Inaugural Garden Update (Week 3, Sigh)

So my garden has been planted for nearly a month, and I haven't made time to post about it yet! It's coming up really well already - actually I should say THEY are coming up well... we have a garden at Hubs's grandmother's place again. Here are the pictures I've taken of our garden so far. They were taken on May 19, June 1, and June 10:



At our house, we have three rows of green beans, two rows of sweet corn, two rows of potatoes, four colored bell pepper plants, four green bell pepper plants, and four jalapeno pepper plants, one row of turnips, eight tomato plants, two rows of onions, two rows of carrots, two rows of Indian corn, and two rows of peas.

I ended up transplanting some of the green beans. The first year or two, we planted bush beans, and I didn't care for standing on my head in order to pick them. Then we planted pole beans and Hubs put up fence panels (another benefit of being married to a farmer!) which was great, but the plants were so thick that they were a pain to pick. So this year, I thinned them, and moved the ones I pulled out in the rows with the peas that didn't come up so well.

The sweet corn might have a bit of a problem as I planted the two rows about two weeks apart - every time I'd go to plant the second row, it would rain! Hopefully they'll be OK. The potatoes didn't come up so well, but the volunteer potatoes from what Hubs missed digging last year are doing quite well. I've already lost one colored pepper plant, but the others seem to be doing well, as are the tomatoes. And the turnips are going crazy!

The onions are coming up well, but I had to replant some of the carrots. Last year we had a ton of carrots but we don't have a root cellar, so I ended up losing a lot of them to spoilage, which was a huge bummer.

No picture of the garden at Hubs's grandma's, but all seems to be coming up well there, too. We planted three rows of popcorn (a bit of an experiment on Hubs's part), a couple of watermelon plants, two hills of summer squash, some musk mellon (what IS the difference between that and cantelope, anyway?), and several pumpkin hills with different sizes of pumpkins. We also put in several hills of gourds since they sold reasonably well at the farmer's market, and some of our potatoes that didn't come up so well, either.

My theory on the potatoes? Hubs insisted on soaking the cut potatoes in water. Not only does Laura at Heavenly Homemakers not recommend that (see her planting potatoes post here), but the packaging from the seed potatoes also said to let them cure in air, not water. So. We'll see what he does next year. :>)

As you can see from my pictures, I take full advantage of all the wonderful mulch that comes in the form of grass clippings. It helps SO MUCH with weeding, plus we till it in and it returns nutrients to the soil, so we can grow more stuff. And really? The help with the weeding is totally worth it. Even though my chiropractor noted that I'd been doing a lot of gardening when I went in for my monthly adjustment. The mulch will save on even more bending later.

You may wonder what Goose does all the while I'm working away in the garden. Water is my new best friend - here she is playing with a tub of water and her watering can, under the watchful eye of one of the barn mama cats, Petey.


How's your garden growing so far?

Spring Cleaning Carnival - Get the Pesticides Out?

After writing last week's post on how Our Nebraska Feedlot and Farm is a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO), I wanted to do something similar on how we use pesticides on our farm and in our garden.

Check out what Laura from Heavenly Homemakers has to say about Organic Gardening over at Kitchen Stewardship (also check out the giveaway being held there!) as well as her follow up post with a bit more information on how she does it at Heavenly Homemakers.

Unfortunately my quest to "do something similar" was somewhat derailed by busy farmers who are a bit cranky that it's rained lately and we aren't done planting yet. But I spoke with another of Hubs's cousins, Joel, who farms and holds a degree from the university in... something related to ag (I forgot to ask and hate to bother him again) as well as my own dad, who brings qualifications including working in the agriculture industry in various capacities most of his life and growing one heck of a garden.

Crops
There are a number of different types of chemicals that can be applied to crops, and they include insecticides, which target insects; fungicides, which target fungi; and herbicides, which target weeds and other plant-type things that grow where you don't want them. Pesticides and insecticides can overlap somewhat, from what I understand, but pesticides also include control for animals such as ground squirrels, etc.

