How Does Your Garden Grow? {June 19, 2012}

The deer are back...through the netting. I'm not kidding. They topped my carrots and chard and took some of my precious kale. Yes, that came out, precious kale. They have started moving in on my raspberry plants and I HAVE to get my sprinkler system out tomorrow if I hope to save anything. They ignored the "Deer Away" bells o' stinkiness. They bit one of my onions...and spit it out. Bah. Sprinkler. Tomorrow.

My beautiful and delicious Lacinato Kale. Best. Ever.

My potato plants have gone W I L D! I have piled them up twice and then they exploded. Now I think it is too late to attempt another level. Thoughts?

Summer Savory. Oh. So. Good. Grow some, you will love it.

Trapped, but safe. We are eating these red rubies of juicy goodness daily.

Peas are another daily treat. I head out in the morning with the kids and they head straight for the snap peas...until they see me at the strawberries.

I can't believe these have not been in my life every Spring. The scapes are incredible. Lil Miss picks very last one off her plate. Tonight we sauteed them with a little Soy Vay and a mix of greens. Heavenly.

How could I have ignored these curly-Q's that are such a treat? I was taking pictures of them. That's all. Thank goodness we finally started eating them. It does make me wonder, what else am I missing?

Seascape Strawberries. I will plant even more next year.

We went camping this past weekend and the Good Apple thought it would be fun to make s'mores tonight since we had leftovers. Chocolatey marshmallowy melty graham cracker treat was pushed aside for a red, ripe strawberry. Atta boy. Then he found that chocolate and strawberries are a delicious combination. Uh oh.

 

Before I leave, I have to mention my little giveaway for this awesome item:

Click here to find out more. reCap Mason Jar lids. Yes. They are oh so cool. Go on...click.

So...how is your garden doing? What are you eating these days? Have a marvelous Summer Solstice!

 

How Does Your Garden Grow? {May 29, 2012} ...finally!

I have to start with this carrot. You see, we haven't had much luck with carrots over the years and when we saw these greens bursting forth from our garden, we really thought we were on to something great. The pride was incredible...and then we pulled it. Gardening sure can be humbling.

 These are some of my Hidatsa Reds. I threw seeds in every conceivable spot in our yard this year. This planter usually houses rosemary and tulips. This year I added in beans, sunflowers and potatoes. Yes, I had a couple extra...why not?

 Do you think I should thin out my cucumbers? I haven't had much luck with these over the years either. I planted some seed in some containers which I WILL thin, however, I am not sure what will be best for them after I do that. Tomato cage? Put next to a wall with a trellis? I am completely open to suggestions.

A special welcome to Flash, our newest source of fertilizer joy! He is incredibly sweet and the kids adore him. We haven't had a pet since our pup passed away two years ago. There is a pretty good chance that I just broke the dam. You see, at one point I had a 250 gallon salt water tank, 10 goldfish, 2 geckos. 5 toads, 2 hamsters and a dog. Then came the Lil Man and only the dog and goldfish stayed. I like pets...stay tuned.

 The peas are doing their pea thing. A friend, who is incredibly talented in the kitchen, suggested sautéing the tendrils and that they are one of her absolute favorite things. We are trying them tonight.

 Hmmm...pests. I am guessing that these are of the hoofed variety. The netting must go back down. Sad. The Good Apple will tell you that he doesn't mind if the deer eat his share of the chard, little does he know that it has been in all of his salads lately. Ya, take that. 

 The Lemon Balm is a constant battle these days, so buyer beware. Apparently, deer don't like to eat it...

...so they HAD to move right on to the chard!! It is encroaching on everything and I am pulling it out of my beds almost daily. Wahhhh. I know. Does my chard need a little thinning? Yes, and THAT is what I have been putting in our salads...the bits that I am thinning out! A friend gave me that great idea and we have been enjoying the "thinnings" from our spinach, chard and kale in most of our salads.


Our sunflower seed starts were over a foot tall and a wee bit pathetic, so I planted all 50+ of them today in various parts of the yard. Fingers crossed, these are another plant I have not had as much success as I would like. I had set out to plant them with the Lil Man since he started them, however, his new KungFu Panda toys won and I was left to plant on my own...or so I thought. Lil Miss (who had just ripped off her diaper and threw it in the grass) handed me each and every sunflower start. My mama heart was l e a p i n g. Honestly, it made my day to have her want to help out. Back and forth to the tray, she brought them to me, one by one. Love.

I am still doing my photo a day challenge and I just had to share this little beauty that I captured yesterday. I love poppies even though they never last long. Look at that red. Divine.

So...tell me...how is your garden doing?

All photos are taken by Val Curtis and can be used with permission only.

How Does Your Garden Grow? 072611

Today felt like a garden love story. I had about 5 minutes to take pics in the garden before the day got too bright and I headed out with a feeling of despair. What WILL I take pictures of today? At first I was a grump, the deer nipped off all of my strawberries and plants in one barrel because the netting came off and I for got to replace it AND my beloved snap peas were on their way out. Grrrrrrr.

I hope you enjoyed them Bambi.

Bye Bye Snaps

But then, the zukes, the shelling peas, oh the shelling peas and their beautifully frantic tendrils. Then my onions which are the LOVE of my garden this summer. They are gorgeous, deliciously sweet and plentiful. What more could I ask for? Then I continue on to find new pumpkins, a RED cherry tomato and more. Here is a photo tour. Enjoy and Angela, please don't lick your screen! ;)

Canoe Shelling Peas

Tendrils

More tendrils

Tendrils, do you see why I love them so?

Onion love. These babies are a gardener's dream.

Sorry broccoli, I forgot about you. But did you see the onions? and the tendrils?

Baby pumpkin  

Protecting my babies 

Do you see the RED?!?!

Vegetable Jungle Madness

Soon.

How does YOUR garden grow?? Please share I want to see yours. I showed you mine. ;)

Deer, Sprinklers and Sounds

Ok, so I sent my kid barking after deer. Whatever.

I am beginning to feel a wee bit neurotic about protecting my garden. Is this normal?

Time spent relocating motion detector sprinkler this afternoon, 10 minutes. Really?!? Really. I had to get it just right. Protect the beds and the strawberries. Protect the pumpkins and watermelons. I won't even mention how many times I got tagged in the face by the #%?! thing. Yes, I had turned it off, thank you. But then I kept forgetting, again and again. I hope my neighbor saw some of the display and was entertained. I was just getting pissy.

Now I am sitting in my favorite chair, watching "Master Chef" and listening. The sprinkler has gone off a couple of times. Pressing my face against the window to the dark outdoors doesn't provide me with much of a view. Maybe if I press it a l i t t l e bit harder, it will make a difference. No. I can't see squat. Fingers crossed. Cursing under my breath (everyone is asleep). Ugh.

What extent would you go to to protect your harvest?

Please share.