Ok, Ok, it has been another year since we worked on this blog. Melanie had a baby and I am a lousy blogger. However, my adventures with gardening and hers are going to be documented this year.
Melanie has been trying to work with her soil and large, large boulder infested garden. She has so much to plant and it just takes time if you are doing it yourself and can't afford (who can) a landscaper to come in and complete the job. I am working with a yard that was in before I came to this place and is mostly lawn. Getting my husband to give up grass is like asking him to give up a child or something. It is very hard for him and so it takes forever to expand gardens and get flower beds. But is is happening.
I have been gardening with the garden boxes from Earthboxes. I love them. They are great. But I also have areas in my garden, small areas that I can plant like a regular garden. We purchased the Earthboxes when we were in Oregon. The garden area I had there was so small and the dirt so compact that it would have taken a massive amount of time to work in compost and make the soil worth planting in. We tried four Earthboxes and loved the results. There were no weeds and less watering. So the next year we purchased two more. I have been planting in them for 10 years now and really love the results. However, occasionally I miss digging weeds and working the soil more. There are somethings that I do no grow in them like - beets, carrots, turnips - mostly root crops. I know I can but I haven't tried them in the boxes yet. I do grow them in my little dirt patch along side the boxes.
So - we start another year of gardening. I have already set-out, finally, it is Idaho weather - eastern Idaho weather so putting tomatoes out before the end of May is futile, so tomatoes are out, peppers, cucumbers, squash of all kinds and I am trying a pumpkin and watermelon. My growing season is a little shorter than Melanie's but we will see. Pictures are coming. Plus also out is lettuce, kale, chard and broccoli. I have planted herbs of all kinds and have harvested some of the basil since the plant I bought was huge.
I am hoping for a really great gardening year.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Monday, June 11, 2012
My daughter Melanie and I started this blog to keep a journal of sorts on our gardening adventure. The true is, we were so busy gardening and doing yard work we didn't do a very good job of blogging. This year I am going to try to keep this one going.
I have planted some pots already and worked the soil in my gardening boxes. I have not set out all of my plants because Idaho weather is insane. Last week it froze for several days. I have learned my lesson being here six years and that is put tomatoes and cold sensitive plants out the first week of June. Memorial Day week seems to be the last of the frost. But, frost aside, the hailstorm did do some damage. Plus, my dog ate three of my plants, cilantro, cucumber and part of a basil plant. I am not sure why, but every year for seventeen years Daisy has destroyed a few garden plants. She really old now and I hope that every season she is done doing her destruction. I was proven wrong again.
I also grew some seedlings indoors. I am excited to get all of this finally in and going. My pots are doing great and I have several heirloom tomatoes in big pots. I love watching things grow and love working out doors. That is why my indoors looks like it does. We have a short growing season but the garden did well last year and I am hoping for better turnout for this year.
The funny thing is, I have two apple trees that are great. However, one will bear so heavy one year and the other one very light. Now they switched and the one that gave me a few apples last year is loaded and the other is light. I think that apples do that as they get older. Anyone have information on this let me know. My raspberries are loaded with berries and I love seeing the bees out there doing their job. Now, its weeding and a little pruning and waiting for the produce. I am still planting and preparing boxes. I can't go to a nursery or Home Depot or Lowes and not buy more plants.
I have planted some pots already and worked the soil in my gardening boxes. I have not set out all of my plants because Idaho weather is insane. Last week it froze for several days. I have learned my lesson being here six years and that is put tomatoes and cold sensitive plants out the first week of June. Memorial Day week seems to be the last of the frost. But, frost aside, the hailstorm did do some damage. Plus, my dog ate three of my plants, cilantro, cucumber and part of a basil plant. I am not sure why, but every year for seventeen years Daisy has destroyed a few garden plants. She really old now and I hope that every season she is done doing her destruction. I was proven wrong again.
I also grew some seedlings indoors. I am excited to get all of this finally in and going. My pots are doing great and I have several heirloom tomatoes in big pots. I love watching things grow and love working out doors. That is why my indoors looks like it does. We have a short growing season but the garden did well last year and I am hoping for better turnout for this year.