There are different methods of applying pesticides; and the two main ones are aerial application (using a spray plane) and ground application, which involves using a tractor and a sprayer or a planter, or applying through a center pivot system (that also is used to deliver water to the crop). The method of application is determined by cost, time constraints, the size and stage of the crop, and terrain.

When applying chemicals, there are many guidelines that must be followed for safe application. For example, it is illegal to apply chemicals within a certain distance of surface water. The chemicals break down in the soil, so they don't reach the ground water supply. In the case of using a pivot to apply chemicals, the pivot must have a back flow shutoff valve (that isn't the phrase Joel used, but it's the same thing) to prevent the chemicals from backing up into the well and reaching the water supply. The pivots are inspected for this.

Joel said the same thing as what his cousin Chris said last week in my post on our feedlot, that genetic modification has allowed ag producers to use far less pesticides, and not only that but the ones we do use are far less toxic than the ones that were used years ago. Several months ago, I had an interesting facebook conversation with Joel's brother regarding genetic modification. He is a biology professor at a college in addition to being a veterinarian. Perhaps someday I'll pull his comments together for a post, but I'll have to check with him first! Here's what Joel's brother said about GM:

Genetic modification occurs when a gene, a region of DNA that "codes" for a protein, is inserted into the genome of an organism (like corn). That gene, when expressed by the organism, produces a protein. Every protein produced by an organism is coded by a gene, or a region of DNA. So, for example, in the case of Bt corn. A gene from a bacteria (Bacillus thermophilus) is inserted into a corn seed's genome. In the corn plant, the gene is expressed with the other protein genes that make up the leaf and stalk structure. This protein is not digestible to corn borer beetle, so they don't colonize the plant. Ta-da, you have a corn-borer "resistant" corn plant.

The same thing is done with lots of crops, including many fruits and vegetables to make them ship without bruising, etc.

When you eat the corn, the DNA in the corn's genome is broken down into its constituent chemicals. Similarly, when you consume the corn, the protein produced by the corn's genes is broken down by enzymes in your GI tract (from your stomach and pancreas) that break every protein into its subunits, amino acids. You do not ever absorb "DNA" or "proteins", rather you absorb the chemical constituents that make them up. It is physically impossible to absorb a whole "protein" or a gene into your body.

Thus, genetically modified crops cannot, biologically speaking, pose a threat to any vertebrate that consumes them. All of the proteins you consume, whether plant or animal, "natural" or genetically modified, are broken down into tiny subunit before
absorbed by your body. An amino acid is an amino acid.

There simply exists no mechanism for you incorporate genetically modified genes or proteins into your body through your digestive tract. Proof exists in this manner--literally millions of hogs, chickens, and cattle consume millions of bushels of GMO grains over many years...over a decade now, and no adverse effects have been noted. This supports the conclusion that no "unknown" mechanism is in existence.

Whew.

Keep in mind that pesticides cost money, and higher input costs for producers means lower profits. Organic producers are typically not able to produce as much as those who use conventional methods, and therefore charge a higher price.

Gardens
My dad feels that pesticides on fruits and vegetables is probably overused. So, if you feel it is important to buy organic, that may not be a bad idea. (I should note that he didn't say that - that's how I feel.) We don't buy organic, but we do grow as much of our own food in our garden as possible, and I'm hoping that we can continue to expand what we grow.

The pesticides sold for home garden use are far less potent than the ones that we use on our crops. They have a shorter half-life, and break down relatively quickly in sunlight and water. There are a number of more "organic" methods of controlling pests. Two that I've bookmarked (but admittedly not perused) are Organic Gardening and VanMeer.com's Organic Foods and Gardening.

My dad felt that pesticides are overused far more with lawn application than gardening application, so next time the local company wants to apply stuff to your lawn, check it out and see what you really need first!

