What's GrOwING On?

My garden is FLUFFY.

 

It's like my hair in the 90's when my fashionista sister got her hands on a hair crimper...

and me.

 

Here we all are. In line for the crimping. You'll notice how happy and unassuming I was with natural, soft hair.

 You can see the cord of the crimper draped across the counter top.

 

And this is sort of what my hair looked like after.

 

Like,

There's a lot going on....

 

Just like my garden!

So without too much more fanfare, here it all is, roughly labeled

snap peas

tomatoes growing up the arbor, onion beds in the tier between

 

a mess of herbs along the wall, future arbor and hot boxes in the background

hodge-podge of herbs

climbing together with the snap peas

herbs herbs herbs

potato towers and sweet potato towers

 

bursting out the sides

Lacinato (dinosaur) Kale

Baby Kale (This is going in a taco. Check it out at the Forest Feast!)

http://theforestfeast.com/post/80830627583/kale-tacos

Love her recipes!

 

Lower garden view:

nasturtium, yarrow, cilantro, sage, dill, radishes, spinach, strawberries

snap pea as fat as a finger and so sweet and crisp

winter squash trellising up the ladder

Sunflowers

bean blossoms

bean blend

lower garden view:

hot boxes, potato towers, winter squash, pumpkins, melons, sunflowers, kale, radishes

northern garden view:

beans, cucumbers, summer squash, radishes, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus patch

more, most upper northernest view:

 with bean tepee and grapevines in background

 

Concussion Alley...

I have this bed of onions.

The stalks flop over on their own eventually.

But the first year I thought a fat animal was lumbering through my garden, and having a good old time of flopping down on my onion beds, rolling it's pudgy little body up and down the rows, just laughing at the expression of horror on my face.

 

 

I was SO ANGRY at that imaginary animal.

 

Until I read that onions flopped over on their own; it's what they like to do.

So I got over my fluffy animal homicidal rage.

And now I think of my onions as the women portrayed in the 1800's themed Hollywood films, so pathetic that they just flop over at the slightest thing.

 

And that's fine.

 

But sometimes I step on them.

 

I used to know where they were, but when they got all weak-kneed and started passing out, I stopped noticing them.

 

And now I'M the imaginary large fluffy animal!

 

But I'm slightly less imaginary and a tad bit more destructive.

 

So I came up with this solution to keep me from crushing my onions!

 

I took the bird house gourds I'd painted and hung them on the tomato arbors that hang over my onion beds!

It's an obstacle course of "reminders." Or gentle concussions, if you will...

Because nothing helps you to remember, like a concussion.

But they're pretty anyway, I think.

 

 

How do you keep people (small children, am I right?) and animals out of your beds?

 

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Cheese and Laundry

I love old things. Especially my mom.

(Oh Snap!)

 

Kidding Mom!

 

But my mom recently gave me this fantastic washboard that was my grandmother's.

And I was tickled pink!

And, with a cheese box my Father-in-Law had given me, I built this little do-dad...

 

 

TADA!

Washboard and Cheese box Mail Station!

 

 

 

I love the details on this cheese box.

 

 I picked up the cute little knobs at a little boutique store in North East, Maryland for only a couple of dollars a piece.

 

I Love my new, old thing!

 

How do you repurpose old junk in your house or the garden?

 

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Color Me Happy

Gourd-ging on Fun

I know... That was cheesy.

But, anyway...

I had all of these gourds sitting in my basement all winter, drying out and turning horribly moldy.

Which was just PERFECT!
I love dried moldy gourds, don't you?

But for those of you turning a little squeamish and green and emphatically shaking your head "No," this post is for you!

Check out this beauty!

Don't let mold turn you off, this sumptuous baby is gonna make some little birdy super happy...

 All you really need is a little bit of sandpaper. Just scrub off all the surface mold. It doesn't take much effort to wipe it away, but if mold creeps you out, wear a face mask to protect yourself from the dust.

But really... You should be fine... I think.

 And... if you should accidently eat to many Wheaties in the morning, and you snap the top off, don't be discouraged. Just sand the edges down a bit...

 And then spray paint away. I used fun, bright colors because, if I was a little birdie, I'd want my house to be as attractive as my little cute face...

 So go bold...

 Bizarre...

 Blah...

 Meh...

 Reh?

 And Bah Bam!

And when they've all dried, take a little saw, knife,

or your teeth,

and cut out a little hole (an inch and a half to two inches?) and hang in your nearest tree.
Bird Heaven!
You can add fun bright string, little chimes, hand drawn art...
WHATEVER your little heart desires.

And for the one with the broken top....

You've got the cutest little vase. And you GREW IT!

Have you ever grown gourds? Done any fun projects with them?
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Working Hard(ly) with Hubby

I got so much done in my garden this week.

Except that Hubby did a lot of it.

Which is probably why he's limping around like an old man with a bad back.

Way to take one for the team Hubs...
I'll make you an extra big pot of Squash Parmesan this summer. Extra cheesy....

It all started when...
I got home from work with big intentions to play this past Saturday and basically bounced around the house begging Hubby to go out and help me move around my potting table so I could tweak it a bit. He grumbled his little affirmative response and went to gather tools in the basement.
And told me that the drill would have to charge...
For like FIFTEEN minutes!

So I bounced around a little bit more but we were FINALLY ready to go outside.

And when I got there, I turned right back around and went inside.

Because there were some HURRICANE winds blowing around out there, and no matter how warm 55 degrees actually is, it felt more like zero.

But two long sleeve shirts, a Phillies sweatshirt (represent!) and my sweatpants tucked in to two pairs of socks and my boots, and I was ready.
We probably could have charged the drill a little longer...

But we screwed the mantle piece in to my potting bench so it was a little more secure and added chicken wire...
TADA....

Now I can hang tools all over it with 'S' hooks...

 I bent a wire hanger to hold my twine spool...

 And slipped the little scissors on there so they'd be ready to go...
I'm totally in love.

And earlier in the week, I repotted those dwarf apple trees in to something a bit sturdier and deeper...

 I added SIX potato towers in my garden this year, but only have potatoes growing in half of them right now. I'll slip in to my local Amish store and pick up a few more this week...

 I got to use the fun little garden markers from the antique store...

 I planted my onions....

 Hubby started digging holes for my garden gate (insert REALLY LOUD squeal)
(And maybe one day I'll have a fence to go with it. ;)  )

 I put my ladder trellises out for the winter squash to climb on in the new beds I made with black edging material and all the little rocks I dig up in my garden area. I added a layer of compost and manure and blended it in with the soil...

 And planted my snap peas...

 And dwarf kale (thanks Father-in-law!)

 And some dinosaur kale... (rarr)
 

 

And sat and stared at it all. I can't wait to see little green things popping up!

I already have herbs, but those cute little rows of baby greenery just melt my heart each time....

 

What have you planted or worked on so far?

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