Garden Adventures 2017

It's started! I bought seed, planted it, it's growing, and I'm trying to not kill it all! I'm planting for my own garden as well as starting plants for others so the pressure is on. But as each year has proven, this garden will be one of great lessons learned, mistakes made, and memories created in the process. I'm constantly feeling challenged to not make forward progress because I feel as if I have no idea what I'm doing or don't have a good enough plan, but that's when David's been a great force to push me into action. For now let's keep these plants alive and hope for the best garden yet!

Here's a trip down memory lane real quick:
Year one starting our garden while we renovated our kitchen and using the flooring boxes for growing containers...

Pinching penny newly weds. Some things never change, ha!

Second year was this cold frame...

 Third year was inside our work shed with this tiny south facing window...

These years were proof of how resilience nature is because we sure as hell weren't giving them that great of a start.

Last year was moving transition so I just helped mom with her garden. Let's just say she took full advantage of her live-in grounds keepers. It was fun and turned out to be a pretty kick-ass garden...

Here is to year five...

Containers ready. I've been collecting containers from annual plants for awhile with this purpose in mind. Hoarding acceptable in this situation

Little pot filler helper

1 week in - see the tiny sprouts!

3 weeks!

Light situation is constantly changing to keep up with the growth. Using these 8 footers that David plans to use in the barn. For now they're perfect for this space.

Started to out grow their containers, starting the transplanting process to individual styrofoam cups

Propane Tank Move

These post are a long time coming but better late than never. The pictures below are when David, my brother and brother-in-law helped move our propane tank from in front of our house to behind the barn. David was able to move the tank with his tractor and then Danny and Alex brought the goods to run the line from the house to the tank. It was a pretty sweet set up and we definitely had the right men and materials for the job to be successful. No more eye sore now every time we come up to our house...win!

Tractor pulled through yet again! That thing's sweet

Danny doing what he does best

Found a helper!

Listening for the direction, Danny's a pro

Guys on the back side of the barn to receive the line. Danny nailed it

More tiny helpers!

Finishing up the connections

Repair of a drain tile that was busted during digging

After hard work it's time to play in a cardboard box

Precious peanuts

Let There Be Roots

Well, since the last post David and I have found a house! It's on over 10 acres, super long driveway (flat!!) that leads to our home tucked in the back. David has his dream barn that he's slowly getting settled in to, and the inside of the house is more than we could have imagined. It's a big house but hopefully one that will be filled with tiny feet at some point. For now we love being so close to family and spending time with our nieces and nephews.

We have started and finished projects, started and not finished projects, and dream of projects to come. For now, here's our first project we tackled, the landscape. The house was built in '07 but the previous owner didn't add landscape because they had goats they would eat anything they planted. Considering we don't plan on having free range goats, landscape was something I thought was the missing piece to finish off the outside of the house.

More project updates are to come, but for now we welcome you to our home and the adventures to ensue.

Blue grass, rhododendron, spirea, dwarf grasses, coral bells, mums, box woods and cherry tree

Mirrored image of the other side until the corner where there's a different type of coral bell, hydrangea, variegated liliope and next season hope to add a hydrangea tree (or some type of small tree)

The eye sore that is the propane tank will be moved at some point

Hosta patch with a hydrangea, grasses, cone flowers and black eyed susans (in between the grasses under the 3 windows). Also going to try and round out the gravel driveway and get grass to grow on the left side

Start of our orchard on the right with 4 apple trees! Part of the garden tilled on the left.

Existing 3 apple and 2 peach trees we're hoping to move to the orchard in late winter

The view to leave our property, very long driveway but FLAT!

The house and barn. Hope to create a wrap around driveway to the right after moving the fruit trees, but that's for another time :o)

The garden!!...2 months ago

Yah, this post is a little late, oh well. I still figured I'd post the pictures so you can see the progress this garden has made. Literally this is the best garden I've ever had! Granted, it helps when there are 4 people to help, and when you find the tool to manage weeds!! More on that later. The garden contains tomatoes (duh!), basil, peppers (hot and sweet), beets, kohlrabi, carrots, swish chard, peas, green beans, onions, shallots, potatoes, butternut squash, summer squash, acorn squash, seedless watermelon (no idea where that plant came from), and spaghetti squash. The squash problem (evident in later posts) is because mom doesn't like to to prune plants and ended up putting way too many in the garden. Oh well, it's been fun to watch it all grow and take over the garden.

Garden with a greenhouse!

Work in progress, old tarp, new door

Tomatoes, basil, potatoes in the box

View from the back corner of the garden

Basil

Green bean tee-pee!

Sooo many squash!!!

First squash to start producing

Beets and kohlrabi

Peas, swish chard, brussel spouts (?), peppers

Shallots and onions