tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36428051265644075532024-03-13T07:47:17.513-05:00Some Like It HotMy name is Laura and this is my organic garden in the Hill Country just southwest of Austin. In the spring of 2011 we moved into our current place after my garden outgrew our urban location. We now have 2 acres in which to play. We have a fenced area for the vegetable garden, a spot for chicken in the works, and tons of rocky soil that's in need of love.SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-59574947542062132382011-07-18T08:55:00.003-05:002011-07-18T08:57:19.853-05:00Site Has Moved<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I have relocated the site.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Please visit</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">willsfamilyacres.com</span></b></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-90980339590243320522011-05-10T19:22:00.016-05:002011-05-11T08:06:27.049-05:00Inside Austin Gardens Tour Preview - Holt/Doolin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHooBa43AcHIP31-dHQwPJ98GKBvdG4o757IJIjothH5hQvZBEuvzFDpZAoYVIhYtGeA7ExT5RaS-siplI4HwFhBsPdT1ulkhIk5OFGs0Pp9C4VO7JXvOLCXuZHQ8EmLzUIr2YuMSQHE/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHooBa43AcHIP31-dHQwPJ98GKBvdG4o757IJIjothH5hQvZBEuvzFDpZAoYVIhYtGeA7ExT5RaS-siplI4HwFhBsPdT1ulkhIk5OFGs0Pp9C4VO7JXvOLCXuZHQ8EmLzUIr2YuMSQHE/s400/IMG_0339.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605443081729483570" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Several of us had a chance to preview four of the homes that will be on the Master Gardeners Tour this weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed them. These are my kind of gardens. Not that the Wildflower Center sponsored tour isn't beautiful, but I like to see gardens that were created by the homeowner, gardens that I can aspire to create. If the homeowner did the heavy lifting themselves, then it's all the better. The tour will be this Saturday. More information can be found here. http://tcmastergardeners.org/what/gardentour.html<div><br /><div><div>Each of the gardens we visited were amazing in their own ways. They were so very different and I was able to get so many ideas from each of them. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Rebecca Matthews Garden - 3712 Holt Drive </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvxMGUZ5p6tCxhllbqeT5b2rgLOAJw7U0bJN-ZSPEWQFdXn0w6ASl3YuPaaXH-I0WnhkRGhZhv7LiROlhANpk_o3frFD307_i9z7opmv6JjRrtcdNseuuWNbN6KjUkyz0Fw9r8yEyBLw/s400/IMG_0346.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267565647453522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">This garden was so whimsical and fun. One thing about this garden that I didn't notice right away is the lack of grass. Often in a garden with no grass something feels a little off, but this one feels very welcoming. Rebecca said that when she moved in the back was covered with a bed of mostly-dead Bermuda. What a transformation, it gives the rest of us a little hope.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_RhqnPoclW1byg9jfoVKnyNTUKA4gPHZtH2yqdNRYQXcw9AeDMuaq6oTLVQhAxXCJwL5iDwDVfQbPSbp0P_KAh1mtfx4A6UJubbuZc7WVkio6svd7up0DBeATSktJTwgW5W2Y0kRcmM/s400/IMG_0344.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267085831996322" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ">One thing that makes this garden so inviting is all of the archways. </span></span>Here is the view as you first step into the backyard.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvGKpk0cfaaORX9mVVsnelJA7pfjy4225-qTfFhv4un5Ys4aU5vn6g9jUUG3hH5qnWGFN6rt2IIjJWrqjoFUePbXBIb4-GZ59VqZkEAP2kYtMyricHVqigeO5DHrJIJgFiKCTi5G6mgM/s400/IMG_0341.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605265686997914210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">The one here leads you into a cozy little seating area framed out with a cool chandelier.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyI6-lSLQeoXAJ-yKwJfWDeADwXzU3zdjNjLr6rcNdxmD5CZ74MOsFB7gDanithx5-tv_CgT1ar4Wr_TAz054HNklatb_8Ya2KISzTRWWcRGRmDwjBh52Y8uN6Uk2p6qdal31nScRP4BE/s400/IMG_0338.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605265671933714738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">A lovely wrought iron bridge adds interest to another pathway. The free tumbled glass from the city makes up the river bed. </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq6q0-W4RI2XdnBTIOpY7Z8WpXeUuDdFczqPdM2ivl09JAFksz9tbFije7Uv2EvQ43yBYTpA7HONWiBGCMnVDOzrbN2-L24PmGWQn3Qm6sH-XaeQtiLsnww2z6gi2De5rVYKi3dn1syM/s400/IMG_0347.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267577163150898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a few pictures of some fun garden art, placed throughout the garden. My favorite of which is this pond/fountain which uses the watering can for recirculation. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-aL8Fj4xw3c9PgokvQQVQKuv-FQrpaNcLzSNT21ivUGFPJTDBtuzwfJfHcKYBa8jBuGbrUWhAmFYRlZnGT-wpPFKxWNUnXD_h0ZerEjzesUiIwNlGrylKTGAAmg8GqoTslvHo8KWhICY/s400/IMG_0342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267078863470082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">I loved the use of gates throughout the garden. Rather than just having them against a back fence they took center stage. I just bought a small gate this weekend when we were roaming around, and I'm about to go move it to center stage. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeI8v40uZ07Gum-UTcr27T_Sbp9m1S_5GmHSQk1B3am6qefbHaz6c7rFq-HC4x717RDTaXZXwy6Ksm3iViK2eufRU82TA1b3yuuTGUejFhkLljlFFf_gkZrS2bL6To4ac81_WDRmwyRY/s400/IMG_0343.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267080579367586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">The entire garden was very bird-friendly, with cute little houses and feeders everywhere. The garden also had bee, bat, and owl houses.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLox-lJk047fEZGiWTj3jtjtB12lP9upeQ0fsI1hFczHCXYeFWEIEpJmYmOvy8YzlJsDwBuJeP6bn9nCeR6GSRJhWaaP-o-Brf5389govaGSnleZ93dhoO0bjNSd5hgMncpMoVriQM8ZQ/s400/IMG_0340.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605265678057601522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">What a cute little guy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZVOU3ORAOk_KeBhtuEzt1nWL7xHvVTgu26Jj88_tQkBa5Nelfvktl0bKHd7PiRQtouCiGv5p3gG_rLlRq3ixM_8DIY4wxjUKwRg3E8XvBADElE5ICCOBgRhNUIVLHHuaBMimsWOlREc/s400/IMG_0349.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605267578914466738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">I loved the idea of making the bird bath into a little bed. It is so unexpected.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Wendy Brennan's Garden - 3303 Doolin Drive</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTThvcvfB-_yt9S9Gq9wRTil3U1TneXkfbA48A-uR6aVt_k5vMnHsI4A3ScQrkkKXsoNfxU64dno_7GjEdklaLc1yX9SKGbgn8o36ZVPh03z5VPhQepE9O8DmHbAGyqgwB6vKKWuwLzuE/s400/IMG_0353.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605436684117486226" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">You can find this garden and and an interview with Link, the neighbor and creator on Central Texas Gardener. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89IqjZYL-ARLvI9hdIxMROoZJVin3n5tUsBMu8C7uXXj7rW6pCzpO_vKvtV2aDjb90GM5hs_kkI3MZcM4mJqR4VTp52Cj3dEuC2hgmoKp-Kcb8u0Dx3g-ndwynX3sgLlzH2vN_EsQmw0/s400/IMG_0365.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605436686445535602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">This garden is formed around this modern-style path. Link used a concrete saw to separate the plain old concrete path into these blocks and then created this geometric pattern. He did inform us that it was quite a bit of work, and not as easy as they make it out to be on the home and garden shows. Still, it was clearly worth the effort. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjczY1ICg8L9H-m9H6ZanBmE0m4pTzzlRnHfvngjIlI8uX6Rip7C-5w39OxaZrcWI4lpXQwrbCkYpOwsg5cVA5FXF94AdzdwT-f1KPQ19OTl1ZA8ZSNEesw5jO2KG1rwQz_TMq1Uq3-Y/s400/IMG_0361.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605436691598844002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">The back seating area is framed out by these homemade screens. He used air-conditioner screens that he found on clearance at Target, with chain-link fence posts. Although they aren't, they look extremely expensive, something you'd find in a high-end garden.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkVrN06-zFh7ZQetW52QvrRFlDN2BOzr_5kKNVM_TLJEZI9BuGkthnLlssvhr3idkPnr7CsdGJHpytW3mSsSv_vVXkVHEeOuWQUmfk6tEzf8f-h7GBkkWcmcWr4_1q1DZg4EhjrYM11c/s400/IMG_0355.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605440223188780402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">This old piece of ranch equipment provides a window into the river bed. The bed is framed out with a lovely assortment of well placed grasses and salvias. There are also a few small trees. Link said that Wendy really likes a sparse garden, which in this case provides a nice zen feel. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAF_4muXmN-yavO0i0EOVvtEF5h8BKNHFd41BIT-NLtyq4-n_-US9DYlHFXElS2vgOv5QL0KaexjFQopHpi877A_1ATqwaDQnilOVPzCT3orS1y1dEYdywaVNL4bGYGlsOi9UdEVND7w/s400/IMG_0359.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605440229655777682" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">These rusted water heaters are such a cool idea. They really fit the space and could easily have ended up in a landfill somewhere. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">We had a chance to view Link's garden next door, which has some of the funkiest yard art I've ever seen. He seems to be a master and sifting through items on bulk collection day and coming out with treasures.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pkiXGwIcgDgfKQbqZO7xn4mOpgMC3RO_ZGtWx8k_Ws27tFeru57ejTiqWkKPSYHY3zaih4-TtSZt2_Bm9R8mMswLF4PAJkV9gTe8fzqpIPR2Ae4G4BmlWFzpRUAA6clOvyMPd66OrSI/s400/IMG_0369.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605440252566902002" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">When I first saw these small machinery pieces, I thought they were some sort of succulent.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-MQYKZmycKcB802wr5O4WlQ5zS820yP-oVnLWGIsDO-TaaLDvj-oujXEPILl0yXNeOjOv3Icfns7D6XNBhWxjEYabubof7XdYwBhevgiPmHBGukEaByg1sGKSFAU-lCGnyxbGAbuvFQ/s400/IMG_0362.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605440244304363554" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">My first time seeing a lawn mower on a pole. It is definitely an attention getter. I love it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSfgM4XDvlFZ1E7SLCcoutvoGnPMed8EXPHcrsQ5iiXFT7Chatzxh0KJPEiog00W-hFTi9sJOsW3idGQ_YsyfaShOObTU8_Txl7WLM7lhXcvrW4ipfibEeIIJq0xc5z58tF2CTJt1ckY/s1600/IMG_0370.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSfgM4XDvlFZ1E7SLCcoutvoGnPMed8EXPHcrsQ5iiXFT7Chatzxh0KJPEiog00W-hFTi9sJOsW3idGQ_YsyfaShOObTU8_Txl7WLM7lhXcvrW4ipfibEeIIJq0xc5z58tF2CTJt1ckY/s400/IMG_0370.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605442651388458674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">This rust-colored dragon fly looks like yard art.