The Bottom Line
Laura wrote this on her post at Kitchen Stewardship: "When pesticides are sprayed over a field to kill critters, they have to land somewhere. They absorb right into the soil. Then, nutrients and “stuff” from the soil grow up into the plant and into the food growing there. Therefore, pesticides from the soil grow right up into the food. INTO the food."

Joel, my dad, and I are all decidedly not scientists. As much as I love Laura (and I really, truly do!), none of us agreed with this statement. We all feel that the chemicals applied to the plant are broken down and while they may be absorbed into the plant and therefore the food we consume, it is much different from eating an unwashed apple that has just been sprayed with something.

Last year, my dad brought me a bucket of apples that were more or less organic, and I turned them into applesauce. I remember being very nearly in tears after standing for HOURS, trying to cut out bad spots and worms that were still in the apples, to say nothing of the trails they left behind. Although I don't like to think about it, a worm or twelve probably wouldn't hurt my applesauce. I am not all that sure about worm poop, though. (And there were a LOT more than twelve worms involved...)

On a wider scale, the technological advances that have been made regarding controversial topics such as pesticides and genetic modification have led to a MUCH more stable food supply. Although I can't recall which "Little House" book by Laura Ingalls Wilder told the story of the grasshoppers, I still have a vivid picture in my mind of bugs as far as the eye could see, and they left *nothing* behind. I've read that this year could be a bad one for grasshoppers and I'm not kidding when I say that I'm worried about it.

We have insurance on our crops, but it wouldn't get near the level of a normal year for us (probably around half to two-thirds of the income we might usually expect). Not only would that be personally difficult for us, but a problem that widespread would also seriously affect the food supply and drive up prices.

So. What's a girl to do? I plant my own garden, with the help of my sweet Hubs. We use manure from a local sheep farmer as well as from our chickens. We use a small amount of pesticides when necessary, only as much as needed. It's all a balance between what you feel is right for YOUR family.

Next week's Spring Cleaning Carnival will cover clutter, and the week after that will close out the carnival with debt. You can see all the Spring Cleaning topics here.

Help! Need a New Vacuum Sealer & Dehydrator

My parents are so generous to us; a few years ago, this manifested itself in a vacuum sealer. I didn't realize what a treasure it was until last year when I used it to vacuum seal some of our garden bounty. I loved it - but I found a problem right away. I didn't dry the green beans after blanching them, and some of the water seems to have gotten sucked into the motor and this year, it doesn't work at all. I'm REALLY disappointed, to say the least! But I have a couple of gift cards that I have tucked away for this purpose, so now I'd love to get your input!

If you have a vacuum sealer, what brand is it? What do you love about it? What do you not like about it? Is there something it doesn't do that you wish it did?

You can see Tammy's posts on vacuum sealing here:
Vacuum-Sealed Foods
Food Saving Without a Food Saver
Meatballs In Bulk, For the Freezer
Input Requested, Frozen Meal Ideas
Making and Freezing Pepperoni

And, while I have you here, do you have a food dehydrator? Same questions - what brand, what do you love and not like?

Tammy's posts on dehydrating can be found here:
Food Dehydrators
Preserving Food - What Do I Do?
Dehydrated Pears
Dehydrating Bananas
Banana Blessings
Onions, Onions, Onions
Cheaper Baked Beans

(Some of the mentions are in the comments.)

Other blogs I love that have sections on preserving: Bethany's section on Canning and Preserving and Kim's Sections on Canning and Dehydrating, Lori's canning, Sarah's Lacto-Fermentation Series, and it takes a bit more digging, go look at Laura's blog. (How about a canning catagory, Laura?!?) :>)

I'm anxious to read what you have to say!

Sunday Garden Update, Week 12

I spent some time yesterday weeding and am feeling a little overwhelmed at the amount of produce that is about to start showing up! To refresh memory, here's what my garden looked like seven short weeks ago:

And here is what it looks like now:
Starting in the front of the picture, my volunteer sunflowers are still going strong - even the one that blew over during a storm. I'm sure glad that I didn't pull it out right away - it's been fun to watch.

