From The Patch

What's Happening On The Homestead, May 2012

Since it has been a while since we blogged - and since so many of you comment about how you love seeing what we're up to - here's a brief overview of what's happening on the homestead... I have several posts in here that will be written with more information, so this really is just a quick overview. :)

We're working to expand our veggie garden with the goal of eating out of it all summer, and putting up enough to get us through the winter. All told, we'll have almost 600sq feet of veggie garden space once it's all in place. To accomplish this, Ben and I have been building additional raised beds; we have four of the five new beds built, with three of those in and at least somewhat planted. The fourth is huge (almost 4 yards of dirt!) and isn't seated yet, and the fifth we haven't started at all - it will be 24' x 4'! These projects have been wonderful, both for the soul as well as for Ben and I - he has helped with every little project, including planting! He has his "own" bed that he (mostly) gets to plant whatever he wants in, and he is picking the most RANDOM things - it's quite fun to see what catches his eye.

We've been blessed by a friend with some fruit trees, so we have the starts of an orchard (2 pear, one of which is grafted with 5 varieties; one Italian Prune, 3 apple, one of with is grafted as well, and one existing pie cherry tree). The raspberry patch is starting to explode, and soon we're hoping to expand with some heirloom raspberries from Janene's grandmother's house. The blueberry plants are all still in pots (which may be how they stay one more year), but we have two grape plants to go on a new pergola (not yet built) that are already in the ground.

We WERE hoping to add chickens and bees this year, but that was a "little" ambitious, so we'll see if we might make that happen next year. We did manage to get some strawberries to experiment with; we're trying a Topsy Turvy Strawberry Planter - it holds 15 plants, and thus far seems to be working nicely. We'll see how it goes. :)

Ben is finishing up his first year at preschool, and BOY has he made huge progress this year! We're so incredibly excited to see what next year brings, with kindergarten....

Savannah is now 8 months old; she's started to crawl, and she's also already working on walking (with our help, of course - she's still not even standing up on her own...). She's the happiest little one ever, and she spends all her time playing and exploring her world and smiling a smile will melt many hearts in the future. Definitely time to invest in a shotgun.... ;)

What's in the Garden (part 2)?

As promised so long ago, here's an overview (part 2) of what's in our veggie garden this year.  As I mentioned in a previous post long ago, we have an awful lot of plants in the garden this year.  Here's a list (part 2) of most of what we planted.  

 

 

 

• Eggplant:
  • Millionaire (1)
• Corn:
  • Bodacious (4)
  • Luscious (4)
  • Peaches & Cream (2)
  • Obsession (2)
• Squash:
  • Crookneck Goldstar (5)
  • Black Jack Zuchinni (1)
  • Spaghetti (1)
  • Fall Gourd Mix (1)
  • Golden Zebra (2)
• Pumpkins:
  • Knucklehead (1)
  • Lumina* (9)
  • Sugar Pie* (9)
  • Jack Be Little* (9)
  • Magic Lantern (1)
• Radishes
  • Watermelon (all from seed, waiting to see what survives)
  • D'Avignon (all from seed, waiting to see what survives)
• Carrots:
  • Atomic Red
  • Petite Sweet
  • Nana
• Herbs:
  • Basil, Genova (1)
  • Basil, Rubin (1)
  • Basil, Sweet (2 plants, 2 seeded)
  • Basil, Italian Large Leaf (1)
• Onions & Leeks:
  • Mexican Sweet Yellow (6)
  • Mexican Sweet White (6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's in YOUR garden right now?

What's in the Garden (part 1)?

As promised so long ago, here's an overview (part 1) of what's in our veggie garden this year.  This list was started WAY back in July.  Some of these things, such as the lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, etc have been consumed and moved on - in fact I (Chris) have starts ready to transplant for a fall harvest.  And since it's supposed to be almost 90 here this next week (yeah - in September!) we're probably not too late!  

 

 

As I mentioned in a previous post long ago, we have an awful lot of plants in the garden this year.  Here's a list (again, part 1!!!) of most of what we planted, if you're curious at all!  

• Tomatoes:
  • Roma (1)
  • Sungold (3)
  • Sun Sugar (2)
  • Sweet 100 (2)
  • Yellow Pear (1)
  • Better Boy (1)
  • Amana Orange (1)
  • Mortgage Lifter (1)
  • Black Icicle (1)
  • Chocolate Stripes (1)
  • Isis Candy (1)
  • Violet Jasper (1)
  • Pink Icicle (1)
  • Big Beef (1)
  • Amish Paste (1)
• Beans:
  • Caprice (5)
  • Blue Lake (6)
  • Teggia (1)
  • Tongue of Fire (1)
  • Golden Sunshine (1)
  • French Filet Maxibel (1)
• Peppers:
  • Red Beauty (7)
  • Better Bell (1)
  • Anaheim (3)
  • Golden California Wonder [Orange] (1)
  • Santa Fe Grand Hot (1)
  • Jalepeno (1)
• Tomatillos:
  • Toma Verde (4)
  • Purple (1)
• Lettuce & Greens:
  • Leaf Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Kale (3)
  • Salad Mix
  • Swiss Chard (6)
• Cucumbers
  • Marketmore 97 (2)
  • Bush Pickle (4)
  • Fanfare (1)
• Peas: (sugar snap)
• Kohlrabi (which is freakin' delicious!)
• Beets
• Brussel Sprouts (bolted, as we apparently planted it too early - we'll be adding more of these in the next couple of weeks) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon... part 2! :)

The "Lavender Bed"

If you've seen pictures of our yard before, you may have noticed a hedge lining the driveway.  This hedge looked awful, and it seriously cramped my veggie growing style by blocking the sun.  I'm finding that I'm a "bit addicted" to the garden, but especially with regards to growing food - I find it fascinating and very rewarding to be able to plant my own food, and hopefully have a bountiful harvest that we can eat all summer long - and "put up" for the winter.

