Tomatoes

 i grow tomatoes vertically in my garden.

each plant has it's own square foot. they grow up a vertical support frame with nylon netting. i tuck the tops of the plants through an opening in the netting. it's kind of like weaving the tomato plant as it grows.

in order to grow the tomatoes vertically, i try really hard to follow the single stem method. that means i prune the suckers so that i have one main stem.

this is the sucker. i just pinch it off. i try and do this once a week.

as for watering. this year i haven't been as regular as i'd like with the entire garden.

lately, i have been watering once a day in the morning. the soil seems a little dry by the evening, so i might start watering some more in the evening. i haven't done this yet though.

New Bunny

aryn got her new bunny today.

Strawberries

last week the three youngest and i went strawberry picking. in my grandpa's garden.

i think they had a good time.
we ate some fresh, we froze some, we smoothied some, and we dried some.
yummy things, those strawberries.



p.s.

after this long, hot, sweaty day, gene wanted to go out to dinner. and me being me, told him i didn't want to go anywhere too special because i didn't want to change my clothes. well, you know what happened? in walks the boy that gave me my first kiss. and of course, i didn't want to talk with him because...well, look at the above picture... t-shirt, cut-offs, messy ponytail (which is my normal). i guess i should probably change my clothes next time! anyway, gene and i had a good laugh on the way home.

La Maison du Lapin: The Rabbit House

the rabbit hutch is done.

well... mostly. (we still need to figure out the roof.)

{front view}

we had a few building bumps along the way. but that's probably to be expected when you don't exactly know what you're doing!

see the locks in the above photo? they were supposed to be next to each other, but the wood at the top of the second door didn't match up. in fact, when we first put on the doors, they didn't match up. they were really crooked. and on the enclosed side, there was a huge gap in the wood, so we covered it up with another board on the outside.

all minor setbacks, with solutions, when we kept in mind that this rabbit hutch didn't have to be perfect.

{side view}

 

{inside view}

we kept the inside paint free. the entire floor is 1/2" x 1" wire. and one side is enclosed.

most of the materials we used to build this hutch were items we already had in the garage. we also recylcled some things off a broken-down hutch my brother gave us.

the idea for the X door came from this chicken coop by Heather Bullard.

i'm thinking about adding some door handles. wouldn't they be a cute little detail?

now, we just need to get that rabbit!

(oh and some food, and a feeder, and some hay, and a water bottle, and...)

The Rabbit Hutch Continued

this building project is taking a lot longer than i thought it would. (and longer than i'd like!)

but we are making progress!

the doors are left. and to tell the truth they make more than a little nervous. and then some braces in the front.

and maybe some paint? i keep going back and forth on whether we should paint. i like the rustic look...but i'm leaning toward painting the whole thing. what do you think?

Building a Pet Home

 our family has never had a pet before.

this week has found us building a home for a pet. can you guess what kind?

we don't have the animal yet. i've made it clear that we need a home for the animal first. i think all the children are excited for a pet, but particularly our oldest. she has wanted this pet for a long, long time.

{everyone wants a turn building this little home. picture taken by aryn.}

we have no exact buidling plans for the home. mostly, making it up as we go. i really think a lot of this one though from knoxgardner.com. and the book Barnyard in your Backyard has proven very helpful.

we're moving slowly. (more slowly than i would like.) but it's been very good for me to think about how things go together, to get input from others, and how i'd like them to end up.



in the Garden

 i'm glad for...
peas and onions that are growing.
a bright, sun-shiney day.
and an oldest daughter that has diligently watered our garden boxes.

i'm glad for...
a little-big boy that likes to eat chives almost every time he goes outside.
and a tiny, little girl that likes to be barefoot.

(tomorrow i'll be posting a tutorial for that little bag i made yesterday!)

Onions

 

{photos by the happy seven-year old. except for the one directly above.}

i get my onions from my grandpa. he is so good about sharing with me.

i plant 16 onions in one square foot. as the onions grow, i pull them out to use and that gives the other onions more space to grow.


2/29/20112

for any of you locals planting a garden this year, and need onions, my grandpa has more to share!
just let me know.

Planting Peas

it's planting time!

two little boys helped me get the soil in one 4 foot x 4 foot box ready for planting...
we mixed in some compost and took out debris. but mostly had fun digging, shoveling, and playing.

 we came inside for a bit to get out of the wind, and peeled some bark to make plant markers.

then we went back outside and took turns placing little peas into little holes. (9 holes per each square foot.)

i'm thinking i want to plant another box with just peas. i love eating them fresh from the garden! more dreaming and planning and working to come.

Sometimes

sometimes... when the house is full, i like to go outside. to be by myself.

to think and to water the garden.




sometimes... that doesn't last very long.

Mid May Garden

two of our garden boxes.

a hummingbird holding still.

Planting Time

planting times for hurricane valley courtesy of alison from alisorganics.com

FEBRUARY 15 - MARCH 15
radish
cabbage (plants)
kohlrabi (plants)
onions
peas
spinach
turnip
swiss chard

MARCH 1 - MARCH 15
carrots
cauliflower (plants)
endive
lettuce
parsnips
potato
beets

MARCH 25 - APRIL 1
bush beans
corn
cucumber
spinach

APRIL 10 - MAY 1
corn
cucumber
cantaloupe and melons
winter squash
summer squash
tomato (plants)
pepper (plants)
pole beans

JULY 15 - AUGUST 1 (FALL HARVEST)
beets
cabbage
carrots
corn
cucumbers
lettuce
onions
pole beans
spinach
turnips


LAST SPRING FROST - APRIL 15

FIRST FALL FROST - OCTOBER 20

i just wanted to get this out before it's too late...especially for new and beginning gardeners.
happy planting!