The funny thing is, I have two apple trees that are great. However, one will bear so heavy one year and the other one very light. Now they switched and the one that gave me a few apples last year is loaded and the other is light. I think that apples do that as they get older. Anyone have information on this let me know. My raspberries are loaded with berries and I love seeing the bees out there doing their job. Now, its weeding and a little pruning and waiting for the produce. I am still planting and preparing boxes. I can't go to a nursery or Home Depot or Lowes and not buy more plants.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Bugs
Aphids are still eating my pine tree. Jason poured the insecticide on the tree about ten days ago. I am so MAD!!! I must call the nursery and find out what else I can do. I usually am opposed to insecticides but I have to save my tree!
Other notes. My sunflowers are dead and/or dying but they attract TONS of birds in the morning. Which was why I had planted them. My cosmos still look great which is awesome. Everything is kind of going dormant. We did plant the new lilac from Mom and it is the biggest bush we have now. It looks great.
The neighbors put up a fence on our one side and we are stoked. I am going to watch and see how much shade it produces. We have had rain a lot this last week and that has been awesome. I have started to water the trees and bushes just once a week in prepping them for winter. I am interested to see if any of my plants "heave" which would be awesome and horrible at the same time. I need a few more bags of mulch to put all around the shrubs before the snow falls. I am debating about using straw since it is in abundance right now. And of course I am busily mentally preparing my next years garden. Even with all the bugs and whatever else went wrong this year, I am super excited for next year.
Other notes. My sunflowers are dead and/or dying but they attract TONS of birds in the morning. Which was why I had planted them. My cosmos still look great which is awesome. Everything is kind of going dormant. We did plant the new lilac from Mom and it is the biggest bush we have now. It looks great.
The neighbors put up a fence on our one side and we are stoked. I am going to watch and see how much shade it produces. We have had rain a lot this last week and that has been awesome. I have started to water the trees and bushes just once a week in prepping them for winter. I am interested to see if any of my plants "heave" which would be awesome and horrible at the same time. I need a few more bags of mulch to put all around the shrubs before the snow falls. I am debating about using straw since it is in abundance right now. And of course I am busily mentally preparing my next years garden. Even with all the bugs and whatever else went wrong this year, I am super excited for next year.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Two of our favorite recipes
We love to eat in this house. Jason and I were trying to find something we had in common and we both like to eat and cook. Here are some of our favorite fresh recipes.
Pesto Pasta with zucchini
For Pesto you need
2-3 cups of fresh basil
2-4 cloves of garlic depending on how big and how much you like garlic
1/4 cup of nuts (pine if you like a sharp flavor or walnuts if you like mild flavors)
1/4 cup of romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Mix everything but the olive oil in the blender or food process. Then add as much olive oil as you want. I put in about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending, we like it just barely runny. If the basil is too sharp/spicy you can add spinach or parsley to dull the flavor. So make this and set it aside.
Cut one zucchini per two people into quartered dices. Saute for about 12 minutes in a frying pan with two teaspoons of olive oil per zucchini. Add either a cup of cherry tomatoes or a cup of diced tomatoes for about two to three minutes, until they are soft. Pour over pasta, and drizzle pesto to taste. Mix and enjoy!
Another fantastic recipe is our homemade tomato sauce.
For just one dinner for a few people these are the ingredients.
7-10 large tomatoes
3-5 cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
one tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh herbs minced: basil, oregano, parsley are good ones to start with
and if you like veggies in your sauce add whatever you want
I run my tomatoes through a press but you can skin them the old fashioned way by boiling them for a few minutes and then putting them in cold water and pulling the peels off. Then smash them up, if you want to make them absolutely smooth put them in a blender or food processor.
Put the oil, onion and garlic in the pan and saute them for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. If you want the onions to brown add two teaspoons of sugar in with them. Then add the tomatoes and the herbs and salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid boil for five minutes and then reduce to a simmer until it reduces in half. That can take anywhere from one to two hours. Just beware. If you don't have that kind of time, add a can of tomato paste. Then you can brag that you made homemade sauce in like twenty minutes!
These are our favorite meals to eat during the summer. Hope you enjoy!
