How Does Your Garden Grow?

Oh the garden is a'growin', but before I get into that I just have to comment on how much I learn from my readers. I ended up removing my FREEZER JAM post because I am a worrier. Thank you for your feedback and perspective, it is good to be reminded who my audience is through your comments and I appreciate each and every one of ya. Mwah!

Ok, so the garden. Weird things are happening. We have had a very cool summer and the two consecutive days we had with temps in the 70s made my garden panic a bit, I think. The pumpkins are very happy, but the foliage looks like it is at the end of the season. The same could be said of all of our squash. Gone are the large verdant leaves of weeks past. The yellow zucchini we planted is our champion producer this summer; I just pulled 9 more last night. Our Delicata should be ready soon and the zukes are slow and steady, which is a good thing given the number of plants I have. Our cherry tomatoes turn the corner to luscious red a handful at a time, usually just enough for C to run out and snatch them in the morning. Today I was lucky enough to be gifted the tiniest of the harvested rubies. He wants to eat tomatoes, who can complain? Well, ok, I would like to eat a few too. Oh, the sacrifices we make as parents. *giggle* The peas are DONE and I really have to go pick my shelling peas yesterday. I tore out my snap peas and now the shelling peas are begging for the same to be done to them.

It feels like summer just started this week for me, but looking at the calendar, I realized we are closer to school being back in session. Maybe that is why my garden is looking so melancholy.

Wistful feelings aside, our big garden joy this week was our Yukon Gold potatoes. My guys went outside after dinner tonight, pushed up their sleeves and dug in their hands to the soft soil. Chucking handful after handful into the wheelbarrow - a squeal and giggle and cheer. C found the first potato and he was hooked. Digging. Digging. I think potato harvesting might be right up there with Easter Egg hunting for my lil' guy. Each one brought out an, "Oh man!" and such delight. My heart warmed as I watched my husband coyly slide aside the soil time and again with his big, strong hands to leave it so C's next dig would hit treasure. Smiles all around and, of course, some grunting from the babe. She could see what fun her brother and dad were having. Satisfied with his work, C threw his hands on his hips and said, "Man, are we going to eat these bad boys up or what?" He said it twice since he knew we were chuckling after the first round. We all laughed and took the dirt, I mean potatoes, inside. After washing up, we took our 20+lovely Yukons out to the drying rack. We have some special guests coming next week and C thinks that is when we should use them. For now, he just wants to show them to his friends.

Yeah garden. Thank you.

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. ;)

Summer is here!

Zukes, Patty Pan and Sweet Onion medley for dinner. Oh sweet Summer, I have missed you!
Please click the title heading to leave a comment. We are working on this. THANKS!

Distracted

Each and every day starts with the best of intentions to get out and work in the garden, but then the kids wake up. I look out our picture window at the raised beds while eating our oatmeal and think, "I WILL get out there, just after breakfast." This is always followed with getting ready and heading to preschool/ baby group/ library/ park/ play date. The van starts with the kids strapped in and I think, "Ugh. I WILL get to the garden when we get home." You know this part. The play date goes late and you come home with these crazy little beings who physically resemble your kids, but have lost their minds. Every ounce of your energy is used from deep within that reserve you have just to the left of your spine (that is where the extra mama energy is stored, just in case you were wondering) to get the beings to sleep so they can return from their nap as your delightful children again. Oh yes, and now it is time for the garden. Sometimes. My littlest one has a quick recharge on her battery.

So my little lady and I head out to the garden with the camera, of course, and I grab my gloves and start checking the barrels. Lots of green strawberries. This is good. We will need to put some netting over them this week if we plan to actually eat them when they ripen. Check.

The peas are growing, but no pods yet. No surprises. Despite our initial difficulties with this veggie of choice, I find myself wishing we had more of them growing.

Time to look under the first cloche. Nice growth. Oooh it has been awhile. Look at that lettuce tree. Hmmm. I guess we are having a large salad tonight.

Second cloche. Growth is happening here. Phew! We have spinach, of course. I am taking mental notes for the upcoming week's menu.

Then I hear giggles. I get distracted. I look. The gloves are removed. Now I am giggling; she is a cute one.

Next thing I know I am on the ground looking at things from her perspective and there is drool running down my cheek. It is not my own.

We are rolling around on her baby quilt and she is "talking" to me. Then I send a rapid fire of kisses on to her squishy little cheeks and she smiles. So, I HAVE to do it again. 20 minutes passes and then 45. Sorry garden. I have a little sack of sugar to enjoy.

Yes, I love my garden and these days it isn't as marvelous as it could be. I get distracted, quite easily to be honest. I get distracted by flower trails and giggles, drool and new perspectives, and important little milestones that dart in front of me without warning.

Someday Garden, I promise to focus on you. Right now, I need to focus on my distractions.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

This week we have had rain and more rain to go with the rain we already had. Welcome to summer in the Pacific Northwest where you grab your polar fleece from the hook before you head to the Farmer's Market.


We are overwhelmed with green right now. This week we have been harvesting broccoli, zucchini, yellow zucchini, snap peas, lettuce and onions. Our shelling peas are just getting started and we now have green CHERRY TOMATOES. Thank goodness. I thought the day would never come. Tiny little patty pan are starting to emerge as well as some of our pumpkins. We have one tagless squash that is going gangbusters and I have absolutely no idea what it is. Time will tell. 


For a year that I vowed to avoid tomatoes, due to the heartbreak they caused last year, we have about 7 plants that have come up as volunteers and just popped up several weeks ago. I am leaving them and attempting to ignore them. If it happens, groovy, if not, my heart will not be broken twice, right?


Here is my weekly trip through the garden. I had a little PhotoShop fun at the end since I was a little overwhelmed with the amount of green in my first draft. Let me know your thoughts and please please share a link to your garden photos from this week.

Our native rose

The perfect combo of sweetness

Volunteer tomato flowers

Emerging dahlia

Squash flowers

My baby greens. Can't wait for them to change!!

Mystery squash. Any ideas???

My lovely, dreamy sweet onions.

Significantly happier raspberries

garden color

Mystery squash cluster

simple yet settling

My helper

 ***NEW to MENTAL CHEW***


This week I am using LinkyTools to help us share our gardens. Please join below or leave an old fashion link in the comments area. THANKS!

Good morning from the Garden

Heirloom lettuce. Ready to go.

Note: Do a VERY thorough removal of slugs from your lettuce before you eat it.

More peas getting ready for us. Finally.

Basil is one of my BIG crops this summer. I am hoping to make a lot of pesto.

This is the first time I have planted spring onions. They did VERY well and they are ready to pick. Now I just have to get my drying rack unpacked and built.

~Say What?!?~070511

A fun look at life from a different perspective.
One of the aspects of gardening that I truly appreciate is finding the patterns that occur in nature. Patterns are comforting and predictable; however, sometimes life is not quite what we had expected, but there is beauty to explore there as well.


Tendrils. Tendrils everywhere. Grasping to continue growing. If they don't find something to intertwine within their curls, they end up in a ball mess with no growth. Grasp and reach out to grow today.

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.

Need / Want / Like / Love 062311

I was searching through those items you just HAVE to have and I ran across this at Gardener's Supply Company.

Orchard Rack

It is a perfect little produce rack (orchard rack). I can just envision our summer and fall bounty of potatoes, onions and garlic resting here and looking beautiful to boot. They have a much larger version, but I would need to add a room on the house if I went any larger. So there it is.

What items do you dream of having for your garden?