The peas were a huge dud. I didn't even bother picking any. Bummer.

My carrots are doing pretty well. I pulled a few more today and put them in grilled potatoes though as I typed this, I remembered that I left them on the grill. For about two and a half hours. You see, Hubs isn't feeling well, but it didn't come on until after I had started cutting up potatoes (using my chop wizard) and thawing hamburger, so I went ahead and cooked it all up. But the potatoes weren't done by the time the hamburgers were done, so I left them out there. Let's just say they're plenty tender!

The tomatoes are frightening me a bit. My plants are ENORMOUS. And there are a whole lot of green tomatoes in there - so many that I'm afraid I'm going to have some rot because I'm not going to be able to *find* them all!

My onions are doing fine, although as I've mentioned before, I need to plant them deeper because they end up growing above ground. That can't be good.

I saw ONE lone green bell pepper, and no jalapenos. I have some blooms, though, so maybe they're just setting on crazy late? Not sure.

The potatoes appear to be doing quite well. As are the volunteer potatoes that are in with the corn. We should have LOTS of them - yum!

My green beans are starting to bend the fences because they're so thick! I really should have thinned them out . . . hindsight, I guess. The good news is we'll have plenty to share.

The Indian corn is looking good, too. I have a bit of volunteer in a few places, though it took a thumping in a recent windstorm. I love to use corn stalks to decorate my porch in the fall and will hopefully be able to use these this year. We didn't plant any Indian corn last year so I didn't get to decorate much. Hubs is a little busy that time of year. :>)

And last but not least at all, the gourds are taking over. It's going to be interesting - Hubs doesn't think I can get them all picked and we'll have tons of volunteer ones until the end of time. I see that as a challenge!

Hope your gardens are all doing well - what have you been eating out of them?

Long Overdue Garden Update, Week 10, Humbled Version

Today I received an e-mail with the stats from my blog, something I get weekly. I am *thisclose* to 3,000 visits and have surpassed 5,000 page views. And that isn't counting at least a few of you who subscribe, and my mom who gets updates via e-mail. :>) I think this is post number 81, and while I only have eight or so in my drafts, I have probably at least a dozen for which I have taken pictures, I just need to write the post out. Thank you everyone for joining me on this crazy ride! Yes, I think I will need to have a giveaway soon. I've hesitated in doing another one because, along the lines of having a party and no one showing up, I'd hate to have a giveaway and have no one enter! But, looking at the numbers, that may not be a problem. For those of you more experienced in these matters, do you know of a place to publicize giveaways other than Money Saving Mom's weekly roundup and the once-in-a-while Bloggy giveaway that Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers took over a few months ago?

Anyway. This afternoon, I had the opportunity to finally use a gift card for a massage that I've had for nearly two years. I also got some tips to hopefully help me keep better physical balance (not *literal* balance, though) and perhaps help resolve my insomnia and some of the other issues I've had since Goose was born. I'm already plotting when I can see her again - I have one more gift card to use!

And now, the garden. It's doing quite well, my friends! I decided to do individual pictures, not that you can see much better in them, though you can click to enlarge.

Sunflowers. The one to the back of the picture (in the shade) got snapped in a thunderstorm at least three weeks ago. I thought it would just die but it is proving me wrong! Considering they're volunteer to begin with, perhaps they're extra hardy.

(There is no picture of the peas, because they're doing nothing. I can get them on sale for 88 cents a pound frozen, so it looks like that's what we'll do.)

Carrots. Except for the random completely bare spots in the rows, they're doing well. They probably should have been thinned, but I didn't have the heart to do it. (I know - they're vegetables, not kittens!) I pulled a few tiny ones and put them in some grilled potatoes the other day, just for fun.

