupes on a hike. Here are some of their pictures.
It's hard to see, but they spotted a Downy Woodpecker along the way... I am so proud of their observation skills, on their own initiative. They are taking ownership!
Then they stopped for some refreshment...
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To be true to the Square Foot Gardening method, we marked off our beds into square feet. If we were purest, we would have made permanent grids out of wood. But since we are trying to be practical as well as thrifty, it seemed to us that using garden twine would get the job done.
The soil mixture is one part sand, one part organic top soil and one part peat moss in layers. When the compost is ready, we will use that for fertilizer.
This is box number one, 3'x3', belonging to my oldest son. It's purpose is to attract butterflies. He planted Aster, Zennia, and Marigold seeds.
Box number 2 is a community box measuring 4'x6'. It contains cherry tomatoes, green bell peppers, lettuce, carrots, cilantro, broccoli and cucumbers.
This last box, 2'x8', belongs to my daughter. It contains 8 everbearing strawberry plants and green beans.
And lastly, here is a close up of the Bradford Pear Tree's bloom. There are three in my neighbor's yard right up against my yard, so we get to enjoy their beauty.
 The trees are nothing but these blooms. Marvelous! |
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Here we pulled out an old dead bush, transplanted hosta from the front yard and spread some mulch. This area was almost done for free! 
My new pitch-fork!
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"Owl" by Grace age 8
