Category Archives: Garden Stories

Quiet Times

Posted on April 20, 2017 | Leave a comment

Quietly I wander
Through the rows
Searching

Softly I whisper
Words of love
Hoping

Eagerly I welcome
Signs of life
Smiling

A touch of pink
A splash of green
Growing

We wandered around the vineyard yesterday and were surprised to see all the new life.

Grape leaves are starting to grow on the vines.

Chocolate mint is running wild like a carpet on the floor of the vineyard.

The kiwi is already greening and growing.

The goji berries are growing greener than ever.

The one creeping phlox that is still around has doubled in size from last year.

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Pretty and Useful

Posted on April 19, 2017 | 4 comments

I’ve added a few more flowers to the garden. Today I planted marigolds, alyssum and salvia. At $1.50 a six-pack, I couldn’t resist.

Not only are all of these flowers pretty, they are also useful to detract pests and attract beneficials.

The marigold’s job is to keep bean beetles, squash bugs, thrips, tomato hornworms, and whiteflies away from my produce. Also, I like the splash of deep yellow breaking up all the green in the garden.

I’d never encountered a thrip or a whitefly, so I hope they continue to stay away from the garden. Thrips suck the life out of plants and munch on the fruit. Ick.

Whiteflies are teeny tiny and feed on the undersides of leaves. I don’t think we’ve had a problem with this and I want to keep it that way.

The alyssum smells good, smothers weeds and attracts the aphid-eating flower fly, which looks more like a bee than a fly. What more could I ask for from a flower?

I tried to plant salvia from seed last year, but had no luck. It’s job is to attract butterflies and look beautiful. It is also said to attract hummingbirds and we have a few that hang out at our house.

I planted two in every section of the herb spiral and one or two in each section of the kitchen garden. I’ll also put marigold seeds down, but for some reason I cannot get many of them to grow. At least not quickly enough to be of any use.

I did get a pretty big marigold to grow from seed in the herb spiral last year. I let it go to seed so hopefully I’ll have another one this year.

Flowers so gorgeous
A natural pesticide
Pretty and useful

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Garden Stories, Haiku, Writing

Okra (et al.)

Posted on April 18, 2017 | Leave a comment

Today I planted okra
Lettuce, spinach, kale
And one sad tomato
All crooked, bent and frail

Worms in every spadeful
Wiggling in the dirt
A few big nasty grubs
A little chick dessert

Next I planted flowers
And cilantro all around
Bush beans in the garden
Carrots in the ground

I looked down at my hands
When everything was done
Dirt and mud had crusted
My fingers…every one

And then I heard the laughter
The sound of running feet
I looked up from the garden
And got an awful treat

Two boys armed with squirt guns
Had come to chase me off
They giggled, smiled and shouted
Hey Mom! It’s time to stop!

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Chickens!, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Lovely Lilac

Posted on April 14, 2017 | Leave a comment

This is my lovely lilac
Planted years ago
Growing oh so slowly
Bruised by wind and snow

Last year, I thought it dead
But I left it in the ground
And now I’m glad I did
Just see this plant rebound!

Now patiently I’ll wait
For many years to pass
That is how long it takes
For buds to bloom at last

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Kneeling in the Garden

Posted on April 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

Yesterday, the boys planted a “secret hideout” using mammoth sunflower seeds.

They planted the seeds in a ring and then planted flowers, watermelon and broccoli inside.

Why watermelon and broccoli?

“For a snack while we are hiding out.”

While they were busy planting and plotting, I knelt in my own secret hideout.

I planted spaghetti, acorn and pattypan squash around the base of the squash arch. Today, I’ll plant the morning glory seeds I soaked overnight around the outside. I can’t wait to see what the arch looks like in a month.

I planted alyssum around the edge of the garden and transplanted a few more tomatoes. The ones I planted on Monday were very sad from wind and frost. I’m still hopeful they will bounce back though.

I planted the globe amaranth I had started indoors, as well as the purple basil in the herb spiral. There is still no sign of the cilantro and basil I planted a few weeks ago.

I planted the last pepper. I do not know what kind of pepper it is. I really must figure out a way to label better. My masking tape ends up falling off and my labels fade, even when I use a permanent marker.

I know it could be a sweet chocolate pepper, a jalapeno or a hungarian hot wax.

The tomatoes are the same. The pink boar’s all kept their masking tape on, but the crimson sprinters and mortgage lifters shed theirs when I wasn’t looking.

I have this problem yearly. It seems like it would be an easy enough thing to do, labeling plants, but for some reason I cannot seem to get it.

Oh well, I like a surprise.

Kneeling in the garden
Smelling earth and trees
Thanking God in heaven
While I’m on my knees

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Innocence and Bliss

Posted on April 11, 2017 | 1 comment

Yesterday was wonderful
We strolled around the swales
A sunset bright and beautiful
Boys running through the trails

Pretty buds were blooming
The water overflowed
The innocent enjoyment was
A wonder to behold

The grass is getting greener
The trees have little buds
As the day turned into night
The boys splashed in the mud

The summer heat is coming soon
Blue skies and brightest sun
Sprinklers, frogs and muddy feet
Swimming, biking…fun

Splashing in the swale

Searching for frogs

Racing through the maze

Investigating

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Poetry, Writing

Hard at Work

Posted on April 10, 2017 | 1 comment

The tomatoes I started are leaning…actually, they are bending over in the pots. Rather than transplant them yet again, we planted them in the kitchen garden today.