Tomatoes. I haven't gotten in there (it's a jungle, as you can see!) but I did notice some green ones earlier this week. I'm hoping they won't be the proverbial "all hat and no cowboy", though - or all plant and no fruit! One of my sweet cousins picked a ripe tomato yesterday - lucky her!

Onions. I really need to plant these more deeply next year. I have followed the directions two years in a row, and half the onion ends up above the soil. I think, for that reason, they likely won't get terribly big.

Peppers - hot and sweet. Not doing great, but I still have hope.

Potatoes. They look good from up here! I've not counted to see how many of the ones I planted actually came up.

Indian corn. Taller than I am and starting to tassel! I'm thinking of trying to sell some on eBay this year, or some such thing. I have a lot from previous years, too. I love the stuff! Also pictured, volunteer potatoes. Lots of them!

Green beans. I told a cousin today to please come over and pick to her heart's content once they're ready! I should have thinned them, too . . . Last year, I vacuum-sealed and froze them. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to heat them with a bit of water (microwave or stove) and add a packet of Italian dressing mix - just the seasoning. Though as I type this, I'm betting they would be good with a squirt of Italian dressing, too! (See Laura's recipe for a homemade dressing mix. I've had luck just throwing together seasonings that are listed in the ingredients - the stuff I recognize, that is - but don't have a specific recipe myself.)

Last but not least, my gourds. I had a fair number of blossoms, so I'm hopeful for them, too.

Sunday Garden Update, Week 7

My garden is doing great! The peppers are finally perking up a bit, and everything else is just growing along. Hubs has all the pieces of fence up except for a little bit for the green beans.

Goose and I went to Mass last night, so this morning I went out and weeded most of the garden. (I took the picture first, while I was thinking about it!) It's a much easier task with all the mulch, but there are some places that don't have any yet. By the time I got about 80% done weeding, the sun was out and I was hot, sweaty, and just plain tired. In fact, I'd be taking a nap now if it weren't for all the screeching that I've been hearing over the monitor. (Sigh.) I'm hoping things will quiet down soon, though. And since my lawn mower is still in the shop, it looks like Hubs will have to mow one more time with the riding mower, which means that I should (hopefully) have enough grass to finish mulching.

I don't think I've updated on how things are growing in the garden I planted at Hubs's grandmother's place. In short: not great. :>) It looks like at least a plant or two of everything is coming up - out of the 4-6 seeds I planted in 2-4 "hills" each! I think I'll have four or so vines of spaghetti squash, three or so of butternut squash, two or three of cantaloupe and watermelon, and the pumpkins probably are doing the best, though I can't remember how many of them came up. Better than a poke in the eye, though.

Feel free to share how things are growing at your place! The monitor is finally quiet, so I think I'm going to go lie down!

Why-Don't-I-Just-Move-It-To-Monday Garden Update, Week 6

Once again, I thought about taking a picture yesterday but ended up cleaning the basement instead. Oh, did it need it! I was pretty wiped out after I got done, too. I vacuumed today, and hope to get my filing done, and I'll feel a lot better about things. We also had a little barbecue last night, something we've done the past 3 or so weekends and I hope we continue. My mom and my MIL both joined us. Fun!

So, here's what the garden looks like this week:

I did some more mulching and weeding, and Hubs came back later with a couple MORE loads of grass clippings that I need to spread still. Not sure that I'll get it done today, but I'm thinking tomorrow for sure. My tomatoes are looking quite well, but the peppers are still pretty puny. Hubs brought the fencing for the green beans home and got posts in for the tomatoes, so I bet all that will be up by this time next week. The Indian corn is doing great, even though we've had a number of unseasonably cool days. (I've enjoyed the heck out of them, though!) I also got the final 1/3 of the gourd area weeded. Whew!

PS - there are a couple of large-ish plants on the near side of my garden - I think they're volunteer sunflowers. We also have a couple of hollyhocks on the left side of the garden - don't know where they came from, but they sure are happy to be here. :>)

Sunday-Sure-Went-Fast Garden Update, Week 5

I actually thought about taking a picture yesterday and didn't get it done. Then I did get a pic taken today but blanked on posting it. So, without further ado . . .