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">I'll be posting on the other two gardens very soon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-1023000174226064012011-05-09T06:18:00.003-05:002011-05-09T06:31:22.565-05:00New Front Beds - Now Ready for Inspiration<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiiV7C8kij-qOXR6f8nyUPFUQ-LLHY6FNFbsIxpUEZyYvYQEDypNVBN-a5ecW0QPibWj3hBhWMDneBCVI-gSBx4zviOHVTTJ1viUo_r1UgM5dZXddBMW5EcrKgs4_h3I3CwlWIlDRq9s/s1600/IMG_0092-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwiiV7C8kij-qOXR6f8nyUPFUQ-LLHY6FNFbsIxpUEZyYvYQEDypNVBN-a5ecW0QPibWj3hBhWMDneBCVI-gSBx4zviOHVTTJ1viUo_r1UgM5dZXddBMW5EcrKgs4_h3I3CwlWIlDRq9s/s400/IMG_0092-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604675262005512610" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Here is the before picture. This bed was here when we moved in and although it defines the space, I don't really care for it. I really want to front yard to have a natural look. This weekend I took the stone down to the first layer and was able to make two additional beds.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVEV5aFGJnvLHcV4b-9Wm0IzkhTvO0obXD2qVn_8X9v2_bU2sl0bFSrHV-phkILiYphcAHz0SE5gbQ3eoWcFxPjEkTKk238lpogIxb4cGcrYV4Boh1ACgrA8hdF9OWQrDFsjjkvhdYzk/s1600/IMG_0331.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVEV5aFGJnvLHcV4b-9Wm0IzkhTvO0obXD2qVn_8X9v2_bU2sl0bFSrHV-phkILiYphcAHz0SE5gbQ3eoWcFxPjEkTKk238lpogIxb4cGcrYV4Boh1ACgrA8hdF9OWQrDFsjjkvhdYzk/s400/IMG_0331.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604675257195243970" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Now that I have the beds in place I need some inspiration. I know I want drought tolerant plants that will receive quite a bit of sun. I am excited for the Garden Tour coming up this weekend. It is focused on water-wise gardening, so it should be a perfect fit.</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pJplNd2eyASY6wXszGBGifzZV3FNjgfVV7F3qCuE30L54S4snFQVRiqXrK7vyxfU13wsdyMhughkoM4DHgYG2_s436pGWurcUR5jwGdgKQgCKGfX0si_F_N6Sbqtn2UlxfhYqRwonCw/s1600/IMG_0330.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pJplNd2eyASY6wXszGBGifzZV3FNjgfVV7F3qCuE30L54S4snFQVRiqXrK7vyxfU13wsdyMhughkoM4DHgYG2_s436pGWurcUR5jwGdgKQgCKGfX0si_F_N6Sbqtn2UlxfhYqRwonCw/s400/IMG_0330.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604675252641754338" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">I plan on putting in some dwarf fruit trees in the bed on the left. I hope to be able to squeeze in three, 1 peach, 1 apple, and the third is still up for debate. </div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-76668054995322261062011-05-02T05:56:00.007-05:002011-05-07T16:25:33.015-05:00Recipe: Zucchini Cole Slaw, Bubbles and Squeak<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4pePus7wWDFJDErqLXPpi9A-EVbPXRt6LH6ftrG16jOAK2ed-eSaUVSr3Mt5IqpWGgBk_zotYCvA-p12bez5bGMTF5GzLpmgdfDWCU7-PbX1aL-ELkhfAy33rGAhyphenhyphenvsrVJ6gloGorFg/s1600/IMG_0325.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgziCpZk-cWYSrjMb2Ny0E-9fvd2ui4siz7Ad_81vqg1OXSSkFeK3wpHyU1ejpbtwwxjAnmU1BcdvD01HTZPqq3VKWWmskgFvuEkDkljmJODnZCuH7H_awWhfLJafmod8lur-FCRd5Zg/s1600/IMG_0321.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgziCpZk-cWYSrjMb2Ny0E-9fvd2ui4siz7Ad_81vqg1OXSSkFeK3wpHyU1ejpbtwwxjAnmU1BcdvD01HTZPqq3VKWWmskgFvuEkDkljmJODnZCuH7H_awWhfLJafmod8lur-FCRd5Zg/s400/IMG_0321.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602074015718609538" /></a><br />What to do with all of that extra zucchini?<div><br /></div><div>We aren't too far into squash season yet, but at some point the family doesn't want to see another zucchini, even if you do hide it into a delicious loaf of bread. Last night I mixed it up with a zucchini cole slaw. My husband, who is not a huge zucchini fan, went in for seconds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fresh Veggies</div><div>2 zucchini, 1 red pepper, 1 red onion, 2 carrots</div><div><br /></div><div>Thinly slice all veggies</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- I used the peeler for the carrots to make them softer, depends on how much crunch you're going for.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the sauce </div><div><br /></div><div>Mix mayo and apple cider vinegar. Do this to taste, I believe my portion was either a 4 or 5 to 1 (mayo:vinegar). Add salt, pepper to taste and a dash of celery seed. I also added a dash of cumin to go with the smoky flavor of the BBQ chicken pizza we had with it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP4pePus7wWDFJDErqLXPpi9A-EVbPXRt6LH6ftrG16jOAK2ed-eSaUVSr3Mt5IqpWGgBk_zotYCvA-p12bez5bGMTF5GzLpmgdfDWCU7-PbX1aL-ELkhfAy33rGAhyphenhyphenvsrVJ6gloGorFg/s400/IMG_0325.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604088167065865570" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span>Bubbles and Squeak</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>This is a great way to use a mix of your late spring veggies.<div><br /></div><div>Veggies used: potatoes, onion, carrots, brussel sprouts</div><div><br /></div><div>Boil potatoes and brussel sprout halves in water or chicken broth.</div><div>Finely dice onions and carrots and cook in olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper while cooking.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once potatoes are soft and brussel sprouts have lost their leaves, drain. (You can reserve the chicken broth if you used it).</div><div><br /></div><div>Add whole potatoes to onions and carrots and mash right in, along with butter, salt, pepper to taste.</div><div><br /></div><div>Add brussel sprout leaves. I left out the centers this time, but feel free to add them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stir and serve.</div><div><br /></div><div>I served mine with a side of turkey smoked sausage. Yum!</div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-22140488668226268082011-04-29T18:08:00.003-05:002011-04-29T18:27:37.539-05:00Cucs and Tomatoes Variety Review - 1 month in<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8ms9BcPhly4C-n_oSruhpdlUci3fFGeC0TZcJOWlrHx3qLAGGaHEEVuV7pG18BSoYbR9KXJvTKxw0CSizFOVJoDd4Fp6STgetUDl8a-opO0aAkdGB4HNE5HdrzAeW-GAYomt7omuYpY/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8ms9BcPhly4C-n_oSruhpdlUci3fFGeC0TZcJOWlrHx3qLAGGaHEEVuV7pG18BSoYbR9KXJvTKxw0CSizFOVJoDd4Fp6STgetUDl8a-opO0aAkdGB4HNE5HdrzAeW-GAYomt7omuYpY/s400/IMG_0311.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147682746630674" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Suyo Long</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Not sure if you can tell from this picture, but this baby cucumber is really long. The tag says they get to be 15"! It's amazing how much of a difference I can already see between this variety and the others.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNudbM39maQULk0JMqcFMQj16p_cx-bBWWTZm3Gin5ItoZXm2sB2N_ZjPfTrDz3m-8iLrOvOQ5tdhveS0NEJSucemTCSm42J_DX8zH28X7K31BCNTeMVNotXD_jdS5nxIbJGcHcaGrFsI/s1600/IMG_0309.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNudbM39maQULk0JMqcFMQj16p_cx-bBWWTZm3Gin5ItoZXm2sB2N_ZjPfTrDz3m-8iLrOvOQ5tdhveS0NEJSucemTCSm42J_DX8zH28X7K31BCNTeMVNotXD_jdS5nxIbJGcHcaGrFsI/s400/IMG_0309.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147681870546562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Sweet Slice</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have two of these plants. (You can kind of see the other in the background). These have really done nothing. I'm hoping they take off at some point, but right now they are just wasting valuable real estate. The one has at least grabbed hold of the trellis, but barely. I'm interested to see if I get any production out of them.</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwgWr0hBOZctsF4HhXnPeZL-1IUAPwEj-iOFzy4un8mP3DAMb7fcRiV7JyD5RwwcH8ePOUAvza_3CNBCSc7SEZiZODIaQW8lcvcrFrErv2zNMIMQdVorhzk0-qYehb20kaQCs_8cJN1s/s1600/IMG_0310.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwgWr0hBOZctsF4HhXnPeZL-1IUAPwEj-iOFzy4un8mP3DAMb7fcRiV7JyD5RwwcH8ePOUAvza_3CNBCSc7SEZiZODIaQW8lcvcrFrErv2zNMIMQdVorhzk0-qYehb20kaQCs_8cJN1s/s400/IMG_0310.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147406062169378" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Suyo Long</b> </span></div></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">This one has taken off vertically and seems to be doing pretty well. It has produced a few baby cucs so far and is flowering well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmKwwkpZ5CDjv16HYTdRupyoa3YIyBvs6P9JZJjx1CiMdcMIDQhdiYPckM3KlKYpaK7DMHOuonXYU0x2EpIxyWy6sdFU_NZtcfvI4GK6K7mQZIWYkJum0jqeXwmfypzEUqCd9SBSgEdA/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmKwwkpZ5CDjv16HYTdRupyoa3YIyBvs6P9JZJjx1CiMdcMIDQhdiYPckM3KlKYpaK7DMHOuonXYU0x2EpIxyWy6sdFU_NZtcfvI4GK6K7mQZIWYkJum0jqeXwmfypzEUqCd9SBSgEdA/s400/IMG_0312.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147401481759330" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>National Pickling</b></span></div></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> Seems to like horizontal more than vertical and ignores any efforts at training it to go in a specific direction. It does have a few baby cucs and is flowering though, so I can't complain too much.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lW5xKmVlGwcf0XRtBM_pfVC3oNBg2bWa0eDG3usD7ZSVnAGZLNFgL9MlewWPzL28ku-JKsnU7BDgsHIYCG0ue0bQIMacEEHTP0Raxx8cxT0B0GVnzK9WuQGyZk6NrrdVnVlQtiRN_uE/s1600/IMG_0313.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lW5xKmVlGwcf0XRtBM_pfVC3oNBg2bWa0eDG3usD7ZSVnAGZLNFgL9MlewWPzL28ku-JKsnU7BDgsHIYCG0ue0bQIMacEEHTP0Raxx8cxT0B0GVnzK9WuQGyZk6NrrdVnVlQtiRN_uE/s400/IMG_0313.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147395332726034" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>General Lee</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">This one is growing off very well and has taken to the trellis. You can see it also seems to prefer the horizontal direction. I have three plants all heading for the exact same corner, must be something about the morning sun.</span></div></b></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37E8pf9ddoED2ZbTMe26pSezlvU2We3fz4RpzFR6Xxm75pqX9IH-ibJfQ45aEMtWNgAap4_T1u1EPgah8ENMK2x_BeknJjx_3B7J0iIKdNc3LHEEOmOu-0Ao0wyx77BUxoZwM533PoTA/s1600/IMG_0314.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37E8pf9ddoED2ZbTMe26pSezlvU2We3fz4RpzFR6Xxm75pqX9IH-ibJfQ45aEMtWNgAap4_T1u1EPgah8ENMK2x_BeknJjx_3B7J0iIKdNc3LHEEOmOu-0Ao0wyx77BUxoZwM533PoTA/s400/IMG_0314.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601147390589485442" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Lemon</b></span></div></b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> Doing well and seems to be a vertical climber, which I am very happy about. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygYhQu7_B4d2MUpNmMzXHdsMMjmqLa3nqLj-WP1aUTKGZggds5QJmWYfSTC2ySBg8pnrrKwMnh3UQbMyDWmqQDsJJH08_xMACXr1QthQmDA1udA0nXalOsNgUUcjvpbjnjwBPkBuKCy8/s1600/IMG_0315.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygYhQu7_B4d2MUpNmMzXHdsMMjmqLa3nqLj-WP1aUTKGZggds5QJmWYfSTC2ySBg8pnrrKwMnh3UQbMyDWmqQDsJJH08_xMACXr1QthQmDA1udA0nXalOsNgUUcjvpbjnjwBPkBuKCy8/s400/IMG_0315.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601146867410161826" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Roma</b> </span></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">All six of these have fruit.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SzvEpxgkcOtWuyDnYxSYNQfbKVlzBcV6UNKPJj47yeAdg9FbNJP8kcY0r1IlzkNcVnZmUO1RCMu5CL4ZE3k-BtTYJpSROSBne9yfE6Y0msbQWCVNgSpLsUqMuuGwGfodPRfFM45D16g/s1600/IMG_0316.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SzvEpxgkcOtWuyDnYxSYNQfbKVlzBcV6UNKPJj47yeAdg9FbNJP8kcY0r1IlzkNcVnZmUO1RCMu5CL4ZE3k-BtTYJpSROSBne9yfE6Y0msbQWCVNgSpLsUqMuuGwGfodPRfFM45D16g/s400/IMG_0316.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601146863756871266" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>La Roma</b> </span></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Neither of the two have fruit, but one has some pretty good flowers. I didn't think there would be much of a difference between Roma and La Roma, but apparently there is. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTmahCOrT5tI42rcm-pNeJyF_vwgYuZyRR2ZgdnLgRknpFT5xEGU8Ro8R7UGUbz2MaA_vOh7aCNKbvJbljwqhrxXkFDSFX4k2C2mgyCEEM3VcArEYXy2qQS7DqVz38q6NEWeJdbbhyKg/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTmahCOrT5tI42rcm-pNeJyF_vwgYuZyRR2ZgdnLgRknpFT5xEGU8Ro8R7UGUbz2MaA_vOh7aCNKbvJbljwqhrxXkFDSFX4k2C2mgyCEEM3VcArEYXy2qQS7DqVz38q6NEWeJdbbhyKg/s400/IMG_0317.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601146858905629250" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Black Cherry</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">These and the Sun Golds have maturing fruit, good plant growth and lots of flowers.</span></div></b></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLNKOnz1S39dTxr8D7CBWn8Tq6FsXeEUoOohyphenhyphenpg_TEo8SKYYh687TrntNcFDcWcNcerIque4kOiY52nbRqJztuuz_ztBJzAZk8ioRipyrUTid7cMi9yy3P1B500R4AS_PtvyBQo0_LdM/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLNKOnz1S39dTxr8D7CBWn8Tq6FsXeEUoOohyphenhyphenpg_TEo8SKYYh687TrntNcFDcWcNcerIque4kOiY52nbRqJztuuz_ztBJzAZk8ioRipyrUTid7cMi9yy3P1B500R4AS_PtvyBQo0_LdM/s400/IMG_0318.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601146856362618706" /></a><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Yellow Pear Cherry</b></span></div></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I have two of these and one just got it's first fruit today. I've had luck with these in the past, so I'm not too stressed about their late start.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-24559808389602054132011-04-27T07:57:00.002-05:002011-04-27T08:04:52.854-05:00Tomatillo Production<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaqfpB_5muEOuctYQj_M0HXgRVB9K1bdIih_nQWZhsp9KVmuoWZBEpARhtwSdD7pNJ_M5Xq8e8dtQXZEK2Um3NdK9x0ZtRVwriOofLOGyWT2zAXfDl7qJvdKS8dLKziABKMU82rnZsas/s1600/IMG_0218.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaqfpB_5muEOuctYQj_M0HXgRVB9K1bdIih_nQWZhsp9KVmuoWZBEpARhtwSdD7pNJ_M5Xq8e8dtQXZEK2Um3NdK9x0ZtRVwriOofLOGyWT2zAXfDl7qJvdKS8dLKziABKMU82rnZsas/s400/IMG_0218.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600246989244538482" /></a>Last year was my first year growing tomatillos. I love the flavor and couldn't wait to make all kinds of salsas and sauces, but much to my disappointment the plants would not set fruit. They finally produced about 10 total near the tail end of the summer, but that was hardly a good crop. <div><br /></div><div>I had read that you need at least two plants, since they will not self-pollinate and proceeded to plant the minimum number. This year I decided to double them and have a total of 4 in the same bed. Already I have at least 15 full size husks. I am excited to see how the summer plays out with this kind of production so early.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-21308143084093982882011-04-20T08:21:00.005-05:002011-04-24T10:54:21.646-05:00Garden Firsts<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-cmCvwHKOI3QPZAxFjMbdfc46Cm1lPp1Mrt3d7zADUU9ZWENBdU2b2uop3PKD4soLlp6Vdmnk6WmFb6lRIcjANlLa5AZ_61aS-TgfKN0W4taPvf9KtBAQ8dgRThwjf6hNkox6_1B47E/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-cmCvwHKOI3QPZAxFjMbdfc46Cm1lPp1Mrt3d7zADUU9ZWENBdU2b2uop3PKD4soLlp6Vdmnk6WmFb6lRIcjANlLa5AZ_61aS-TgfKN0W4taPvf9KtBAQ8dgRThwjf6hNkox6_1B47E/s400/IMG_0276.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599177543849302226" /></a><br />With the move and having to wait on the deer fence, my garden got in a few weeks later than I would have liked. It can be a little discouraging to see others' plants doing so well, where mine seem to be stagnant, especially my heirloom tomatoes. At least I've had a few firsts this week though, including my first ripe cherry tomato (Sun Gold).<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXw0GBJQi6YIOfOXbCvP24PZmG9qaJ9OLZIZrNKIk0HENIWU3SBz-VnlsIuMlxdddFk6eHRIKbJS8jbggK4HMSLCUFA-gl-zvAKVVFtYvazSGDzOaeTawFxTqsKmP9P4-wqimfN4Hanhg/s400/IMG_0281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599177545064414402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">First Cucumber Siting, General Lee</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBNA8-LL7mmSGMS3YMIkvdGMYFxucfF-Jg82WOSfopLO-ctYkN6XYmHSY_6nus13k_d_Dh2nHLJjTRYCmf0LlSXRhHQVk6WgOvTyBw8JKH2zCNtnk-vT3SYWU6iRU0GcW1fQPQFidLEQ/s400/IMG_0277.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599177547606566162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">First full size pepper, Hungarian Hot</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-23640827416830969242011-04-17T13:01:00.003-05:002011-04-17T13:15:34.883-05:00Not All Gardening is Fun<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtm13-TfDrxziWJDpZ0XhJPgO7Wv3eoSszPn_f3Djc_D5_U87X9mnvdbGvRBx4yD9Tplsi_9JGHp_341VNRhVLD8MMNomyvKAIbYaN2SAgCrmRzUjvk6GV96G7bLPeuZn6e1TZRsGgU0/s1600/IMG_0199.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtm13-TfDrxziWJDpZ0XhJPgO7Wv3eoSszPn_f3Djc_D5_U87X9mnvdbGvRBx4yD9Tplsi_9JGHp_341VNRhVLD8MMNomyvKAIbYaN2SAgCrmRzUjvk6GV96G7bLPeuZn6e1TZRsGgU0/s400/IMG_0199.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596617402185021842" /></a><br />Last night my friend and I were admiring the giant yucca stalk that will soon be covered in flowers, when we discovered my nemesis. <div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMuODIphyphenhyphenrlFx-oreOHN1hVUzSACZf2BHzpN5cS-nXNLEHmkfqLH6HJ46vrgXs8N-bALzi23C_teUFfLS1YzEorxOnhEZ9tMQ7mT6uPLJi9hhYL5_AJKRm1ULaI4w9n5KbBPdJCHh_H4/s400/IMG_0200.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596617396984056850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">Mixed in with the 100 or so yuccas was poison ivy. Argh!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerbnEWV2QgK5AmRRkKyDF4z_RaKfb2LvMopaPuR64v5mPL_TYYQ4IjHhtVlzBBD3w4fPNTwCPdJ3YvwRXjPENh-pY8hBtpd4tdQTn7mAfEIdexKqIA8ljebhHLFLAaxce74zO7x-bpLg/s400/IMG_0201.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596617387215846786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div>Do you know how much it sucks to pull out poison ivy while being stabbed by needles? Not only did it hurt like heck, but each little stab put a hole in my gloves, risking further poison ivy exposure.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TTqVoR0mDmYoIRZJuWWVB-I6-wjRbaaIMB_hXmryzc5iIIp4MRihRzLCFzkgIEyA-tx5QViGide72HYmre0wXgKCD3S30UCY-dlaKYvWfQRPMTV127qEUMLUrqr20f6JW6vsUBtMNnI/s400/IMG_0202.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596617383093801522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div>I wasn't able to dig out all of the ivy, since some of it was in the middle of the yucca bed, so I'll just have to keep an eye on it and regularly trim it back. I think I'll also look into trimming back that yucca. I'm not sure which will be harder to get rid of.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-41106273065335669472011-04-14T20:27:00.008-05:002011-04-14T20:38:08.516-05:00Bloom Day 4/15<div>I haven't done this in a while, and my garden is a bit sparse, but here goes...</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfRCR6twIM3cqKxNVvCkajX248tn-Plu22P801PKBAklcxG8KMbfcDi26i6e_HUqaNtOV8Zfvj4SQa0TEmRTW-243zyIeFuv3PAOQbB78kEaVbRTX05zKoGbIl0o22yemdmAFXdF4-sc/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfRCR6twIM3cqKxNVvCkajX248tn-Plu22P801PKBAklcxG8KMbfcDi26i6e_HUqaNtOV8Zfvj4SQa0TEmRTW-243zyIeFuv3PAOQbB78kEaVbRTX05zKoGbIl0o22yemdmAFXdF4-sc/s400/IMG_0105.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595617256339648994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Peach Iris </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjJoGZKmMNcsesKllItCoZuZRUvsrg-FhkZJE3hEYFeViVBiCnfqUr0DClAcaHDnXLnUZ-8XnFdSl_anaVHBg5zAZhJi8cDNqOyilV7sTMkMgJsyPQ44JX_-or5Ze-6qiZ6AZ0P7C0CQ/s1600/IMG_0169.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjJoGZKmMNcsesKllItCoZuZRUvsrg-FhkZJE3hEYFeViVBiCnfqUr0DClAcaHDnXLnUZ-8XnFdSl_anaVHBg5zAZhJi8cDNqOyilV7sTMkMgJsyPQ44JX_-or5Ze-6qiZ6AZ0P7C0CQ/s400/IMG_0169.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595617249684285314" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">White Iris</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jZjBovz-LO-Ojh9U2wv_Od6XgEbbN1TciMmlz4cdWB-LIWT-aBNHSv-fa_2MB8ORHgWZAVCZJBdgJc18LDHGecZ1TMYTaaJJWXRdcHw2FrGy7S3F5D-LfDrSM41SFb_iou1L5Ar0ki4/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jZjBovz-LO-Ojh9U2wv_Od6XgEbbN1TciMmlz4cdWB-LIWT-aBNHSv-fa_2MB8ORHgWZAVCZJBdgJc18LDHGecZ1TMYTaaJJWXRdcHw2FrGy7S3F5D-LfDrSM41SFb_iou1L5Ar0ki4/s400/IMG_0170.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595617242878182370" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Zinnia (in okra bed)</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNu-y2ZdwGtkxXNw0w91PHejx7r_idmzEcLuxl38Q5J0P4oJ70QvdfEzvpa26jIN5W-7QZJKMpM8bN94ebJG0UGQAmIgvmPRSDn8KwnTPqbzybf-AQPfYW4_l0lpFrS_7kUORhW1tuQA/s1600/IMG_0174.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNu-y2ZdwGtkxXNw0w91PHejx7r_idmzEcLuxl38Q5J0P4oJ70QvdfEzvpa26jIN5W-7QZJKMpM8bN94ebJG0UGQAmIgvmPRSDn8KwnTPqbzybf-AQPfYW4_l0lpFrS_7kUORhW1tuQA/s400/IMG_0174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595617239678295250" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Marigolds (in tomato bed)</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcLOU5c2XRNBHCecfS-N8pua9dz6AuBKNXpepRbxpjlg10FJEx4GWPSk9RBiQohfcs1p7WGizy2dtoaeB67kFUHO6udL8k0sAwFVehDJNrnzsaOvUryHQhP0v7dbJTTuTOJ_bNpRfYJo/s1600/IMG_0173.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtcLOU5c2XRNBHCecfS-N8pua9dz6AuBKNXpepRbxpjlg10FJEx4GWPSk9RBiQohfcs1p7WGizy2dtoaeB67kFUHO6udL8k0sAwFVehDJNrnzsaOvUryHQhP0v7dbJTTuTOJ_bNpRfYJo/s400/IMG_0173.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616801235881682" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">California Wonder Pepper Flower</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3pg8SG4hPxysfe9D-SZkbp0dirKr3B9TZl66Hhyphenhyphenyl1Nz2qNXx5Em8fL3EsiPHGFprIdeD9SpNMrpO4_yWBfCyz8eFp-BjiKG8I5JxPxSZFh5JO7C-1ygY1Hr-jQKpg6DiJywsHcRHOU/s1600/IMG_0175.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3pg8SG4hPxysfe9D-SZkbp0dirKr3B9TZl66Hhyphenhyphenyl1Nz2qNXx5Em8fL3EsiPHGFprIdeD9SpNMrpO4_yWBfCyz8eFp-BjiKG8I5JxPxSZFh5JO7C-1ygY1Hr-jQKpg6DiJywsHcRHOU/s400/IMG_0175.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616796163602786" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Roma Tomato Flowers</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU9hqgqAaxmqjGj1oHq65BGmqhwDIRsSCe6msqIXoLe3NZ9MDA1sMrGknwU4hresjl0VUWkyufyY7PS0XkewChrUtzk48GbYzp_QPtwy1CU5AjJZDNjzk3WBPx8inCsQMDsFxRtM9sD4/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU9hqgqAaxmqjGj1oHq65BGmqhwDIRsSCe6msqIXoLe3NZ9MDA1sMrGknwU4hresjl0VUWkyufyY7PS0XkewChrUtzk48GbYzp_QPtwy1CU5AjJZDNjzk3WBPx8inCsQMDsFxRtM9sD4/s400/IMG_0176.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616791187689618" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sweet Slice Cucumber Flower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91je3LBRXOivKt4lDgVXtOYpwuGSIV6yG6P4IB9ORk2xr2wPYzXvpnZEx4X2hR9dST1RJCGg-QtPVxJmPlHFXrHVB_Hed65RiO4fCklLEOgEsp371jjyHy0efjACnXpM5_EtpAxS5w3M/s1600/IMG_0178.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91je3LBRXOivKt4lDgVXtOYpwuGSIV6yG6P4IB9ORk2xr2wPYzXvpnZEx4X2hR9dST1RJCGg-QtPVxJmPlHFXrHVB_Hed65RiO4fCklLEOgEsp371jjyHy0efjACnXpM5_EtpAxS5w3M/s400/IMG_0178.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616787535058834" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Strawberry - much smaller than it appears. I'm not fond of this tiny variety.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkycnn4lCb1SWS7XDDBGX7v3Xsol_RllQhrZq7j_C6l6RPoyWoHD1mQBbCVT3u51JpD58gS23bho9ch1CDGde5x_eV8afsg35pqr24rWIJve7Qu7iI0fhkLpxylyfq7AaxhkrsS7mm4Rw/s1600/IMG_0179.