• How Does Your Garden Grow?

    May 23, 2019

    We started our seeds back at the end of March. It’s fun to see the change as the little buds grow every day. There’s something magical about the new life.

    It has me thinking back over the past several years. Our first garden was a bust. Scott built a raised bed. We put it close to our deck where the sun would shine. We didn’t want to put it too far out because of where we lived. It was on a slight hill, and the soil washed out with the rain. One carrot grew. I successfully had a TON of weeds growing.

    Then, we had containers. We grew a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the veggies and herbs grew in pots.

    Last year was the most exciting yet. We put almost all of our plants in the ground. Our garden wasn’t as successful as we had hoped, but it was still great. Scott and I learned a lot. We got to eat some green beans before the pests got to them and ruined them all. Our carrots were puny. But, we had a lot of tomatoes and jalapenos. Our cauliflower grew huge leaves, but no actual vegetable. Some hits. Some misses.

    We are expanding this year. We bought two 4X4 raised beds, and will probably do some containers along with them. I’m hoping to get my white sweet potato to sprout so that I can plant those since I can’t seem to find seeds. We have a big flat of onions growing. We’re trying our hand at some new veggies this year, along with the usual.

    Hopefully, in the summer, we will have a wonderful bounty of delicious veggies. This is my goal. Reality may be very different. It’s late May, and we still don’t have anything in the ground. Our seedlings aren’t growing as much as expected with the weather getting so cold still. It’s been storming and raining like crazy. Every warm day, I put the seedlings outside in the sun. (They will forever stay outside after a huge bug came in with them last night. barf.) They grow a lot with the hot sunshine, so it needs to stay!

    I fear that the moment we put anything in the ground, everything will get washed out. I feel for our farmers this year! I am praying that the weather levels out some, and we can get down to business!

    Read More

  • Celebrating Earth Day

    April 23, 2019

    I know that it is not super common for a Christian to also care about the planet. In my opinion, that is a shame. God created everything. He put us in charge of it to care for it. Why wouldn’t Christians care about the planet and do our part to take care of it? Anyway, I’ll get off my soap box.

    We had our typical school day yesterday. Once Scott got home from work, I had to take off to get some lab work done. I was in a rotten mood, and the lab that made my appointment couldn’t actually do the blood tests. I stopped at Ace Hardware to look at paint colors, and of course the plants caught my eye. I have recently discovered Ranunculus, and have fallen in love with them. I brought this lady home with me.


    I put her in a bigger pot right away, and hope she grows really big. We ate dinner on the back deck, and it was bliss. The weather was lovely and warm with a slight breeze. We decided that we were going to go for a short hike with the kids. We brought scavenger hunt check lists for the girls to do.

    I was pleasantly surprised to see that the trails were actually clean. I figured we could do some clean up and leave it better. I’m thrilled that we didn’t have to.

    This is the girls’ favorite spot to find at this park. You can our picture from last year here; just swipe. While the girls took turns getting baths/showers, they painted their favorite part of the hike. It was fun to see what they each chose.

    I don’t know about you, but getting in nature just calms my mind. There’s something peaceful and serene. Even with the kids squealing down the trails and allergies, it was so nice.

    Read More

  • Our CSA Experience

    September 17, 2018

    CSA
    This year, Scott and I decided to sign up for a half share of a CSA basket. If you are unfamiliar with what CSA is,  it is Community Supported Agriculture. Local farmers set up their programs, and you as the consumer can sign up to get a full or half share. It is different in all areas, so your experience may vary from ours. We (I say we, but Scott stopped by after work) would go to the farm once a week on a designated day and pick up our freshly picked produce. It’s a great way to support your local farmers, and get the best quality of produce.
    We had a few options of farms to choose from in our area. I looked the farms up, and found a farm that was non-GMO and artificial fertilizer and pesticide free. I felt like they were a good fit for what I want in my family.
    IMG_7307
    Sometimes the baskets felt pretty repetitive. For a couple of weeks, it seemed like we didn’t get much more than squash and peppers. It’s hard to get creative with squash, but maybe I just wasn’t thinking hard enough. I did consume a lot of jalapeno poppers, which is fine with me!
    IMG_6522
    Our farm also gave us one dozen farm fresh eggs each month, which I LOVED.  (Sorry, you don’t get a cute basket with your CSA. You can buy one here though.) Sometimes she would have Scott grab extra of something if he talked about how much we enjoyed it. I love our farmer.
    img_8579.jpg
    Some of the vegetables were completely new experiences, which is so fun. It’s a great way to broaden your horizons and try new foods. The kids weren’t always willing to try new foods, but it was an adventure for us! They kids loved SEEING the new veggies even if they were too afraid to try them.

    Fresh garlic, onions, and potatoes have probably been my favorite things to get in the basket. There were a few weeks sprinkled in where our share was much smaller because of bad weather or other factors that just happen in farming. Obviously, your share is dependent upon the region that you live in and the weather that you get that season.
    I was really pleased with our first experience with CSA. I love being able to support local farmers and getting tons of fresh produce each week. It was always a surprise, so I couldn’t really plan ahead of time. We pick up our final basket of the season on Wednesday. A lot of farmers are accepting sign ups for the fall/winter season. You can go here and search for farms in your area. I truly don’t think that you’ll regret it at all!
    IMG_6523
    P.S. This post is in no way sponsored. I truly loved the program, and wanted to share!
     
     

    Read More

  • Gardening Gear

    April 17, 2018

     
    Garden Gear

    \\ harvesting basket \\ watering can | tools and bag // boots // hat // kneeler //

    \\ gloves | gnome light //

     
    This is the less practical side of gardening. Obviously you need seeds or starter plants, soil, shovels, and other obvious things. I figured I’d put together some of the things that I have purchased, or have on my wishlist, for our garden this year.
    The basket is front and center because I am believing that the garden will be successful. I’ll need something to carry the “fruits” of my labor in. I love these fair trade baskets. A hat is a must so that you can protect your face and neck from the sun! Ankle rain boots are great. You can keep your feet dry without your legs sweating to death. A garden gnome is obviously needed; especially when it doubles as a light. haha!!
    I am not a gardening pro, so I am certain there are more important things that should go on this list. Let me know what you’d add!!
    Happy Spr-inter!
    signature
     

    Read More