There are actually things to see this week! We put a piece of fence up for the peas to climb on (which I don't think we've done in previous years because I've grumbled about standing on my head to pick peas - I sure need to be more grateful!). You don't notice the carrots between the peas and the happily growing tomatoes because my dad weeded and thinned them for me. (Yes, he IS a great guy!) My onions seem to be doing OK, although they probably could stand to be thinned, too.

Once I got the peppers a drink of water they perked back up, but I think they'll benefit from the rain we're supposed to get tonight and tomorrow. My potatoes aren't coming in all that well, but I think about 14 of the 21 pieces I planted are coming up, so that's not bad. Plus we have a few volunteer ones scattered about that Hubs has developed some sort of affection for. :>)

The green beans are doing well, and they'll get their own pieces of fence soon. Which is wonderful because I definitely don't like standing on my head to pick them! I replanted some of my Indian corn but I'm not too worried about whether it'll come up or not. My gourds are the only thing I didn't get weeded . . . but I'm worried that if I pulled everything else up, the few gourds I do have might die of loneliness! Maybe this week - it's supposed to be cooler here.

The cherry crisp turned out pretty well if I do say so myself - I'll try to get it and another recipe or two posted this week. I finally picked up some split chicken breasts, so I'll share how I use them in my freezer cooking. But for now, I think it's my bedtime. Happy Monday, everyone!

"It Feels Like Sunday" Weekly Garden Update, Week 4

Wow, I didn't even think to take a picture yesterday. It was a bizarre day, though. Goose fell off the pew twice during Mass - both times I was kneeling, and I broke her fall both times, so it was more of just a bump - then went down for her nap well but woke up screaming all too early - I think it might be nightmares? anyway I spent an hour calming her and trying to get her to lie back down - and finally we went to a barbecue yesterday evening. (I made blueberry crumble - recipe is here, except I recommend doubling the topping.) (Why yes, I do realize I'm in the running for the world's longest sentence.)

The garden sure looks a lot more green; unfortunately, most of it is weeds! I should have been out there today weeding but we've had a few showers over the past couple of days (I don't much like mud) and I managed to forget all about it anyway. I put some more effort into sorting my recipe collection. Another ten years and I'll have that sucker whipped into shape for sure.

After getting a bit more advice, I haven't transplanted anything that needs thinning (peas and beans, mainly). I think we'll put up the fencing for the tomatoes and green beans this week. I did some mulching around the tomatoes and peppers, thanks to Hubs's lawn mowing.

Looks like Goose and I will be traveling a bit this week; we'll head out to my parents' tomorrow for a mini-family reunion with some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm never happy going anywhere without Hubs, but he doesn't get away from the farm too much.

Finally, it is with mixed emotions that I tell you Baby Faith went to be with Jesus this weekend. I rejoice for her, and her mother is rejoicing, too; I just can't imagine losing a baby. I've been prayerfully reflecting much of today and kissing my own baby.

Sunday Garden Update, Week 3

Looks like I'll be trying a bit of transplanting this year - my green beans and peas kind of came up in clumps. I'd really like to spread them out a bit! My dad recommended waiting until they get about 3" tall or so (any suggestions Annemarie?) as he thought they'd do better with the big move.
So, it looks abut the same as last week, although you'll notice (I'm sure!) a different angle and excitement at the neighbors'. They're having a party, and I didn't want them to think I was taking a picture of them! You'll also notice Goose's ball - somehow it found its way into our yard and no one ever came and got it. She loves tossing it around and chasing it while I'm hanging out laundry or working in the yard. Today, she was squatting and leaning on it and saying "stretch!" (At least I think that's what it was.) I'm guessing she got that from my MIL, but I'm not exactly sure.