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkycnn4lCb1SWS7XDDBGX7v3Xsol_RllQhrZq7j_C6l6RPoyWoHD1mQBbCVT3u51JpD58gS23bho9ch1CDGde5x_eV8afsg35pqr24rWIJve7Qu7iI0fhkLpxylyfq7AaxhkrsS7mm4Rw/s400/IMG_0179.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616375178313570" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Ancho St. Martin. The first pepper in the garden.</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxMZyXgU9_QWKPz_Kh-DwXzHiAWsoko3mcXpaNcc2T2u6EESTt40HSPW_RhHxv5JfZWeL0d-uehyphenhyphen4G1mg3T-CNA9Z4vp_Z3X7gqdnnoEc2FoXcClPI6SxzhTy9_vzfoxUR8XpuYO26SE/s1600/IMG_0182.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxMZyXgU9_QWKPz_Kh-DwXzHiAWsoko3mcXpaNcc2T2u6EESTt40HSPW_RhHxv5JfZWeL0d-uehyphenhyphen4G1mg3T-CNA9Z4vp_Z3X7gqdnnoEc2FoXcClPI6SxzhTy9_vzfoxUR8XpuYO26SE/s400/IMG_0182.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616366256467714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Salvia with Katydid. I'm not sure of variety. It was here when I moved in. </div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-1YwFYj3N1XE_Yjuri4oVVjXRd0ttiHdSWEbCD5sucKvgdSnnpTbAs8sfeqKxxVwqG8V9wym_1KqVPD1MFQhtZRn0F6GEX66bbM2y9BB-qihyphenhyphenpxLJ9ySBlNEWT8Y5raOVFdJTDajs1w/s1600/IMG_0186.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-1YwFYj3N1XE_Yjuri4oVVjXRd0ttiHdSWEbCD5sucKvgdSnnpTbAs8sfeqKxxVwqG8V9wym_1KqVPD1MFQhtZRn0F6GEX66bbM2y9BB-qihyphenhyphenpxLJ9ySBlNEWT8Y5raOVFdJTDajs1w/s400/IMG_0186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616369526166834" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Pink Salvia Greggi</div></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP14DpS896PLehOoioGu0G5bjtex-2Z9kSiR404nDe7k_70uThQbZHULqSODJM1lDyysOeI9lw4HZhxbMmMGsyoaE_Y0xvlybkYUGyWVBa9A4Xeziku7_6lYBvXuH7zgDMTZWBNN_BtM/s1600/IMG_0187.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzP14DpS896PLehOoioGu0G5bjtex-2Z9kSiR404nDe7k_70uThQbZHULqSODJM1lDyysOeI9lw4HZhxbMmMGsyoaE_Y0xvlybkYUGyWVBa9A4Xeziku7_6lYBvXuH7zgDMTZWBNN_BtM/s400/IMG_0187.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595616360481667410" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sunflower that will be here year round.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-88141033157767797722011-04-12T13:53:00.011-05:002011-04-12T14:57:46.142-05:00End of Sabbatical<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o4Mrq9C_A4TJgKcxcVXvriotRctkeJvaNwwVmVAJ6WqKS79q-hTWV8dTCFoqp9LlFW0DE1mLrUHkRO29ZpYNoxoshn2YPhNXOi8TsmLA7hWOCEVtbUFvuTZh6BwZw41dgG3l1HEdNQ4/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6o4Mrq9C_A4TJgKcxcVXvriotRctkeJvaNwwVmVAJ6WqKS79q-hTWV8dTCFoqp9LlFW0DE1mLrUHkRO29ZpYNoxoshn2YPhNXOi8TsmLA7hWOCEVtbUFvuTZh6BwZw41dgG3l1HEdNQ4/s400/IMG_0113.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594787314877574274" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Well, today is my last day. I've had 4 amazing weeks off. I was eligible as of August last year but purposefully waited until we moved into our new house to take it. I've accomplished so much in the garden and it's been so much fun. I've also taken some time to enjoy the view and the wildlife. The above picture is the neighbors front yard in the middle of the day.<div><br /></div><div>I started my time off with 8 cubic yards of soil. I had Hill Country Garden Soil delivered at 8:30 am on my first day. My mother-in-law was in town, who I've mentioned several times before. We moved 6 into my raised beds the first day and then topped them off the second day.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx0LV1s8AzVDKsbgtdjDonHZaTRlW8tAJ8gTOJZr9wn02Ayd1t-TYe4vtywsZiTR_Ts4zfazG9IvKXx6Gd-Xn-jhNtLBSFlmOJmo8R658jtL5r381gSDtQfKZrRDzeiKVP9KrmFTJCLk/s400/IMG_0147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594780658425972210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3k22RK4CXsRVd9rX6suAFfJR61vc9SXFWQbjFWZVDOxoegCprG_arbNiE4BVehWIQtGxiO63aruYUQhyjAvAjVeOthcy7Op0uf1xAeLPK5qKod_ewED6_U5_sLRC2Hkhgqds4l1TdFuc/s400/IMG_0148.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594780659863771970" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>On the second and third days we cleaned out all of the front beds, removing oversized red yucca plants (big pain), cutting out dead shrubs and trees, and removing weeds and (what seemed like) millions of wild onions. We then took a trip to The Natural Gardener and purchased</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBG-fvPaE4PyRPStfY-MHt6AozVGVn_9Gq-Fu6MX7iWywuASzTQHLA17kNp73QQM4gGwBseJVzyytFUWsSO-4PDTgqkBmySUV61jNBGUN1ETNugZQHCsfI-QFvxKs3KuN1RslkHrCPXYY/s400/IMG_0164.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594782478183670402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fireworks Fountain Grass</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KPkrU0aYx3v8ZoFbKagFC6M7rm4YjWtl2mf8xYpK9kIg2UUl8FXbJIuy_xLHsi1cnz9fWv8exEYINLww1na0Ncfo9AjAgJpnpF7pVxrknjoeqgwrbf-E06wPPdIyzBYa7t-626C8KTs/s400/IMG_0165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594782481895153730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blackfoot Daisies</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLEQw8SZe5XKEgEycYy3IfUgK621Zj8_fafUkQX74C2VnAKOtNUMlgaJ6obXAfk0_BNuFjnvAAnuTrn_g-ZfnXzcd2gJwPYD6Xr0OTxWYwaXnomvpcxon7XGtTcy-wSL4jRKQJzv40fs/s400/IMG_0166.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594782735693437426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Pink and White Salvia Greggi (plant - not flower is deer resistant)</div><div><br /></div><div>After mom left I picked up 2 cubic yards of mulch and then mulched the front beds and all of my raised garden beds. I also used the remaining cubic yard of soil to make a mounded raised bed for cucs and melon.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxKm667KPthiMIGp5zTDVQFfUH6hvhXzA9LIwByFAkMDb3zLy__w80NsdBDPu-crndiQHmADs1PPUQ42-6KRUCabw7JILWNOJe7T2IRqcgG5jFr9MXAkVhyTu3kx0AKB76VClEoodqnk/s400/IMG_0145.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594780646885195762" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">We added some great solar lights as well, which we found at Costco.</div><div><br /></div><div>My biggest obstacle was waiting for the deer fencing. I ordered it online without realizing that is was their busy season. It took me two weeks for the fencing to arrive. I was quite busy in the meantime, but it meant my veggies didn't get into the ground until March 29th. I was moving them in and out daily though, so I don't think they took too much of a hit.</div><div><br /></div><div>While waiting for the deer fencing, I put up the rabbit fence. My garden area is cross fenced, so I was able to staple the fencing on. I haven't dug down at all (nearly impossible), but I did bend the fencing out to help discourage them from burrowing under. </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxqPKMXcSvCL3TurFUk0VQUYGvuKN9o2RWcxU2CNKGb0bQZ8Ct9QeEjmk6urbz9fPshfdMLlZHgXHmGsEGURZ3wM0UF4DqsWmk1gDrnv7GZ9FLh91ksgq-T0XFCa2FABPSLerW7E2DXo/s400/IMG_0154.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781884740142738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div>The one thing I didn't do myself was to install the posts. I climbed on a ladder with a sledgehammer and hanged for about 5 minutes before calling my husband and telling him we were hiring someone. I was not concerned with the cost. This was a great decision. It allowed me to spend more time in the garden, rather than spending at least a week digging holes. The guys were out here with a jackhammer for at least half of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fencing arrived the day after the posts went up and I installed it myself. Luckily it wasn't too heavy and it only took me about 4 hours. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning I was finally able to put in the plants. It was a really emotional day for me as I had been without my garden for almost a year. It's amazing how quickly you can go from never having gardened to being unable to live without it. It really is how I keep my sanity. </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7DfrJmLIbIc-ymNUoG9t5J3oMtWIU9oiOi1yqP_OfaDfyqSFvkIT63F2cW2O3LGokHa9CBHzrFcwrHUydAbVi3dqp2Jm_5kpSjqNYX_ivpZd_4LUrsSJeSs8uxcjah8-BtyIbTmQCvU/s400/IMG_0155.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781891235127586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div>I also transplanted my fig tree, "Fig Stick" to a nice spot on the hill. One of the problems with planting on a hill in the hill country is limestone. I didn't think it was possible to get that many giant chunks of rock from one tiny hole. I have a lot more appreciation for every tree on the property now. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwtGyzfVtrbLjzhwDvMBhV_2M4SiutYxJRdeZz90VLP0yScEda2_6Vfg513g6tcZ-X3WwtfcJV18SVDc555sTqP057Lfk3RzRdik3ZqBRMeK_m6933nHVM3v4n9OhuXDZTC73MfFwteg/s400/IMG_0152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781317203999826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>The other problem with planting on a nice open hill is deer. On my information sheet it shows that deer do not like Fig Trees, so I didn't protect it. Big mistake! Turns out that all 8 in the group had to try it before agreeing that they didn't like it. I've since put some makeshift fencing around it, and it seems to be recovering nicely.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46WpK5zou9ofdC9Tv1J9IPh0Ug1DLdYwNNw0roZWftz6I3KEgOYyFdcNQUv8DU21tuBZc7Ll_F4YjeM-icssx2Zbesi2EQnjTCUZ7flx-L-hmMdMF3YXD76Ur-0mrjOo2v97kU17IjVY/s400/IMG_0150.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781307396070562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Fig Stick shown through the old hitching post. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also finished up my husband's pepper garden. He loves super-spicy peppers and picked out several at "It's About Thyme" - a great little nursery in far South Austin. I planted them in pots, so he can bring them inside during the winter. We built a small stand for them to keep the dogs out as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWeMBCeeSZZdKWXsPYqovy-UEvn8NdYfooHla0R62WUisdcVSjEITv2iLslS-Mjymlu3xNMoDFnPODlBHpuOGbvCxBIXmuDP0r0wAYkyT7qUbXqFfJfYb3WvEd516XPi6SSknCWld11k/s400/IMG_0159.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594782470522538130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>I've also wanted a succulent garden for a while, but have never gotten around to building one. I was inspired by the brain coral near the pool and decided to make an "underwater" succulent pot. I have three other pots with strawberries that I plan to fill as well, once they've run their course.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5Bl4P8gjbtvgzT_cdI8kGtRINpwazWOoeUHxSiplXBVnpFTu40wHD_g9jtHLeXk3Ul1tTGkLDex3D7W1ywY6Ajeej7QmK-XtSe1prKzQKLH1oNIN-6B2CSXtHd3L1hotVqnuVw7GNyQ/s400/IMG_0157.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781894709504706" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivRfdbtUMV992dtpDdTHKCaW8KcqTrUxheygdug3g3IavCMYts2CCU5o8HDjwFI1JAZ8qhynKFgwC_00ZVaLHnGpYILkvlnVwSlD6tF75dsT5AssOIoBUSkovL-W5tAL85qJP27tAURx8/s400/IMG_0158.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781896106124994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div>A few other things that were accomplished during my time off...</div><div><br /></div><div>New gutters with rain water collection. Each barrel is 200 gallons.</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixzzAvw2sI9tvxdgh6p1AbLDWc7OjGdSel7VkKSUrz021pLIGeCsWo6amd56kJsg8piAjIwNUoFLXRs63G7wjSaDCzQU2pD6hdFX9avy0L2QhbuJDIKSvYwYERMAGQgqZESqAsBh_ACIY/s400/IMG_0146.