The boys were a big help. They love to plant, dig for worms and play in the dirt. This was also an excellent opportunity to talk about life-cycles and the importance of healthy soil.

Science outside today!

Jake found a bunch of worms and wanted to build a worm home and keep them…inside.

We talked about how worms are a sign that the soil is healthy. Worms break up the soil so the roots can grow and their castings are a great fertilizer.

“What are castings?” asked Joe.

“Basically, worm poo.”

As you can imagine, that got a few giggles.

At least 5 worms were in every shovelful of rich, black dirt. The squirmy, wiggly worms told the story of the chickens scratching and fertilizing their way through the garden.

Both boys worked hard at digging their holes. Joe planted two peppers and Jake and I planted three tomatoes.

I pulled the squash arch out and put it closer to the deck this year. I also lined out my paths and will come back over the cardboard with wood chips once the ground dries out a bit.

This is our garden so far. Doesn’t look like much does it? A few chives, some tomatoes, two lovage and a couple of pepper plants. We’ll plant more next week, and the week after.

By June, this space will be lush and green and, with any luck, starting to produce.

 

 

 

 

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Education, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Homeschool

Fulfillment

Posted on April 7, 2017 | 1 comment

My life is grand, my life is great
I’m thankful every day
For all the blissful moments
For laughter, joy and play

My home is full of giggles
My family full of love
For smiles and hugs and kisses
And comfort from above

I know that I am lucky
To have found my perfect mate
Our boys complete our family
How fortunate our fate!

My life is so amazing
I couldn’t ask for more
My husband, boys and family
All things I’m thankful for

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Posted in Garden Stories

Bees Like Dandelions

Posted on April 3, 2017 | 1 comment

Dandelions.

Weed or wildflower?

Good or bad?

Love ’em or hate ’em?

When Ray and I bought our first house, we were determined to have a bright green yard. The dots of yellow dandelions were annoying because, afterall, dandelions are a noxious weed that must be eradicated. Right?

We wanted that perfect manicured lawn, just like our neighbors had and just like lawn care companies told us we should have.

Then we moved to a bigger lot. We wanted to put a garden in, so we started listening to garden podcasts. We started to wonder why we didn’t like dandelions. Why did we want perfect green grass? Why were they so bad?

The more research we did, the more we discovered that the only reason we didn’t like them or want them in our yard was because “they” said dandelions are bad. Whoever “they” are.

So we let them be and our yard looked beautiful.

Dandelions remind me of carnations and marigolds. My boys call them sunflowers because of their bright yellow hue.

They are medicinal.

They are edible…every part.

I like seeing a sea of yellow across my yard.

I like getting dandelion bouquets, picked so carefully and lovingly, from my boys.

I like dandelions.

And what’s more, bees like them too.

Bees need a diverse diet and cannot survive solely on dandelions, but they are one of the first food sources in the Spring. Their bright yellow color tells bees that winter is over.

Bees come for the dandelions and discover other plants and flowers that provide them with a rich diet they need to survive, make honey and raise a healthy brood of bees.

And let’s not forget the joy of making a wish…

Dandelions are good
They are wildflowers, not weeds
I love them so much

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Posted in Garden Stories, Haiku, Life, Writing

Awake

Posted on April 1, 2017 | 1 comment

Today, Joe and I walked around the homestead and heard buzzing, chirping, croaking and singing.

Spring is here, softly waking everything up and gently pushing back on a very determined winter.

We tried to sneak up on the croaking frogs, but before we could sneak all the way to the edge of the pond, the croaking stopped and we heard the plip plop of frogs diving for cover.

We heard the birds talking to each other and the rustle of critters in the grass. Joe was very excited to find worms and other crawly critters.

Buds are forming on trees and the majority of the autumn olive Ray and the boys transplanted last weekend are doing well.

Cherry blossoms are opening. We ended up with a handful of cherries last year that were a bit too sour for my taste. Maybe we will get enough this year to can.

Due to all the rain, our swales are full and overflowing.

The sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze, so we brought the plants out to stretch and bask in the sun and fresh air.

I plan to plant my cabbage and broccoli in the garden today. I may also throw some lettuce and spinach down and replace the carrot seeds the chickens ransacked.

They can withstand cooler temperatures.

The chicks also got to spend a few hours outside. It is still too chilly to leave them out at night with no mama to keep them warm though.

Yep. Spring is definitely here…now if we could just get it to stay put.

Winter, raging and railing
Holds tight to the cold
It roars into March
Pushing with rain and snow

Spring, sighing and shushing
Quietly stands against the cold
It whispers soft sounds
And stands determined and bold

#atozchallenge

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Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge, Chickens!, For the Kids, Garden Stories, Life, Permaculture, Poetry, Writing