Anyway, one of the first projects I tackled this year was removing that hedge.  And once it was gone, BOY did the yard open up - but there was nothing there at all (funny how that works?).  So we planted some lavender, all the way down.  This spot is about 24 feet long, and a little over 2 feet wide (I think - it's dark out, and I don't feel like going out and measuring it...). And it's packed with lavender, spaced every 18" apart!  I know I'm going to have to move some of it as it grows in, but we're really excited for it to just take over and fill that space - we love lavender, and this will even give us some to pick (who knows, maybe dried lavender will make it in to the store!)

And the bees just love it, so that can only be good for the rest of the garden....

Do you like Lavender?  Is there a particular kind that's your favorite? Why do you love it?

The Garden is aBuzz!

It's so wonderful to walk out our front door, onto our front porch, on our (mostly) quiet street, and hear a steady buzz... because the bees are at it, doing their job and pollinating away!

Our chives have flowered, and they're beautiful!  The Colombine that we need to get back to the store is in bloom, our new lavender is blooming, our big rhodi that we inherited with the house is in full color, and those wonderful bees are bouncing from one to the next, spreading the golden love from plant to plant!

Soon, our new garden bed(s) will be done, and all the new veggies will be planted.  And then we'll be working to incorporate some beautiful flowers and plants that will help keep the bees happy, and keep them buzzing all over our yard!  

It's just a perfect Spring / Summer sound!

Do you like bees in your garden?  
What are your favorite ways to attract bees and keep their attention?

We Have PLANTS at The Weed Patch!!!

A little over a week ago we started getting some of our plants in to the store, and we're just SO excited!  Part of our thrill is, of course, directly related to everything we're doing at home in the yard - and it's fun to see what some of our options are at the store.  But that's not all - we've got some amazing prices on our plants, as customers have pointed out recently.  Since the back patio isn't yet finished and opened (still have to clean it up and fix the roof...!), our current options are lined up ready for you to browse as you walk in the front door of the store - and we must admit, we think it looks pretty darn great!

We've got both annuals and perennials - from Osteospermum and fuschias (the non-hardy variety for hanging baskets) to bleeding hearts, hostas, lilys, Peonys, a killer Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) that grows SIX FEET TALL, Fuschias (the hardy variety), and SO much more... now is a great time to come in to the store!

Do you have a garden at home? What's your favorite plant(s)?

The First Harvest of 2011!

Last night I had a salad, with lettuce picked straight from the garden.  Which is silly, as we've had lettuce, spinach, arugula, and more for quite some time - but we just haven't had time to enjoy it.  So today I got some tomatoes from the store, since ours are just starts at this point; I got some chicken tenders, too.  Fresh carrots, some celery, a hard boiled egg, and some honey mustard dressing (I LOVE Lighthouse brand...) completed the tasty treat.  It was so big I had to eat it out of our mixing bowl, and I cleaned it up.  I also picked a couple of sugar snap peas to munch on, because I just couldn't wait to try them - and they were great!  There's a ton of peas that are all of a sudden ripening, the carrots just had a major growth spurt, and the chard is also almost ready!  In another post (soon) I'll tell you about our new goodies to go in the ground, but in the meantime - here's some updated pics from the garden.

 

When the Garden Started...

We have been so excited this year to really do more in our yard and garden - despite the crazy weather and colder temps that have plagued the Seattle area for so long in 2011.  We made mutiple trips to various nurseries, just exploring (which is how we found our FAVORITE nursery, My Garden - if you haven't been, or haven't been in a while, you REALLY need to check them out!) all our options and such.  We were fortunate to have one raised bed ready to go, and we did several pots to start.  That was back in late March / early April 2011.  The garden is growing nicely, but before we show you THAT I thought I'd show you some initial pictures from way back when...

 

What are you growing in your garden this year?

Is Spring FINALLY Here?

Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we've been getting going in the garden here in Seattle, we've discovered some volunteer tulips mixed in our raised bed.  More specifically, mixed in a couple of holes in the cinder blocks we used to contain our raised bed... we're not sure if the squirrels put them in there or what, but they are a surefire reminder that Spring is here... or at least, is supposed to be!

This year has been one of the coldest and wettest April months on record here in Seattle.  Our beautiful sunny days have been few and far between, and we've had to be...well... patient.  

I went outside this afternoon and found this beautiful tulip just opening up.  What a glorious sight!  And welcome, Spring - maybe?  (*note that the weather is calling for lots of mountain snow over the next couple of days, with overnight lows here in the 30s - again... *sigh*)

Has Spring Sprung where you're at?  
What the first thing that makes it truly feel like spring for you?

The Sensitive Plant...

We have recently become addicted to houseplants.  I know, it's a little silly given the fact that Spring is on our doorstep and the garden is starting to take shape, but the fact of the matter is that houseplants are simply wonderful.  We've accumulated several plants in the last couple of weeks, with an eye towards aquiring plants that will help purify our air.  There are several of these readily available - keep your eyes here for an overview of some that we have found (coming shortly!), and that we love.

Today, however, we would like to share what is perhaps our most entertaining houseplant - the aptly named sensitive plant.  These don't clean the air or anything, but they are good for a laugh - and Ben simply can't leave the poor thing alone!  Rather than trying to explain it to you, here's a fun video that does this little beauty justice.  We hope that you enjoy it, and that it brings a smile to your face!  And for those of you who are local to us, we got this little guy at Flower World for $3.99... :)