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594780654500666034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">1 for the front</div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VYGiTcVdoDG_dUUM8OLg0cxiYxijXwB8bHRuUmSQYIrxq66e9-QuF78063qL-ZNo_-xcEmsV5WuNdmSgWpOdkb5zsI4j0PCzSKOkkusvfc19iAs3IOQ4pTQYS3apRmDWEXVcH7NlkgM/s400/IMG_0153.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781321107125346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">2 for the back (vegetable garden)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pool has gone from green to a beautiful sparkling blue. I look forward to dipping in the pool after a hard days work.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBKCD3prGW7VQ_95qpd1LGA8yX8Csw9cRjraKwLw_b91wm4JY-Vigc7EKT2GvaBYdWV8Ygyeu03St1CDG7f31jHUbHnzBg_K1_xSR7iI-vfa0vkkQn0kHGa5MEAdl-Qb5A5j7kFsi-OM/s400/IMG_0160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594782475063998898" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Horseshoe Pit and Basketball Hoop installed to add to the ways to enjoy being in the outdoors.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrlIJMfv5ZrV337TWl7Y_9gYJCue5WOEnrT0-Co2c7TGoEX70iOJq20troI0jVfQWPLVq413pqrGzJ2kQW3Wxhyy-ul2QC00YM_XNjPOGZXqvh0e7JYQRqdCGxDI0dZG-z8KFF-zxUns/s400/IMG_0149.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594781301504165922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">I also managed to get us completely unpacked, except for the usual garage stuff. Good thing I'm headed back to work tomorrow. I am exhausted :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-3837379563581850912011-04-06T17:07:00.007-05:002011-04-12T18:12:00.676-05:00Vegetable Garden In<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh6-dT7L5aAt6cnmOkmQ5qfHAJYfvmtzQkZp_SA700hig9mT0nlsGNpDqYWFX9rpqNmWRHpVX1WQHGk-L-k1_nMaLtKOhD0kzPTRZ2RTIAq-Iw8fvI4molawfsnd2RC6Zo15xv83oy2s/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh6-dT7L5aAt6cnmOkmQ5qfHAJYfvmtzQkZp_SA700hig9mT0nlsGNpDqYWFX9rpqNmWRHpVX1WQHGk-L-k1_nMaLtKOhD0kzPTRZ2RTIAq-Iw8fvI4molawfsnd2RC6Zo15xv83oy2s/s400/IMG_0117.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592599103035871426" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmeUlpGfkhwzhPIFRV4FGQ-9d4xZ_sCQcwDwaWHSjqUVVA1S6OApvkA8ubQLYy3HH_7jMWeWAFFV6pZQ8vGhzagitd0Kmuq7rtlhBLNQjuVq8X6SqwBvlc2r70_eCc_WcLVsA7kjCtJY/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div>Here's the list of what I've got going this year...</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomatoes</div><div>Romas - 8</div><div>Cherries - 1 each of Sun Gold, Black Cherry, Yellow Pear, Red Pear</div><div>Black Krim - 2</div><div>Cherokee Purple - 2</div><div>Green Zebra - 1</div><div>Kellogg - 1</div><div>Homestead - 1</div><div>Lemon Boy - 1</div><div>Striped German - 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Peppers</div><div>Big Bertha - 1</div><div>Red Beauty - 2</div><div>Purple Beauty - 1</div><div>Poblano - 1</div><div>Anaheim - 1</div><div>California Wonder - 1</div><div>Serrano - 1</div><div>Jalapeno - 3</div><div>Tabasco - 1</div><div>Hot Hungarian - 1</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Tomatillos - 4</div><div>Clemson Spineless Okra - 6</div><div>Tiger Stripe Eggplant - 1</div><div><br /></div><div>Beans</div><div>Butter Beans - 4</div><div>Black Eyed Peas - 4</div><div>Yellow String Beans - 3</div><div>Green String Beans - 3</div><div><br /></div><div>Cucumbers</div><div>Sweet Slice - 2</div><div>General Lee - 1</div><div>Additional - 3 (need to get the names)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cantaloupe - 1 Sugar Queen, 2 others</div><div>Watermelon - 1 Sugar Baby, 1 Yellow</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided against squash this year. I didn't have the energy to fight those Borers.</div><div><br /></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-85591366331199842032011-02-10T12:01:00.002-06:002011-02-10T12:14:01.357-06:00Coming Back SoonIt's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since I've posted. It has been quite a year.<br /><br />I have come to love my garden so much that I decided it was time to expand. Where do you expand when your vegetables have taken up the entire front yard and you have a shaded postage stamp of a back yard? ... You move.<br /><br />We put our house up in May and it didn't sell as hoped. I had a very productive spring/summer with tons of veggies. I really got into canning - pickles, salsas, jam, tomatoes etc. All the while trying to show the house and stressing that we weren't getting any offers. Finally in September (as the spring garden had mostly died off), I decided to remove my garden. It could be that not everyone wants a giant vegetable garden in the front yard. Seeing as we live in Austin, I'm a bit surprised, but it had to go. What took 2 years to build took only a few hours to take down. In it's place is plain old bermuda grass and a few flower beds. That was a very sad weekend, but I just tried to look at the bigger picture.<br /><br />We finally got an offer on our house in January and as luck would have it, a beautiful 2 acre property popped up just when we needed it. We have our inspection this weekend and hopefully move in the end of the month, just in time for spring planting.<br /><br />I'm so excited to get back to my vegetables and back to posting. I haven't been following any blogs, as I've been pretty depressed about the whole thing. I can't wait to get reading again and see what everyone has been up to.<br /><br />Now if we can just get rid of this pesky winter!SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-42271882529198939192010-04-11T18:58:00.006-05:002010-04-11T19:28:25.258-05:00Winter Lessons - Bang for your buck veggiesAt the end of each season of vegetable gardening I like to put what I learned. My lessons this year tie in to my goal of being able to eat from my garden all year round. <div><br /></div><div>For my birthday a month or so ago my husband bought me a freezer. This may sound strange to some, but I was so excited. I immediately envisioned freezing peppers, tomatoes, green beans and okra. I didn't think of spinach, carrots and onions. I didn't consider the winter garden as a source that I would draw from all year until now. I had to clean out the carrot bed to plant the peppers, and the onions to plant the green beans. Well, it was more than we could eat so I looked into how to freeze them. Onions are extremely easy, just chop and freeze. (I use my new Foodsaver, which I highly recommend). Carrots were a bit more work since you have to add blanching to the process. It still only took my an hour or so to do 4 batches. I plan on doing the spinach this week, so I don't know the details yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>This leads back to what I learned ... I use carrots, onions, and spinach all year round and as plants go, they really don't take up too much room. Cauliflower and broccoli, on the other hand, take up huge amounts of space and aren't really a family favorite. Next winter I'll be changing my mentality to year round eating rather than trying to plant some of everything. I plan on having 2-3 beds of carrots 1-2 beds of spinach and other greens. Kohlrabi and radishes are also small, and would be great to freeze and add to all sorts of summer dishes. We love cabbage and brussel sprouts, so they'll make the cut, but in limited quantities.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did a poor job of preserving my winter herbs as well. The cilantro has already bolted and been pulled. The parsley is just about finished. Next winter I really should pick and dry enough to use throughout the summer months. </div><div><br /></div><div>Types of veggies I liked and didn't </div><div><br /></div><div>Carrots </div><div> - Purple Haze - Yum! My ultimate favorite and so pretty</div><div> - Carnival - Don't like the white ones, not great flavor, won't do again</div><div><br /></div><div>Beets</div><div> - Golden - They don't stain and taste just like the red, need I say more? I will only be planting golden beets.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cauliflower</div><div> - Multicolored - Purple and Green are really pretty for Crudite, but not so great for mashing. They do taste just as good as the white.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lettuce</div><div> - I've only had luck w/ leaf lettuce.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-14720333364295040432010-04-06T21:30:00.002-05:002010-04-06T21:35:14.939-05:00Flower Pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3eFQ4irzCiVwgUEXJe2NOYG3ZAV6TMygEQ38sAlYA9brSrX8Jn3haubzq9Tr0hZ-BfvAfT3M0besSYOA7gZM_QFs32tFQRV5Q2pPYwZV2hBN_5_b2SMJ2qUqbztS9dCMSkKiWej3T44/s1600/IMG_2349.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3eFQ4irzCiVwgUEXJe2NOYG3ZAV6TMygEQ38sAlYA9brSrX8Jn3haubzq9Tr0hZ-BfvAfT3M0besSYOA7gZM_QFs32tFQRV5Q2pPYwZV2hBN_5_b2SMJ2qUqbztS9dCMSkKiWej3T44/s400/IMG_2349.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457218091090555714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Bluebonnets</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0zzKPCHg2nLkQdKhOcwZCSbhrmi0vdGK8Y5siZGymofht-w8M0VsKwEh10cQIb83AImLxybPKyNDiQ199YnM9IfXhUZMjhihfnpxhx9fwidgMmb4zU0lR-P-xRHUvGrG6P_LTRHerzc/s1600/IMG_2328.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0zzKPCHg2nLkQdKhOcwZCSbhrmi0vdGK8Y5siZGymofht-w8M0VsKwEh10cQIb83AImLxybPKyNDiQ199YnM9IfXhUZMjhihfnpxhx9fwidgMmb4zU0lR-P-xRHUvGrG6P_LTRHerzc/s400/IMG_2328.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457218080842638306" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Bluebonnets being pollinated</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHLQkqh0c1WNUSY4s17DSVMPszATVdiiukl_yC3dV4vDQavjD7Y3WmwZzzvmVSsQp4T_9YTy9jqKZyZwUr9sWuBZugp8yHd5oTW-QGa4abxTZ7bwXeKdE9pkg9CDKD-FncexIlWzuTds/s1600/IMG_2345.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHLQkqh0c1WNUSY4s17DSVMPszATVdiiukl_yC3dV4vDQavjD7Y3WmwZzzvmVSsQp4T_9YTy9jqKZyZwUr9sWuBZugp8yHd5oTW-QGa4abxTZ7bwXeKdE9pkg9CDKD-FncexIlWzuTds/s400/IMG_2345.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457217828019675874" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Texas Star</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV57ShhEbsTTGIyVUd69glEfImqRc0viOwGZOSTs5fgGKKPYgEGsy9Ypr4GxFvT8FUfdFFOdbZd3yrVoeuj25qsWrhp920OVrzh-xr_OM91w_8eNrfpuffRTV1Ryf2lNLUZtAEJPN_Jo/s1600/IMG_2341.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV57ShhEbsTTGIyVUd69glEfImqRc0viOwGZOSTs5fgGKKPYgEGsy9Ypr4GxFvT8FUfdFFOdbZd3yrVoeuj25qsWrhp920OVrzh-xr_OM91w_8eNrfpuffRTV1Ryf2lNLUZtAEJPN_Jo/s400/IMG_2341.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457217821745866498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Shasta Daisy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5sTx7jn_rIqjQqjPDNTB9mDSd0Fxg1b9rRZ0bua6cwRc1Syd7Fj0tG3zWuV_eA7U4YV0T5F2ujnQgmLvXRQrw_Nxv18mn5JlBJXhJD4woQMB-hwY2jxfgbzOwDsGtgegusTY0JMPFIc/s1600/IMG_2337.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5sTx7jn_rIqjQqjPDNTB9mDSd0Fxg1b9rRZ0bua6cwRc1Syd7Fj0tG3zWuV_eA7U4YV0T5F2ujnQgmLvXRQrw_Nxv18mn5JlBJXhJD4woQMB-hwY2jxfgbzOwDsGtgegusTY0JMPFIc/s400/IMG_2337.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457217815032694162" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Living Easy Rose</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEAjY75uQbhQSdbVvQRZGPzue-TWuj7NJYNDnRNHRPK4Ubdne9l1CDTlIWr5WospDbopw65wIN5ScxBDh6nsPHxaDWR5XYjpbLtLFE71AK_OTh4sbRcK0-ZR-3fnA5uBJFbVJPukMzuU/s1600/IMG_2325.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOEAjY75uQbhQSdbVvQRZGPzue-TWuj7NJYNDnRNHRPK4Ubdne9l1CDTlIWr5WospDbopw65wIN5ScxBDh6nsPHxaDWR5XYjpbLtLFE71AK_OTh4sbRcK0-ZR-3fnA5uBJFbVJPukMzuU/s400/IMG_2325.