HAPPY FOURTH! 07/04/2010
 
Happy 4th of July!  Be safe out there, among the English...so to speak.  I read today in our paper that AAA has a free tow for seven miles if you call before midnight.  The number is 1-800-400-4AAA.  You have to be a member and ask for "a Tipsy Tow".  They do not cover any other riders.

Today, I have several invitations to hang out.  What a lucky Gal I am. 

Yesterday, The Lad and I grilled out here.  I also did some baking...an apple crumb pie, and my first batches of zucchini bread from my own home-grown zucchini.  Officially...my garden bounty begins. 

As I go around town today, I get to take treats from my garden to share with my friends.  Some lettuce, kale, chard, and zucchini bread.  All freshly picked this morning, rinsed, and packaged to go.  It won't be long and the lettuce will be done for a while.  So I need to plant something in it's place.  Back to my seed basket.

You would be surprised to see how big my seed basket is.  I have them sorted out by the month they need to be planted.  I need more beds...lots  more beds.
 
 
I say often that I have been working hard.  If you know me at all...you know I ALWAYS work hard.

Yesterday I went and got another load of compost.  Eighteen, 18-gallon storage bins fills up my friends truck bed.  We made two trips.  One for her and one for me.  If we had left earlier...we could have done three loads.

So.....we go again on Friday.  This time we are leaving earlier.  Maybe we can get three or four loads.  My friend is trying to grow a lawn.
She just recently bought a home.  I have a lot of beds to build.  And fill.  And fence...and I am sure you get the rest.

It seems, the more compost I get, the more excited I get.  When my friend commented on that, I told her she was enabling me.  Like a twelve step program would stop me from gardening.

I am thoroughly addicted and...I.  JUST. CAN'T.  STOP.  MYSELF.   There is no hope I will ever change.  EVER!

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I have been working real hard physically lately, so I took the day off ( sort of) yesterday.

I did my chores in the morning early, and then spent the day studying, making notes, and sorting out seed packets.

By sorting, I mean...like types of vegetables, and when do they go in the ground.  So now my seeds are in piles by month. 

I also got a chance to see which seeds I still needed to buy.  So today I went and found most of them.  The only thing I can think of right now that I still need are collard greens.  I still want some shallots and garlic, but I think that will be for this fall.

You see, one of the things I have been checking out is CSA's.  A  CSA stands for community supported agriculture. 

In essence, people pay ahead of time for a fresh box of veggies/fruit/herbs/etc. a week for 20 weeks.

What I am doing now is gearing up to do that.  Maybe.  Building boxes, filling them with compost, fencing them off, and planting them.  I want to make sure that I can fill a box with a variety of different things, for 20 weeks. 

I would also like a greenhouse and some cold frames.  Then I can plant all year long.  I have to say I am obsessed! 

Anyway...I figure that if I can show people I can garden, that maybe they will take a chance and subscribe for a box a week starting next year.  That is why I want a road-side stand.  Then people get to see what kind of gardener I am first.

Just an idea running around in my head.  I have lots of those.  Like all kinds of classes.  Canning, gardening, sewing, cooking...and there could be other classes as well.  I just need a space to give classes.  I will figure this out.

Another idea running through my head is...I could use some donations.  Like...pieces of wood, the smallest being like 4 foot long and 6 inches wide...sturdy enough to make beds out of.  I need some glass windows or doors for cold frames.  I need 4-5 foot tall fencing for the new beds I plan to build, to keep the rabbits out.  I need a fairly large chipper so I can make compost and mulch.  The list goes on and on. 

I guess because the dream keeps evolving.  It has sort of taken on a life of it's own.  Maybe I have created a monster.  A monster garden!

Like I have said...I just can't stop myself!

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COMMUNITTY NEWS 06/09/2010
 
Just wanted to let you all in on some community news.

Saturday, down at the Cornerstone Church, they are having a pancake breakfast.  They will be serving breakfast from 7-10:30.  I will be there helping...not sure what I will be doing.  Pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, and juice are on the menu.

Also, the church has it's yard sale at the same time.  These are fund raisers for the church. 

Last week I turned in an article to the A.V. Press about hobbies.  In it, I mentioned Big Al's Pizza, and how they contribute to my compost pile.  What a green thing to do!  I hope to get more people involved.  That is why this is in my 'News' section.

I want to get the news out there that once my garden starts to kick it up a notch...I hope to have a road-side stand.  Unless of course, I sell my veggies to a restaurant first.  Guess that depends on how much my garden produces.

