Who's planting veggies in their flower beds this year? Did you know Rainbow Swiss Chard is gorgeous even if you don't eat it? Strawberries make great ground cover in blank areas. Green sweet peas have pretty flowers and you can grow them on your fence or a trellis. You don't have to go all-out. Start small, and if you're a landscape gardener, think of adding pretty veggies to your yard. Even if you live in an apartment you can grow veggies on your deck. In giant pots, plant tall full-sun vegetable so you can grow more shade-requiring veggies beneath. I'm all about the food garden this year. One last thing: PLEASE, if you buy seeds, buy organic. GMO (genetically modified seeds) are pernicious evil things that pollute not only your garden, but your neighbor's. If you plant your GMO near my Heirloom Organic veggies, I'ma be mad.

I keep posting about starting small growing areas anywhere you can. Even large pots work in a sunny location. This UN Report says small-scale organic farming is the way to feed the world. This year I plan to over grow so I can donate to the soup kitchen here in town. I urge you to grow something --- anything edible. Do it this year. Save the world. 
http://overgrowthesystem.com/un-report-says-small-scale-organic-farming-only-way-to-feed-the-world/
 

*I'm making new beds in the back for flowers, like zinnias, to grow. That way bees will flock to my garden. I'm using the lasagna method, which is excellent. I first learned of it from Peter Fossel. I believe he still works the Hermitage...? Anyway, other than straw bales, the lasagne method is the easiest way to start a new bed. 

*Using hula hoops to grow plants. I'll cut them and bury the ends, then attach small fence mesh to cover them. This is how I'll grow my tomatoes this year. I want them up and off the ground. And this year I'm collecting yogurt cups, etc., to create cutworm guards.

*If you use a cold frame to extend your growing season, line the inside with plastic milk jugs filled with water. The water be warmed by the sun, and will help reduce temperature swings inside the cold frame. The result: a lower chance of frost damage at night and overheating during the day.

*Dog food as fertilizer boost? Need to build a cuke trellis? 

Check it out here: http://www.johnaburks.com/?p=799

*More trellis ideas

http://beekman1802.com/easy-durable-raised-bed-trellising/?fb_action_ids=10201658398917837&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_ref=.UwkhyUpQR3c.like&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Learned:  About apple trees. I found some great websites that explained that self pollinators don’t need another tree, but they’ll produce much better if you plant another tree of a different varietal.  A University of Illinois study shows that “apple’s soluble fiber strengthens immune systems and reduces obesity-related illnesses”… so maybe I’ll shoot for an apple a day for each of us! I requested a book about growing apples from our local small library.  

I also learned I can’t preserve foods on my glass-top stove because the glass isn’t built for the high heat involved.  Hoping I can use the camp stove.  

Planted: Discovered Sprout Robot at http://sproutrobot.com/ . You enter your zip code and it tells you what to plant right now. So I have several things I’m ready to plant/replant, including all-season lettuce, and autumn sunflowers. 

And speaking of sprouts…we make our own, and just recently got 5-part sprouting seeds. We’re pretty psyched, as we eat sprouts every day.  I still make mine in a mason jar with a sprouting lid. They stay crispy and crunchy.  

Harvested: chives and mint, green tomatoes, blackberries, carrots, amethyst radishes, onions, lettuce. 

Preserved: Started 14-day sweet pickles with pickling cukes from Farmer’s Mkt.  I’m using an old glass pickle jar to make them then I’ll put them in pint jars to finish.  

Recycled, reused, repurposed: My mother gave me an old washstand, old being good, that she kept in the garage. I put it in our hallway and use it to store my canners and canning supplies.

 Sewed: Ordered a quilt kit to sew for my new grandbaby.   

On my list:

Plant another apple tree

Treat  grape tomatoes with calcium and magnesium for soil deficiency

Take apple leaf to nursery

Weed tomato bed

Plant more tomatoes in weeded space

Plant lima beans and bell peppers

Buy yogurt starter

Build support for blackberries

Buy a second garden hose

Until next week, onward hoes!

Back to Life

I'm going back to a format we used to use in an online group I belong to. The group recently revived and I'm inspired to create goals for myself and keep a record of what I do. After four surgeries in 12 months, I am moving slower than usual, but getting all the help I need from my husband.

Researched:  How to use my pressure cooker. I’ve had it for three years and haven’t used it yet.

How to plant blackberries and build a proper trellis for them.  When to prune lilacs. I have a “secret garden” of ornamentals and herbs that is privacy fenced. Lilacs grow there. We also grow a lot of fennel, roses, Greek oregano, rosemary, sunflowers, and other herbs. It’s where we sit in the evenings. 

Harvested: Beets (we use the greens for salads), carrots, romaine, mesclun, strawberries. One more harvest then I’m letting the rest of the lettuce go to seed. We’ve also harvested some giant green tomatoes to fry. As always my garden tomatoes have escaped their cages and are running rampant all over their “boxes.” I’ve not found an effective way yet to support them.

Planted:  Dill, cilantro, okra, and two ornamental hot, hot peppers aptly named Explosive Embers and Chilly Chili. I’ll pick and dry them for winter’s cooking.

Food storage: Our backyard blackberries are ripening; what we don’t eat, we freeze. We also pick berries along a country road nearby and have done so for six years now. The berries are small and full of flavor.  We don’t get a lot out of either venture, just a small steady stream. This year we plan to expand the blackberry area in the yard into a BLACKBERRY EMPIRE!  Also checked my jars and lids for annual pickle making with my mom. Bought cukes at Farmer’s Market this week.

Reused, recycled, repurposed:  Worked on stuff for the new composter. It’s huge. I have some compost maker I plan to use. I added some shredded newspaper and dried grass cuttings. It’s located in direct sun so I have to wet the compost down good. My plan is to plant some butterfly bushes around it to shield it from sunlight.

Our kitty enjoying one of the garden benches. Enormous blackberries! And one of our little French intensive garden beds.

Watch for updates! I'll be sharing our method of tranplanting blackberry bushes, keeping the birds out of the strawberries and defeating the dreaded hornworms.

Caroline

More Scrapbooking

Thanks for all the compliments on my scrapbook project. As promised, here are a few more pages to look at. Feel free to copy any layouts or use any ideas you get from my pages.

Halloween 2010

Alan's graduation from Fordham, complete with original tassle.

Tribute page to my mother.

Thanks again for the compliments.

Golden Acre Lives On: Mama's Sweet Pickles

Golden Acre Lives On: Mama's Sweet Pickles

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is all the rage, and the elements are cute, so I thought I'd give it a try. First I used an old copy of Farewell to Arms and did some creative things to the pages. Then I went on to trying my hand at traditional scrapping. It's relaxing and keeps my mind occupied in a zen-like way. Below are some of my beginner's pictures. Many still require missing elements.

For more information there are plenty of sites about scrapping, complete with free ideas. To get started, read more about this cute hobby at http://scrapbooking.about.com/.