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457217808518429234" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">First Knockout Rose of the season</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-42638763704525684302010-04-06T21:24:00.004-05:002010-04-07T06:43:37.703-05:00Pillbugs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jmOXKR3K0cp5QQ5OZkZ2Kt_FKtVj4hXa7wh20IpyHqVNs-9XTcPPdBJMW8AIz_8tFbwkRSUaijfnR1w7d983d6AufdRkrjRvNfm9BJ1y3CXm9jOkM9F_EX2gBJsTiO15JN2DjljCqfk/s1600/IMG_2334.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jmOXKR3K0cp5QQ5OZkZ2Kt_FKtVj4hXa7wh20IpyHqVNs-9XTcPPdBJMW8AIz_8tFbwkRSUaijfnR1w7d983d6AufdRkrjRvNfm9BJ1y3CXm9jOkM9F_EX2gBJsTiO15JN2DjljCqfk/s400/IMG_2334.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457217030759632626" /></a><br />The pillbugs in my garden are completely out of control. There have to be millions of them. I tried the beer trick, but there are just way too many of them. I accidentally tried duct tape, which captured a few hundred, but didn't put a dent in the population. I questioned whether it was the straw mulch, but determined that wasn't the issue. I tried leaving the soil exposed for a few weeks to see if they would leave on their own, nope. <div><br /></div><div>The issue with the pillbugs is that they chowdown on young seedlings as well as eating bean seedlings before they can even come up from the ground. I finally went to the Natural Gardener, since my home remedies have failed miserably. They recommended Sluggo. I'm giving it a try and will post on my results.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-68709210116025761072010-04-06T21:16:00.003-05:002010-04-06T21:24:19.410-05:00Citrus Status<div style="text-align: center;">The citrus trees are varying in stages from a handful of shoots (due to barely escaping the winter), to ripening fruit, to sweet smelling buds.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV82Ho-MaAlnoXpH7F_PswSUi25sGLqNH5Sf0jYgNxge39ghuqxtpIVR5OFVz8tqSCc4hAp_6SMylzEU354hAV6sxMAkk6qXN-ExljUqA37BDyBv32vjaslrpfTQm0Hxlv0hWGaJnGjbU/s1600/IMG_2354.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV82Ho-MaAlnoXpH7F_PswSUi25sGLqNH5Sf0jYgNxge39ghuqxtpIVR5OFVz8tqSCc4hAp_6SMylzEU354hAV6sxMAkk6qXN-ExljUqA37BDyBv32vjaslrpfTQm0Hxlv0hWGaJnGjbU/s400/IMG_2354.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214178096459570" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Lemonquat. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I was about to give up on the fruit, but it does seem to be softening, so I'll give it more time, especially since the tree is producing buds even with the existing fruit.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtczFVuSQdcKDFE1b3t8Sthoy3rmz-LR_3Fs9bcD39hLs3hGSCSeoxT-pjBnT4gyrjM8sstH61ChjOKDaRk5DyepWfPWRty4djI1k2u2N9sUeWdX-dFsBdbcO9ZUjIIXcR-xRbWFZQww/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtczFVuSQdcKDFE1b3t8Sthoy3rmz-LR_3Fs9bcD39hLs3hGSCSeoxT-pjBnT4gyrjM8sstH61ChjOKDaRk5DyepWfPWRty4djI1k2u2N9sUeWdX-dFsBdbcO9ZUjIIXcR-xRbWFZQww/s400/IMG_2353.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214173566240114" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Lemonquat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5-8fftULPB6nEFPXtRAIDwL-vGxNef0LJtkt4Df13iwSl6A62L8pTHsv44c5i2TCZqjkqx-k7Yii6IUThz5WAPgUylEIiR9Ox7NWRvOj2e0ODE0LMvlVpwAKybm7dBezi9qAx4CaPio/s1600/IMG_2352.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5-8fftULPB6nEFPXtRAIDwL-vGxNef0LJtkt4Df13iwSl6A62L8pTHsv44c5i2TCZqjkqx-k7Yii6IUThz5WAPgUylEIiR9Ox7NWRvOj2e0ODE0LMvlVpwAKybm7dBezi9qAx4CaPio/s400/IMG_2352.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214164226919778" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Satsuma</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMy4IMLxkZWWNNLcaZOZZ58sZFYrSjlExEU2Yj4zx7hQaXnCjlmFLlQszcc1c1vfNTA1VLEvHRY8RkD4tQydE61RwINezvSeuGA-qtXTYcLViReXYELK-z971YOuqi2Z91oAsNgwEEUk/s1600/IMG_2351.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMy4IMLxkZWWNNLcaZOZZ58sZFYrSjlExEU2Yj4zx7hQaXnCjlmFLlQszcc1c1vfNTA1VLEvHRY8RkD4tQydE61RwINezvSeuGA-qtXTYcLViReXYELK-z971YOuqi2Z91oAsNgwEEUk/s400/IMG_2351.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457214158428012242" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Mexican Lime. </div><div style="text-align: center;">I decided this winter that all citrus in the yard would have to survive the winter or they would be replaced. Even though the mexican lime is in a pot I decided not to cover it or bring it inside. I fully expected this tree to bite the dust, but instead it is doing better than any of the others.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I am very confused, but happy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The meyer lemon and pineapple orange have a few new branches. The kumquat has new leaves, but no buds yet.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-68757399506667373672010-03-16T14:47:00.003-05:002010-03-16T14:59:45.827-05:00Bloom Day - March 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxghqBx2cjs_mEnbrysDyQD8jgOOw3MpI2DOcF67WGAra7EzCXl7O1fOQdm6ucl-m5gKL_YdjB9lemSeYeyjxZMCrt8MGhqfJbp6QPmOFJvWHsBJZEAcGwQCUyrm2bSOygGcF9qqZZCg/s1600-h/IMG_2311.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxghqBx2cjs_mEnbrysDyQD8jgOOw3MpI2DOcF67WGAra7EzCXl7O1fOQdm6ucl-m5gKL_YdjB9lemSeYeyjxZMCrt8MGhqfJbp6QPmOFJvWHsBJZEAcGwQCUyrm2bSOygGcF9qqZZCg/s400/IMG_2311.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449322344745940290" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Bluebonnet</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX85qLEQOSWt5dLcD61sEqbz8IeDbGKLzugMbYOxl_zxEb1jV4AxjVn9lnJRwaZh1SG0AnAZuQ3q1x3bulmLOYdg6HrRBYO0e2VcILdALdboVCmTPM6a4DZtiISVxV4D_iQBxlNYloMg/s1600-h/IMG_2309.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX85qLEQOSWt5dLcD61sEqbz8IeDbGKLzugMbYOxl_zxEb1jV4AxjVn9lnJRwaZh1SG0AnAZuQ3q1x3bulmLOYdg6HrRBYO0e2VcILdALdboVCmTPM6a4DZtiISVxV4D_iQBxlNYloMg/s400/IMG_2309.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449322338264063522" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Bluebonnets</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">(Please ignore the giant weed)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0TwFHOOCSJeVSNjvG9mVi3z0Vb4gv1gI2J46PZZMuapzXAzLObC35I1vz6my1aG4jZ2VTSg-1ay4ud_FDoTNTR8oHW_XEqDNm2LrP4fEP0yQzDyW86WrzLW0eiH27FzaWePX4azM_nI/s1600-h/IMG_2316.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0TwFHOOCSJeVSNjvG9mVi3z0Vb4gv1gI2J46PZZMuapzXAzLObC35I1vz6my1aG4jZ2VTSg-1ay4ud_FDoTNTR8oHW_XEqDNm2LrP4fEP0yQzDyW86WrzLW0eiH27FzaWePX4azM_nI/s400/IMG_2316.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449322084475276818" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Strawberry</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk6R-sXnkNBpGeEb_ZqgEr3up9N0BGDXPHWAFxwUMA38CeBgM0QDjx9CiTxFlDsfDdgTPQEopObJgHFrmLGl-7Ci0gB-SWDTdfHmRDcGyWglVrbxjMgCNy6q4xbj_WwCDTjJPDEnaOt8/s1600-h/IMG_2315.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrk6R-sXnkNBpGeEb_ZqgEr3up9N0BGDXPHWAFxwUMA38CeBgM0QDjx9CiTxFlDsfDdgTPQEopObJgHFrmLGl-7Ci0gB-SWDTdfHmRDcGyWglVrbxjMgCNy6q4xbj_WwCDTjJPDEnaOt8/s400/IMG_2315.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449322074864393714" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Missouri Violet.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">I picked this up at the Garden Bloggers field trip last fall. I've completely ignored it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> It is still in the plastic bucket w/out a touch of water or protection from the cold.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I'm really loving this flower!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasGnGZIyofejled0g3gS6MMySdSD5DowD5QRzqzSlmVjZSXmAIZADbeV_x3xAipQhben29_KRqHPJk25J-4n4LYR5HZDG-8L1FyqEEFEU3_TVs9qdUzc_xZ8V4K_kr-piKNYScVvWNwk/s1600-h/IMG_2312.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasGnGZIyofejled0g3gS6MMySdSD5DowD5QRzqzSlmVjZSXmAIZADbeV_x3xAipQhben29_KRqHPJk25J-4n4LYR5HZDG-8L1FyqEEFEU3_TVs9qdUzc_xZ8V4K_kr-piKNYScVvWNwk/s400/IMG_2312.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449322068555458706" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Shasta Daisies</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N3nScWBjoAgEJ1jxi0ahbm9fJQ_9ZtfyJZNkbMqoTbVF15FuPN8-ja1mZZPfUl1xCVUGkWqbhZKbbH7dZLseCa521YB23dl9ErsNHVIiXc0n8k58y8wg6WOfodRdc0cp7cT3d1P25P4/s1600-h/IMG_2308.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_N3nScWBjoAgEJ1jxi0ahbm9fJQ_9ZtfyJZNkbMqoTbVF15FuPN8-ja1mZZPfUl1xCVUGkWqbhZKbbH7dZLseCa521YB23dl9ErsNHVIiXc0n8k58y8wg6WOfodRdc0cp7cT3d1P25P4/s400/IMG_2308.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449321645719606514" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Society Garlic</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvcTXp8resS-gS_jELGNoF0-mNs8Nt7XvDJHMkj93UxjezlO7e3M70YcnFYjLAV0kUnS5ziIWmqz28GcNKGdnexPVpvNAGcsvHqAaB3-LFxqtN0i_yc6AdYZF7OlTIn_sNKbqcr2wlaQ/s1600-h/IMG_2307.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvcTXp8resS-gS_jELGNoF0-mNs8Nt7XvDJHMkj93UxjezlO7e3M70YcnFYjLAV0kUnS5ziIWmqz28GcNKGdnexPVpvNAGcsvHqAaB3-LFxqtN0i_yc6AdYZF7OlTIn_sNKbqcr2wlaQ/s400/IMG_2307.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449321636070442754" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sweet Alyssum</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriBcftnMFNzmARYGs58P6K-8CBr4pJB2IU8Txb2MUspwwbxmLBzqhmVqQCFWcrL6xx6LsT1VJh6pcIsIsakOoJ2MFf4-HT680OXqSbwZZ-ubouFSmW29Nhyphenhyphenecx84VX_ius_htG8jcuJY/s1600-h/IMG_2306.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriBcftnMFNzmARYGs58P6K-8CBr4pJB2IU8Txb2MUspwwbxmLBzqhmVqQCFWcrL6xx6LsT1VJh6pcIsIsakOoJ2MFf4-HT680OXqSbwZZ-ubouFSmW29Nhyphenhyphenecx84VX_ius_htG8jcuJY/s400/IMG_2306.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449321631579042498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Tulips - Don't remember the variety</div></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is the second year and they look much better this year than last.</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-13489504041788884602010-03-09T22:26:00.003-06:002010-03-09T22:39:30.253-06:00Tomatoes Planted<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhOhDwJBX50I6iXCqOi6su6jV2EB-JN_sjA2zSlZKM5I_O8eD4jDtVj_o8QgK4o0LJPEjm2i0MxNRMFtX7Jm4vKGbOEf64cm3PrKFWngslQBulBmV26MpRm9Phd1tNKJg31NlIGDVsQ/s1600-h/IMG_2260.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOhOhDwJBX50I6iXCqOi6su6jV2EB-JN_sjA2zSlZKM5I_O8eD4jDtVj_o8QgK4o0LJPEjm2i0MxNRMFtX7Jm4vKGbOEf64cm3PrKFWngslQBulBmV26MpRm9Phd1tNKJg31NlIGDVsQ/s400/IMG_2260.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446857597805789362" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">I started planting tomatoes this weekend. I didn't plant all of them, as I am still clearing out the beds. By clearing out the beds I mean eating lots of winter veggies. It's a tough job but someone has to do it :) Sunday night we had a salad with two kinds of lettuce, radishes, carrots, and kohlrabi. Monday night we had my daughter's favorite, bacon-lemon brussel sprouts.</div><div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtStpw_ITZ7U4JD5G_ply21xpPyqvup4lN_YRb3z9QudoY0cU-TfSbs_Ninv4lj_bevb6hqw3tk14VVS0tjuf7snLFLPSlP3c4ZU8-JVuOROV3xfcWLjaq_DwnVCREZSgRMeCgF71FOHU/s1600-h/IMG_2259.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtStpw_ITZ7U4JD5G_ply21xpPyqvup4lN_YRb3z9QudoY0cU-TfSbs_Ninv4lj_bevb6hqw3tk14VVS0tjuf7snLFLPSlP3c4ZU8-JVuOROV3xfcWLjaq_DwnVCREZSgRMeCgF71FOHU/s400/IMG_2259.