Then there is the need for a kitchen to teach canning classes.  Praying for an answer.  Guess it is not time...yet.
 
 
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This is what I woke up to this morning.  It is a little stormy out.  But the clouds were moving fast.
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I walked around the acre, taking pictures.  It looked so different as I turned around.  I like shooting pictures through the trees.  Especially the bare branches.
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This looks like two different fronts meeting.  Or squeezing past each other.  There is the layer of 'dark' covering the bottom, with a layer of 'light' and then a fluffy layer of 'dark' on top.  It was chilly and a little windy.
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See the spots?  It was trying to rain.  It still may.

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Twenty-three years ago today, I went into labor.  Twenty-three hours later...HE showed up.  All red and screaming, with one eye open, just so he wouldn't miss anything, I am sure.

He is the best thing I have ever done...hands down!  I couldn't be more proud how he has turned out...so far.

As I look back on this day, I have to be mindful of how different I am since then.  Being his Mom has made me a better person.  He is my biggest fan.  He encourages me to be so much more than I would have been without him.  Thanks for being my Son, for making my dreams of being a Mom come true.  For making my dreams have meaning.  I love you more than words can say.  Happy Labor day...I guess you could say.
 
 
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This where I took the tumbleweeds.  From here it doesn't look too bad.  We have an acre so we have more space to spread out.
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I have now walked around the pile a bit so you can see how spread out it is.  Today I need to call the fire station so I can burn these before they blow away...into Some neighbor's yard.  That won't help my shaky standing with the neighbors.  Just so you know...I had to drag a bunch of tree limbs back here BEFORE I drug the tumbleweeds back here.  What a Morgan...
 
 
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If you look real close at the tomato stems, you can see fuzzy little hairs.  These little hairs will become roots.  Also, see how "leggy" the sprouts look?  See how the "dirt" doesn't come up all the way to the top?  I did that for a reason.

In the gardening section, I told about transferring my worms to new bedding.  The old bedding being worm castings or poo.  I needed to have the castings for my sprouts.  I made my starter mix which is:

Starter mix

1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
2 parts spagum moss
moisten with enough water to saturate
fill cups 2/3 full, add seeds,cover lightly.  Keep moist and in full sun for 8 hours a day.


 
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Here is my starter mix.  It is still dry.  I am using a 2 1/2 gal water jug as bucket...sort of.  I have cut the front off and can still use the handle.  Right now I am measuring the dry starter mix.  I would guess it is about 2 gallons.
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I added it to a 5 gallon bucket.
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I then added 3 cups of water, 32 oz each cup. I could have added 1 more cup.  I didn't want soup.

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I then added 2 cups of worm castings and mixed  together well.

MY FERTILIZER MIX

2 Gallon of dry starter mix
128 oz. water, warm is best
64 oz worm castings

mix completely add to cups, water from the bottom.
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This is what my fertilizer mix looks like.  I am just experimenting with this mix right now.  If it burns my tomatoes, I will start again...but I think this is more of a light feeding.  Especially the way I used it.
Worm castings are the best fertilizer because it is already broke down  molecule wise so it is readily accessible to the plants.

This might be what turns my plants from Jekyll to Hyde.  They could turn out to be spectacular!  I get so excited!  I need to get out more!  Anyway...
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I took a spoon and my fertilizer mix and carefully spooned it around the shoots.
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Then I gently pressed it close around the shoot and firmed it up a little till the cups were full.
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Here they are, cups all full with fertilizer goodness, and if you look close enough...the first "true" tomato leaf.  I want you to also notice how the plants look... more sturdy with the dirt around them.  Let's see how fast they grow with a little food....

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NUT HATCH GRASS 02/23/2010
 
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This is Nuthatch Grass.  It is a weed that is very hard to get rid of.  We have a couple small patches...this one is by my "circle".  It Looks like small onions, or maybe some bulbs coming up.  I guess digging them up is about the best way of getting rid of it.  I was reading some posts that said it took roundup a couple of weeks...but it came back. 
 
BFF 02/05/2010
 
This week, I received a call from BFF.  She was calling to "make a date" for my BD.  It is becoming a "tradition" to go get a pedicure (whether I need one or not), eat (or drink) lunch, and go see a movie.  She is so kind and generous.  We have such a good time together.  We laugh...hard...most of the day.  Sometimes I think she has more fun than me.  Or at least she is trying to.  Love ya Gal!  Hope we get another 31 years.  When they say you can't pick your family, that is not entirely true.  Because She is DEFINITELY My family.
 

Photo used under Creative Commons from Tambako the Jaguar