Back to the garden. I did a bit of hoeing to mess with the weeds. My carrots are looking pretty clumpy, too, but I don't think they'll transplant very well. Plus it doesn't matter quite so much with them - I'll thin them later and we can have true "baby carrots"! The tomatoes and pepper plants seem a bit sickly; I don't think they need water but I'll give that a try tomorrow and see what happens.

The onions are looking pretty good so far! I like to cut some of the tops and chop them like chives once in a while. My potatoes aren't up yet (except some volunteer ones that I pulled out) but I think it's a bit early for them yet since they were planted so late. I replanted some of my Indian corn and put some insecticide in with it. Hubs noted that we have corn borers in the garden, so hopefully that'll fix em'. It doesn't look like my gourds are going to do very well, but actually that's probably OK.

Hubs's grandmother is 92 or so and hasn't been able to garden the past few years. She's currently recuperating at a nursing home after a fall around Christmas, and we're not sure what is going to happen. Hubs asked her if we could plant some things in her garden, and with her blessing, Goose and I did that this week.
That's Hubs's parents' place in the background. We put in four hills of spaghetti squash, four hills of butternut squash (on opposite ends, so hopefully they won't cross-pollinate), three or four hills of pie pumpkins, and two each of watermelons and cantelope (again, opposite each other). Here's hoping that it isn't all for naught, though, because we need to get it watered this week. I'm hoping Hubs can help me out there.

Hmm, I typed in a nice little update on our week and it somehow disappeared while I was trying to get the spell-check to work. Nothing terribly exciting - Goose has been a bit under the weather with a random fever, but seems otherwise fine; my lawn mower is on the fritz and Hubs doesn't have time to fix it. Actually, I'm thinking the short version is sufficient. :>)

Sunday Garden Update, Week 2 (a day late)

I took a picture yesterday but didn't take time to get it posted. If I'm not mistaken, it doesn't look terribly different from last week, though. Including the rain! It drizzled most of the day yesterday.
Were you to peek more closely than the picture allows, you'd see that my peas are up, as well as the green beans. I think I already reported that the corn and onions were up sometime the middle of last week.

That leaves the carrots, potatoes, and gourds. I'm not too worried about any of them . . . they'll either grow or they won't.

Anybody else seeing any action in your gardens?

Bits and Pieces

Yesterday was International Midwives Day, so Goose and I paid a visit to the place where our midwives practice. Only one was there, and we got chatted with her. Goose has what I call "white coat syndrome" in that she cries at the doctor's office. And anyplace that she thinks is the doctor's office. Lovely. We dropped off these flowers:

And I'd like to note that this picture was taken one minute before one of them blew off the car. Thankfully they were fine! We also checked out a few parks looking for a place for our regional group of the Nebraska Friends of Midwives to meet. We try to get together a few times a year for meetings and also for activities. Last year, we did a yard sale and a bake sale as part of another yard sale. We found it was a ton of work for not so much return, so I'm not sure what we'll do this year.

After that we made a quick stop at Goodwill. We didn't see too much that caught our eyes, but I did pick up a hat for Goose and a slightly older copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I've been wanting to try charting since my cycles returned after Goose was born, and I'm also hoping that this might help her end up with a sibling.

Goose and I also planted the potatoes yesterday evening! Whoo! As we were getting ready, I could NOT find the hoe. I looked everywhere in the garage, and outside, and was really getting worried. I always grouse at Hubs for not putting things back after he uses them, and here I'd lost the hoe. We used to have another one, but I think it might now live at the farm. Finally I called him, and learned that he'd taken this hoe over to the farm, too! Well, at least I didn't leave it out to get stolen.

He recommended I use the post hole digger so I could get the potatoes deep enough. It was my first experience using that device and it worked pretty well. Except that the dirt was a bit muddy, and it wanted to stick. Interestingly, if you try to bonk it together like you think would knock the dirt off, you kind of smash your fingers. I only did that about three times before I figured out that it hurt. Yes, I am a quick learner.