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446857592307609042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I know it's risky planting this early, but I have row cover handy, and actually used it Sunday. It was windy enough that I thought it would be a good idea to shelter the plants. It seemed to work as they look really healthy. I planted romas, pear cherries, and sweet 100 cherries.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlSK2enX4XpgeZkO3suwZKxWOV3IKhw2y_RrLL2YkgtsSkkqCtVAGpWDI6QsDn8rFddHLVqwxo11IhRPq1tqBx_OtMKxsgtXilK39XE3YlgT5GeoQfhWAAa5t8xiZ1Wwp2xyRrxmM7TE/s1600-h/IMG_2261.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlSK2enX4XpgeZkO3suwZKxWOV3IKhw2y_RrLL2YkgtsSkkqCtVAGpWDI6QsDn8rFddHLVqwxo11IhRPq1tqBx_OtMKxsgtXilK39XE3YlgT5GeoQfhWAAa5t8xiZ1Wwp2xyRrxmM7TE/s400/IMG_2261.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446857603756767890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I decided that the swiss chard takes up entirely too much room in the beds. I've seen them mixed in with flower beds and thought I'd try it. This spot was previously occupied by "Purple Heart". Although I really liked them, I like having edible chard more. The chard took quite a beating with the 80 degree temps today. I'm hoping it bounces back, otherwise, I'll be taking a trip to "The Natural Gardener" for new plants. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARS9obvb9yVgSHwirkRpFp3GuNKFUstRRqrcUlZLQesRiHylVUwrCofavRbBQurAFI7Whyphenhyphen1DtTkw6scYaJMYItbUdFuPDNn92fI-zKju3Iz4ANiu_R20n7ts-0fS3cm-GyetBI7_Lf4/s1600-h/IMG_2263.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARS9obvb9yVgSHwirkRpFp3GuNKFUstRRqrcUlZLQesRiHylVUwrCofavRbBQurAFI7Whyphenhyphen1DtTkw6scYaJMYItbUdFuPDNn92fI-zKju3Iz4ANiu_R20n7ts-0fS3cm-GyetBI7_Lf4/s400/IMG_2263.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446857610618145746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my new toy! It is just amazing for hauling dirt, rocks, and plants. </div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-30476065886845238792010-03-09T22:08:00.006-06:002010-03-09T22:31:47.350-06:00First Bluebonnet!<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dhtF_5kv0nTjS7MUajxPavZXwvjf1x_K50QhnWGJN2BPjO1XDi_egj4qcaHi7YnuDzEvF_EUu9q4Ankm4FEbJ1wbKLmg38xlhAfCZWbuMsRILIp-mvX5SGymbfz3zjoZKyouE6_WV30/s1600-h/IMG_2273.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dhtF_5kv0nTjS7MUajxPavZXwvjf1x_K50QhnWGJN2BPjO1XDi_egj4qcaHi7YnuDzEvF_EUu9q4Ankm4FEbJ1wbKLmg38xlhAfCZWbuMsRILIp-mvX5SGymbfz3zjoZKyouE6_WV30/s400/IMG_2273.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446855908781972834" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Taken this evening after getting home from work. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here's a few pictures I took this morning, before the actual flowers popped out. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM8RsV2Bk8LZtC0c7IN1cT742DkpmtHOKAIZOSZddePffG2Z0PU_Fo74CPlejNXQTXcR0ljJGMsCBpJvDhHN-2gCUAjt49-fkB2JXa2en3tej6dJSEX-_L3fPpMlNItKz42TZ6k_fzHA/s1600-h/IMG_2267.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM8RsV2Bk8LZtC0c7IN1cT742DkpmtHOKAIZOSZddePffG2Z0PU_Fo74CPlejNXQTXcR0ljJGMsCBpJvDhHN-2gCUAjt49-fkB2JXa2en3tej6dJSEX-_L3fPpMlNItKz42TZ6k_fzHA/s400/IMG_2267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446855912926278658" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tRK6kiuxc17SMF87j0raKPIcCQ8pT5f5q8esx-w_FzUDSgJ0w-_HMcALU2wtT5HlowvjwN0AGKH3-cfwK6rDkBIgeNlSbZHdA3MfaaQ57VgjL1uRIvobdvVyDoF7nfJMXbOn-3xg01s/s1600-h/IMG_2268.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tRK6kiuxc17SMF87j0raKPIcCQ8pT5f5q8esx-w_FzUDSgJ0w-_HMcALU2wtT5HlowvjwN0AGKH3-cfwK6rDkBIgeNlSbZHdA3MfaaQ57VgjL1uRIvobdvVyDoF7nfJMXbOn-3xg01s/s400/IMG_2268.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446855925042530450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>While I'm at it ... the first Society Garlic flower showed up today as well. I'm so excited for spring!</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUQO8xTfRDRKEFadnzb8WQVg3jLI4kot_HzgTh-FqF2WVyYZaM7WT6dkdBgqb77DKSe7oWPNSQtY4xa05W7dMk6kfGIklqPwGlh2TiRBmEqP8drfMeffoufb9VYcoLomd39w7LvDKwas/s1600-h/IMG_2266.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUQO8xTfRDRKEFadnzb8WQVg3jLI4kot_HzgTh-FqF2WVyYZaM7WT6dkdBgqb77DKSe7oWPNSQtY4xa05W7dMk6kfGIklqPwGlh2TiRBmEqP8drfMeffoufb9VYcoLomd39w7LvDKwas/s400/IMG_2266.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446857805604233730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-2128140553334247562010-02-20T15:14:00.004-06:002010-03-01T18:19:23.852-06:00Front Yard Update<div style="text-align: center;">I haven't posted in a while, but it's not because I've been avoiding the garden, </div><div style="text-align: center;">just too lazy to post. The last two weekends the weather has been beautiful so I've been </div><div style="text-align: center;">working on the front yard.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuIANYQ1otf5uiO19e1kbHEZsp1ThfaoWmNF1npeAZaXoNbWzYAK8TKg3NylrOe8UPVmp1B0tF85rBARZi4HWEG49YQvuf5aDaL-oNe9EMhLFL_gBODKUYT3_1VPO69vOr_JjoO5VqW4/s1600-h/IMG_2256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuIANYQ1otf5uiO19e1kbHEZsp1ThfaoWmNF1npeAZaXoNbWzYAK8TKg3NylrOe8UPVmp1B0tF85rBARZi4HWEG49YQvuf5aDaL-oNe9EMhLFL_gBODKUYT3_1VPO69vOr_JjoO5VqW4/s400/IMG_2256.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822524313112770" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">I dug out the bed on the other side of the front walk. (The first half I did over Thanksgiving break w/ my MIL). I filled the bed w/ mulch, society garlic, and "shasta" daisies. I've been wanting society garlic since I moved in 2 1/2 years ago and finally found the perfect place.</div></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8doUpVC0OyZGHXFp5Fmkxt-quo8cfYw4hZjwLFGOJBzF7_VqprD0khaqomyhgg69yGB6L3BW5lHwqSF_fUHupM-BmOZS6VGXtOeFTw-KKK0Rowyym0Lxo-tSVO3vnTqIIAh0zRkMJHkQ/s1600-h/IMG_2255.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8doUpVC0OyZGHXFp5Fmkxt-quo8cfYw4hZjwLFGOJBzF7_VqprD0khaqomyhgg69yGB6L3BW5lHwqSF_fUHupM-BmOZS6VGXtOeFTw-KKK0Rowyym0Lxo-tSVO3vnTqIIAh0zRkMJHkQ/s400/IMG_2255.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822253691226530" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I took another trip to the cemetery on sunday morning for rocks. I added a border to the front yard to help w/ erosion. I also put a border around the new melon bed that I dug out. I am very sore from swinging that pick-axe!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf-r5ubYdCR3n13W8wKf5QmL6sI3rVhnOExeSc2_1f77Tef34pVkCHUiOVgoLbw_8XJN5Yq86Bb5TIiCz4Sg5cQplDNCo1vf_S7WyxP6X3Hlp_6qBrjgQASXSUXcwG2NHlTHjzi2S8rg/s1600-h/IMG_2254.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf-r5ubYdCR3n13W8wKf5QmL6sI3rVhnOExeSc2_1f77Tef34pVkCHUiOVgoLbw_8XJN5Yq86Bb5TIiCz4Sg5cQplDNCo1vf_S7WyxP6X3Hlp_6qBrjgQASXSUXcwG2NHlTHjzi2S8rg/s400/IMG_2254.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822251184971170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ggTUA6KiqEVZON-FUY9_vXOsoR-hROqk1lo-BOdhZJLqRlPuTaUU9Xmj81J_t7Ozhn_EE-LwEDUQJvI_CaYRVLFnM8x7GNP8tmA4-D63YiV4ktGoAaUtxJmVZ7xwmRCoIKvDsDCFjJs/s1600-h/IMG_2253.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ggTUA6KiqEVZON-FUY9_vXOsoR-hROqk1lo-BOdhZJLqRlPuTaUU9Xmj81J_t7Ozhn_EE-LwEDUQJvI_CaYRVLFnM8x7GNP8tmA4-D63YiV4ktGoAaUtxJmVZ7xwmRCoIKvDsDCFjJs/s400/IMG_2253.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822236210024978" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are my new potato bags. I bought these from "Gardener's Supply Company".</div><div style="text-align: center;"> I planted the potatoes 4 weeks ago.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SXxRSfi-DhX3X0j8RVpqc77dI3NO2pb6Q_jmI3R0q8GorJZ_OIgPC_6tjI3BRXDdor_yq5-J66UxV8YiCkt3aSqz5dRa1lPBqMKrR73t4iEtxXGO_7RiV5P7rSfg8qczW_ayS5-23LE/s1600-h/IMG_2252.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SXxRSfi-DhX3X0j8RVpqc77dI3NO2pb6Q_jmI3R0q8GorJZ_OIgPC_6tjI3BRXDdor_yq5-J66UxV8YiCkt3aSqz5dRa1lPBqMKrR73t4iEtxXGO_7RiV5P7rSfg8qczW_ayS5-23LE/s400/IMG_2252.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822231008142690" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Here's the first sign of life in one of the potato bags. Thank goodness, I was starting to get worried. The paperwork I have says it takes at least 4 weeks, but I always worry until I see the first sprout. This is my first time growing potatoes so I'm excited to see how it works out.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrLViMrEPKSQArSbSMsdQYjMCFkJrlYTulBhQL7MFw-GGZX-JU5bGqCpSDy8y6o3ZzK2zjIqd7tZSDdUOl08F0vsjmGO-vnlCPxHa3Um_KF0iLDdQHsruiDJbD0t9qGwi9mtzC8y3KS8/s1600-h/IMG_2258.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrLViMrEPKSQArSbSMsdQYjMCFkJrlYTulBhQL7MFw-GGZX-JU5bGqCpSDy8y6o3ZzK2zjIqd7tZSDdUOl08F0vsjmGO-vnlCPxHa3Um_KF0iLDdQHsruiDJbD0t9qGwi9mtzC8y3KS8/s400/IMG_2258.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443822528786136482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-20059675065007075702010-02-20T15:06:00.004-06:002010-02-20T15:14:06.612-06:00Pruning the Roses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkUziFk3_GXhlXJIwAdaqxpje4KbpupLgNMRgW7bYBpGVf7D0_3WMowDpWwHEU_78q_KDFj23pwNJkkPeEeHhObeXhn72wwVKSTaoJx_hW3ZGOpv3vZlqXYrtqClvBvN6bghzhvasdVE/s1600-h/IMG_2218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkUziFk3_GXhlXJIwAdaqxpje4KbpupLgNMRgW7bYBpGVf7D0_3WMowDpWwHEU_78q_KDFj23pwNJkkPeEeHhObeXhn72wwVKSTaoJx_hW3ZGOpv3vZlqXYrtqClvBvN6bghzhvasdVE/s400/IMG_2218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440436480929873218" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div>As most Austin gardeners know, Valentine's Day is the time for pruning the rose bushes. Last sunday I cut back the Knockouts pretty significantly. I found these instructions in a flower gardening book, and I've used them for a few years now.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixULapTwyIIX5-ck3hGSHJm0nWYiqb-RoKKyZd82GlpltrpTnO15wuyfDqk4oF2eCblfweAhDR4ijiCWAkQdFRx1_Wzyv1OXv4TmNu83dVIbPq6Q-GtlfuUNLpikU4BHU2NGpuYeDmo48/s1600-h/IMG_2220.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixULapTwyIIX5-ck3hGSHJm0nWYiqb-RoKKyZd82GlpltrpTnO15wuyfDqk4oF2eCblfweAhDR4ijiCWAkQdFRx1_Wzyv1OXv4TmNu83dVIbPq6Q-GtlfuUNLpikU4BHU2NGpuYeDmo48/s400/IMG_2220.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440436466110718450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /></a></div><div>1. Cut back the smaller of any twisted canes</div><div>2. Cut out any canes smaller than a pencil</div><div>3. Cut back any dead canes</div><div>4. Thin out the bushes to give plenty of breathing room for new growth</div><div>5. Cut back the all canes by 1/3</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6pltMdi2fmsIAXSnYaeeKyGVImN8mpQ2KCireYf7sXTgGxoRMdMsh8I0zEx-DaJWj6cgYcH_oqRTmT3EBvDpMGcjSudtMEeQsu-AssFFrx_fFeDzq3Bf-onzhzPu_N1KgUeQIuFFEpA/s1600-h/IMG_2221.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6pltMdi2fmsIAXSnYaeeKyGVImN8mpQ2KCireYf7sXTgGxoRMdMsh8I0zEx-DaJWj6cgYcH_oqRTmT3EBvDpMGcjSudtMEeQsu-AssFFrx_fFeDzq3Bf-onzhzPu_N1KgUeQIuFFEpA/s400/IMG_2221.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440436458689724610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /></a></div><div>I added number 4 myself after discovering how quickly the rose bushes recover. I was scared my first year that I had over-pruned, but they came back to over 6 feet tall by the end of the season.</div><div><br /></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-89008076481886776502010-01-16T11:05:00.003-06:002010-01-16T11:10:11.795-06:00Seedling Progress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0uVdBfTvqVdOuIsuS9whrJwnlwy6nljc5HojJCiyjguH8TbNtV8S1g9Yj9IhKOjUoGrsHtvkiePpa9oRqnDYIAQ6RtN73Es1k2WDazG4hu0QuHUopxs2qV2XoBim74De6Kc_f7aj5gY/s1600-h/IMG_2211.