It must really be spring when the vegetable garden is planted and thriving, the lawn is freshly mowed, the butterfly garden is blooming, the hose is out, bathing suits are on, songs are sung in after dinner concerts on the porch, and the evening light is glorious…
The last of my (backlogged) spring garden series. Hope you enjoyed them… On to summer!
Last year we started our little veggie patch. It was an experiment that yielded great results: more tomatoes than we could eat, the most healthy looking basil plants I’ve ever seen (there’s still some pesto in the freezer), zuccini, lemon cucumbers, strawberries, and more. That was all from one little rectangular bed (shown here).
This year we moved it over a bit, and tripled it in size. I like to grow fruits and vegetables that the children love to eat, that are costly to purchase organically in the store, and that can be canned for winter (with BPA lining cans of most tomatoes in the stores, canning our own has become a priority). In this year’s garden: tomatoes (Better Boy, Sungold, Cherokee purple, and Mr. Stripey), cucumbers (lemon and armenian), zucchini and yellow squashes, strawberries (last years plants are already thriving), beets, carrots, and peppers. And we have already enjoyed a few weeks of salads with our own lettuces, chives, flat leaf parsley, beet greens, and radishes.
The main garden is fenced high to keep out any roaming deer, as well as Peter and Flopsy (or is it Mopsy and Cottontail?) who visit us nightly. Our late blooming cherry tree shades it ever so slightly in parts, but it’s too pretty to remove! We also added a bed of onions and leeks outside the fence and I am trying my hand at a new dahlia and freesia cut flower garden. More perennial herbs (planted by the original home owners) grow around the side of our home – thyme, rosemary, and greek oregano that goes crazy wild in the summer. It is getting so serious, my husband (who goes by “Mr. McGregor”) already has his eye on some cold frames for the fall!
The composter is out in the very back of the yard (you don’t need a fancy one – ours is an old trash can with holes drilled in it) and a kitchen compost can rests on our kitchen counter, waiting for scraps. The garden becomes our way of life – our own victory garden, and I can’t imagine summer without it.
Thinking about starting your own plot of food in a sunny spot? Go for it! You can have fresh produce for pennies, control how your food is grown, teach your children how to connect with the land, and reduce your dependence on fossil fuel. Who doesn’t love that?
So what are you planting? ;)
Our family spends every moment it can outdoors when the weather is nice. In our yard that means gardening, yard work, and planting and maintaining our little suburban farm. It also means plenty of surprise showers with the hose now that the 3 year old knows how to turn it on, but I digress… This has been going on for weeks, but my photographs of them have just been sitting in little folders on the macbook. Sigh. I thought the week after Mother’s Day was the perfect time to share bits of our garden, 2011. So here goes…Post # 1: Grandmas and fairy gardens.
After not making it to California in February, we were lucky to have a bit of California come to us last month, with a visit from Grandma Linda. We shared with her every detail of the madness that is our daily lives, and she shared her love, laughter, and veggie tacos served with avocados from her trees (yes, they made the trip, too). As usual, our visit went by too fast.
Projects are always in order when the grandparent’s visit…This years project? A fairy garden for Lu’s birthday. Linda and Lulu shopped and planted together, while Lu kept detailed notes in her gardener’s journal. Little sister snuck in to help for a bit, too.
Somehow it’s the projects I remember the most from each of my inlaws visits. Past projects include building an actual shade pergola (yup, a big one!), and laying several floors in our Dallas home, as well as the beginning of our suburban farm a year ago in our Virginia home. While each has been a lot of work, it is work we accomplish moment by moment, together. Time stands still in our family project bubble and those events stand out boldly in my memory. The results of this one are beautiful and sweet, if miniature. The fairies think so, too…
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of my mom friends and followers. I hope you had a splendid day in which you were adored!
This is how we do cherry blossoms! Forget the crowded metro rides with a clunky double stroller. Forget the masses of people meandering with you around the tidal basin. Forget your 5 year old losing her favorite sunhat down the chute of the Don’s Jon during a potty break. That is how we did cherry blossoms last year. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing and we had a blast! But this year we decided to keep it relaxed and easy. We found some great spots close to home, packed a picnic and had an amazing afternoon with our girls. And wonderful photos followed… (click the center of the image to start the slideshow).
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