Goose ran around and poked in the dirt while I was working, and helped me water them when we were done. She *really* wanted to play in the mud but I *really* didn't want her clothes to get stained. Maybe after it warms up and she can wear her play clothes shorts outfits . . . It was sprinkling as we finished and full-on raining by the time Goose got in the bathtub. Surprisingly, it didn't rain where Hubs was planting corn.


Today, I have been making riblets. I'll put that in a separate post. Until then, I'll leave you with this picture, which explains why Goose was asleep within 10 or 15 minutes of going down for a nap. And, as I type, she's been napping for about 2 hours 45 minutes. I don't really like her to sleep for so long, but she seems to get short on sleep so easily (more on baby sleep in future posts) and I do want her to catch up. Anyway, I think you can click on the picture to view it larger and see just what all the little one has been up to today. As I viewed it to upload it, I realized that my Tupperware drawer is closed. That's a miracle! Usually it's open, and re-arranged with about half of the contents strewn about. So. I'd better post about riblets and then go pick up! (Update: she's awake. The riblet post will have to wait a bit. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats!)

Sunday Garden Update, Week 1

I got *most* of the rest of the garden planted this week. I planted two rows of onions, beans, Indian corn, and gourds on Monday. Hubs isn't too impressed with the gourds but I've promised to pick them all this fall so they won't grow volunteer next year. (Wow that rhymes way too much.) Yesterday while the Goose was napping, I put in the tomato and pepper plants. I think the tomatoes are Best Boy and we have four green bell pepper plants and four jalapeño plants.

The white things around the plants are pieces of plastic irrigation pipe that Hubs cut up the first year we put in a garden. We put those around the plants to protect them, plus it holds water in pretty well. We mulch in there to help it out even more. As the tomato plants get bigger, we may put a piece of fence along there so they have some support. We also put fence along the green beans, since we plant pole beans. It makes them much easier to pick - I don't have to stand on my head!

You may notice that this week's picture isn't great . . . that's because it's raining! And that's why the potatoes haven't been planted. They're cut up and waiting per Laura's instructions. Hopefully they won't have to wait too much longer.

So, I have:
2 rows of peas
2 rows of carrots
1 row of tomatoes
2 rows of onions
1 row of peppers
a blank spot for potatoes
2 rows of green beans
2 rows of Indian corn
2 rows of gourds

I can't wait!

Inaugural Sunday Garden Update

Last summer, I thought it would be interesting to chronicle the growth and changes in my garden weekly. It's funny; I could have just taken pictures and done it for my own purposes but apparently it isn't as fun if you're not sharing it with the world in a blog post, so I just filed the idea away for later.

This year, later has arrived. Allow me to introduce my garden!


We purchased the rest of our plants this afternoon, and hubs watched the little one while I planted two rows of peas and two rows of carrots. I plan to get more done tomorrow, and I surely will have it all planted by the time I update with another picture next Sunday. I suppose the only real changes will be more stakes along the edge and perhaps my neighbors will be doing something different and exciting. I'm sure you won't mind humoring me until things start sprouting, though!

Gardening is one area where being married to a farmer has significant advantages. We have easy access to cow, sheep, and chicken manure, for one. (Exciting, I know. Actually we could get pig manure, too, but I don't think we've ever put that on the garden.) Last week, hubs plowed the garden, and today he followed it up with rototilling it. The dirt is so light and fluffy, I feel like I could grow anything!

We have a nice-sized garden for our needs, I think. We haven't measured it, but I think it's somewhere around 15' by 45'. We may also plant a few things over at hubs's grandmother's garden - she has been in the rest home for the past few months recovering from a fall.

Up until now, I have mostly preserved our bounty by freezing it. I'm hoping this summer will be the one where I actually learn how to can! Stay tuned and feel free to provide any encouragement or tips. I can assure you that I will pretty much stay glued to blogs belonging to my friends Laura and Kim and try to do the amazing things that they do.