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0uVdBfTvqVdOuIsuS9whrJwnlwy6nljc5HojJCiyjguH8TbNtV8S1g9Yj9IhKOjUoGrsHtvkiePpa9oRqnDYIAQ6RtN73Es1k2WDazG4hu0QuHUopxs2qV2XoBim74De6Kc_f7aj5gY/s400/IMG_2211.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427385053491622162" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Romas & Cherokees</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just moved these to the grow light shelf yesterday, so they still look as little sad. The true leaves haven't shown up yet, but should within the next few days. </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GrUwPzgjwjDGYDWRxD5GEskDystumH2wSv4ao094EmqPOGEcLBgA29qkP5Dv9YivWW9hxlJXx5egdAoiQTbzzP2wZtnCH-Sfl-PQv59SNgmR8GHSRkwRM5EaFEMTrOzG8p51fAhR1fw/s1600-h/IMG_2210.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GrUwPzgjwjDGYDWRxD5GEskDystumH2wSv4ao094EmqPOGEcLBgA29qkP5Dv9YivWW9hxlJXx5egdAoiQTbzzP2wZtnCH-Sfl-PQv59SNgmR8GHSRkwRM5EaFEMTrOzG8p51fAhR1fw/s400/IMG_2210.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427385049888877986" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Peppers, Romas and Herbs</div><div style="text-align: center;">The peppers are looking really great. They are already growing their third set of leaves. I thinned them out this morning to give them a little more room to grow.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I did some calculations and realized that I will be running out of space once I transfer to 4" pots, even w/ 18 sq ft! I'll probably have to use the window a little bit this year as well. </div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-52500165428057914132010-01-10T09:56:00.004-06:002010-01-16T11:02:04.186-06:00New Seeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XhALrLdh1Sl4oTPeostD0th-UlSarQUr5C4lG_4pqvr05hxT9eLXC-ZE3jlTyLLaLRooSH2mVPNN5hmynVM434FjUPzzDO4rIYjq98O_zhj2R2TaiV8_Uep6iBlDWUnUhbFkBgJCc_0/s1600-h/IMG_2194.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XhALrLdh1Sl4oTPeostD0th-UlSarQUr5C4lG_4pqvr05hxT9eLXC-ZE3jlTyLLaLRooSH2mVPNN5hmynVM434FjUPzzDO4rIYjq98O_zhj2R2TaiV8_Uep6iBlDWUnUhbFkBgJCc_0/s400/IMG_2194.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427382981544576274" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Friday the 8th during my lunch break I drove to The Natural Gardener and picked up some seed packets. Since the peppers and herbs are well underway, it's time for tomatoes. I picked up "yellow pear" cherry, "supersweet 100" cherry, "cherokee purple", "green zebra", and "celebrity". I also bought toma verde tomatillos and some amaranth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Planting Dates</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Romas - Jan 7th</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cherokee, Zebra - Jan 10th</div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Cherries, Celebrity - Jan 16th</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2Hsf0AFbLul_14EtgO6uK_0lM4nw-QRCrXiEu1BNmdh1Q0XrSlXTdO3wd5sor1m_SquXJsNEMZ-jC0ocZTtOHOVtVffoVIi7R6rdTk62ARCnuV8c86BCOgdGa-OuoGckmte8kD60Omc/s1600-h/IMG_2207.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2Hsf0AFbLul_14EtgO6uK_0lM4nw-QRCrXiEu1BNmdh1Q0XrSlXTdO3wd5sor1m_SquXJsNEMZ-jC0ocZTtOHOVtVffoVIi7R6rdTk62ARCnuV8c86BCOgdGa-OuoGckmte8kD60Omc/s400/IMG_2207.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427382975836195890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Last fall I spoke to The Natural Gardener about making my own seed mix. They recommended a mix of Worm Castings, Perlite, and Vermiculite. As for amounts, you want it too retain moisture, but not be too soggy. The amounts I have used for my seed mix are 4 parts perlite, 3 parts worm castings and 2 parts vermiculite. So far it's working great.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2Hsf0AFbLul_14EtgO6uK_0lM4nw-QRCrXiEu1BNmdh1Q0XrSlXTdO3wd5sor1m_SquXJsNEMZ-jC0ocZTtOHOVtVffoVIi7R6rdTk62ARCnuV8c86BCOgdGa-OuoGckmte8kD60Omc/s1600-h/IMG_2207.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hB8Brm00Wj1duuHnXgYrBsMdr9rZu6Q6VUJrlMS10cuaqTeuwBSlIgaG8fLWXqCLMn2bPbk2IsxLUkaHmW64fs4WcRJTM28QIzb3BUMhuGsm2apGwNzgiNElXTV1vVzL8s9rG2rad9U/s1600-h/IMG_2206.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hB8Brm00Wj1duuHnXgYrBsMdr9rZu6Q6VUJrlMS10cuaqTeuwBSlIgaG8fLWXqCLMn2bPbk2IsxLUkaHmW64fs4WcRJTM28QIzb3BUMhuGsm2apGwNzgiNElXTV1vVzL8s9rG2rad9U/s400/IMG_2206.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427382972838002994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /></a></span></span></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-60580425153120999722010-01-04T21:08:00.003-06:002010-01-04T21:21:52.972-06:00Canning<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">The cold weather can be a bit discouraging. I found I had a bit of cabin fever over the break, all of the time off and too cold to go outside. I'm not as brave as some, as under 60 degrees is pretty much off limits for me. The few nice days that we did have were spent outside with the family roaming around.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I did manage to put some of my time to good use, practicing my canning skills. Canning is a necessary step for my goal of eventually eating produce only from my garden. They also make great gifts :)</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbqrTlf5_0glczpEKAN3Uj_Q31gFfzy7WU0q8fPDLydAzMUlLJ2YHPrUKr5lfMN0hmLR9nff98Nfg3nCy81b-8sG3hSlNJwl28gSrS8WD36YRBRBeRvSTdL7FggBbuUDoT_NE_zo3cqY/s1600-h/IMG_2189.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbqrTlf5_0glczpEKAN3Uj_Q31gFfzy7WU0q8fPDLydAzMUlLJ2YHPrUKr5lfMN0hmLR9nff98Nfg3nCy81b-8sG3hSlNJwl28gSrS8WD36YRBRBeRvSTdL7FggBbuUDoT_NE_zo3cqY/s400/IMG_2189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423088750552320114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I used Jenny's recipe from "Rock Rose". This recipe was so delicious, I'll be using it again. It was also very easy. My 12 year old daughter made a batch and turned it into shortbread lemon bars, mmm! I've frozen several bottles for later.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazo3WmAmDC8TE5sMLA9SjDE5eSE0EyeFe8yu2s8vERCOtO3rhPAvGJCopU0cRnMrFTsfT4kD2M4ZBKQC7Lo8mS-j0xGkkq3Dh6yXTHMJvwrdFh2UqC8-pYTABlB6vNY9UnoNb_xCKqEU/s1600-h/IMG_2184.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazo3WmAmDC8TE5sMLA9SjDE5eSE0EyeFe8yu2s8vERCOtO3rhPAvGJCopU0cRnMrFTsfT4kD2M4ZBKQC7Lo8mS-j0xGkkq3Dh6yXTHMJvwrdFh2UqC8-pYTABlB6vNY9UnoNb_xCKqEU/s400/IMG_2184.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423087361274874194" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">This corn relish recipe is from the official Ball canning cookbook. It uses frozen corn, which is always in season, and cabbage straight from the garden. It has a great vinegar bite to it, with a nice sweetness as well. Next time I may add a little heat.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWeuUWvMSWj8EPLnwVVX7Ua3cL0M9npQzVfn-6oUNNVuB_Q_yXntsqTePIUw-ar6g_eG7XWGISD4Vzim4GZ9u64BCU8T0tK2k4JZLYoJXWXQSl0_uSsuKTMP1rzCUz6_QqzN2qZrzzM4/s1600-h/IMG_2187.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWeuUWvMSWj8EPLnwVVX7Ua3cL0M9npQzVfn-6oUNNVuB_Q_yXntsqTePIUw-ar6g_eG7XWGISD4Vzim4GZ9u64BCU8T0tK2k4JZLYoJXWXQSl0_uSsuKTMP1rzCUz6_QqzN2qZrzzM4/s400/IMG_2187.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423087356172512834" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Fig Jam. This was my first attempt at jam. It was very easy and turned out well. This one is made with dried figs, so can be made year round. This was also from the Ball cookbook.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642805126564407553.post-1028788289905819532010-01-04T20:39:00.003-06:002010-01-04T20:52:30.672-06:00Christmas Present - Jump Start on Spring<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1w1yWMgYunEILjlKQZMUuhWBUwNBQqjWBFidUxe1w4K8yCKuj3S37WcigBj9TCOrOOaYw3HEf1oWQsrM9BDYiF-blchrPU4pgI-aTNMWUOChnUPJfeQX9FJEU_XA2w9rRMUN2N2s-ec/s1600-h/IMG_2182.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1w1yWMgYunEILjlKQZMUuhWBUwNBQqjWBFidUxe1w4K8yCKuj3S37WcigBj9TCOrOOaYw3HEf1oWQsrM9BDYiF-blchrPU4pgI-aTNMWUOChnUPJfeQX9FJEU_XA2w9rRMUN2N2s-ec/s400/IMG_2182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423080781400616402" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">For Christmas this year my husband bought me this awesome new grow light from Gardeners Supply Company. Last year I grew seedlings in the back window, which was less than ideal. I had a small space and not enough light. Now I have 18 sq ft to grow my seedlings. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtjCInjTfGeGCQI1xQmQqSlwgUJ1zS5yq5gjvR-uopeOLimi35Wyrcu1XWAgFgOC7qBDJY9nN7HcWQd2tZUKUfPb8Ljh69cyGqW0liakaRPDKD32jLmucSxSwGIg_OXVlymkzOoWyGZo/s1600-h/IMG_2183.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtjCInjTfGeGCQI1xQmQqSlwgUJ1zS5yq5gjvR-uopeOLimi35Wyrcu1XWAgFgOC7qBDJY9nN7HcWQd2tZUKUfPb8Ljh69cyGqW0liakaRPDKD32jLmucSxSwGIg_OXVlymkzOoWyGZo/s400/IMG_2183.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423080768996310562" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Here's my little greenhouse. I only have 1 heating mat, which I may have to expand to two soon, since my light is eagerly awaiting more seedlings. There are jalapenos, poblanos, wonder bells, basil, dill and summer savory. The poblanos and bells were planted on the 26th, just a little slow to germinate. The others were planted on January 3rd.</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7MpmU1ylbNgln4kDu7VTzqd1D9yJfp__WFI7WRv1Fv2AYVcD0o_brCAFDfC7XXali879HKGkozv7HdeRNSLD-66ep6JG0o9iK8OYXxFBSBrOHtRe_vHxy_9oP9LizeLzhYeWjAF28U0/s1600-h/IMG_2181.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7MpmU1ylbNgln4kDu7VTzqd1D9yJfp__WFI7WRv1Fv2AYVcD0o_brCAFDfC7XXali879HKGkozv7HdeRNSLD-66ep6JG0o9iK8OYXxFBSBrOHtRe_vHxy_9oP9LizeLzhYeWjAF28U0/s400/IMG_2181.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423080768640806066" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Here are the first seedlings under the grow light. These are serranos, purple beauty and canary bell peppers. These were planted on December 26th.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just for fun I thought I'd share a few pictures of my purple veggies. We cut these up and had them for snacks on New Year's Eve.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYke1XW4xU96e2MaCUOB73JCdIuc5TzkGDJKB5E25iS6e12Ybs-6a1wcpxRE5LhF52DntboFFqlJ-cuWYAQj3Q-HwEOO7vvtRrVIcG_TaufwtEybmTv5rW0YuJ7mqYz9-g5hrH1DB1YuU/s1600-h/IMG_2163.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYke1XW4xU96e2MaCUOB73JCdIuc5TzkGDJKB5E25iS6e12Ybs-6a1wcpxRE5LhF52DntboFFqlJ-cuWYAQj3Q-HwEOO7vvtRrVIcG_TaufwtEybmTv5rW0YuJ7mqYz9-g5hrH1DB1YuU/s400/IMG_2163.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423080758265880082" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Chef's Choice Blend Cauliflower</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0VlT3NthKl42ieZ6B66_lgENjopEzEnJTHS8EEo0acvZGtuR__4nnaj71DHXh0nDu5Xy9-Cm8_tY9oCJk_5H1FlKpKthlCWjVik318Z_-yfJxy3gq1AP0_vlRfoHTYdIfoKibD6qUgA/s1600-h/IMG_2162.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0VlT3NthKl42ieZ6B66_lgENjopEzEnJTHS8EEo0acvZGtuR__4nnaj71DHXh0nDu5Xy9-Cm8_tY9oCJk_5H1FlKpKthlCWjVik318Z_-yfJxy3gq1AP0_vlRfoHTYdIfoKibD6qUgA/s400/IMG_2162.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423080752004547890" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Purple Haze Carrots. </div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Both of these varieties are grown at the White House Garden. I saw them last night</div><div style="text-align: center;"> on the food network, pretty cool!</div>SomeLikeItHothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03158324705496471075noreply@blogger.com3