Pesto Pasta with zucchini
For Pesto you need
2-3 cups of fresh basil
2-4 cloves of garlic depending on how big and how much you like garlic
1/4 cup of nuts (pine if you like a sharp flavor or walnuts if you like mild flavors)
1/4 cup of romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Mix everything but the olive oil in the blender or food process. Then add as much olive oil as you want. I put in about 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending, we like it just barely runny. If the basil is too sharp/spicy you can add spinach or parsley to dull the flavor. So make this and set it aside.
Cut one zucchini per two people into quartered dices. Saute for about 12 minutes in a frying pan with two teaspoons of olive oil per zucchini. Add either a cup of cherry tomatoes or a cup of diced tomatoes for about two to three minutes, until they are soft. Pour over pasta, and drizzle pesto to taste. Mix and enjoy!
Another fantastic recipe is our homemade tomato sauce.
For just one dinner for a few people these are the ingredients.
7-10 large tomatoes
3-5 cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
one tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh herbs minced: basil, oregano, parsley are good ones to start with
and if you like veggies in your sauce add whatever you want
I run my tomatoes through a press but you can skin them the old fashioned way by boiling them for a few minutes and then putting them in cold water and pulling the peels off. Then smash them up, if you want to make them absolutely smooth put them in a blender or food processor.
Put the oil, onion and garlic in the pan and saute them for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. If you want the onions to brown add two teaspoons of sugar in with them. Then add the tomatoes and the herbs and salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid boil for five minutes and then reduce to a simmer until it reduces in half. That can take anywhere from one to two hours. Just beware. If you don't have that kind of time, add a can of tomato paste. Then you can brag that you made homemade sauce in like twenty minutes!
These are our favorite meals to eat during the summer. Hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
What happened to the heat?
So I have loaded tomato bushes and tons of flowers still on them and no heat!!!!!!!!!! Everything has been weird this year. It has been cooler, wetter and more humid than any Utah summer that I have spent in Utah! It is crazy.
Here are some observations from our yard.
Mom and Dad were right of course, the lilac just needed a friend and some shade. I moved one of the pots of basil out there and it perked right up. The wind killed the basil on Sunday. So much for that.
The sunflowers that I planted really early have still no blooms and are small. The ones Daniel and I planted almost the end of june are about four feet tall and opening up. I think it is because the other ones get no house protection from wind, which has been bad this year. I also think they get too much water because the ground over there never dries out between the lawn sprinklers and the flower bed sprinklers. Any other ideas about why the early sunflowers are sad? Maybe I planted them too deep?
My square foot garden was good but not like super fantastic this year. But I think we did pretty good for our first garden out of pots. Next year will be even better, the tomatoes will be planted differently for sure. I am still glad we did it.
My cosmos are beautiful and just starting to really bloom. we had one that was like a really awesome dark pink. It was really cool and Daniel loves to show people the yard.
The butterfly bushes are now twice the size and they look awesome. They are not over two feet tall and are about three feet wide. They have attracted lots of pollinators our way.
The trees are all doing good and we didn't lose one in the wind on Sunday which was nice. One of our ash trees is a hornet hangout and it is not doing as well. It's leaves are brownish and the new leaves take a long time to uncurl. Not sure what to think about it. The other ash tree is really pretty and doing well. The pine trees and other trees are all doing good so we are glad.
I have heard that if it can last for one year, than it will probably stick around. So is the planting news in the area. It will be interesting to see what happens in the yard through next year.
I have read a few phenomenal books and wanted to write them down before I forget. One is "Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West" by Marcia Tatroe. I loved this book because it helped me not hate our rocks. The other one was "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" by Toby Hemenway. This book was just amazing. It wasn't fanatical but a very realistic way to approach your yard. Permaculture is a functioning garden/landscape that both wildlife and humans enjoy. It has been very helpful in provided good ideas about catching rain water, planting for your area, and bringing nature to life and work in your yard. Jason has agreed to let me put some of the less extreme ideas to work in our yard. Anyone have a tractor we can borrow?
Utah has announced/legalized the ability to put two one hundred gallon rain barrels in our yard. Or anyone's yard in Utah. This will be our first step in letting nature help us in our yard. We are still debating about chickens.
Here are some observations from our yard.
Mom and Dad were right of course, the lilac just needed a friend and some shade. I moved one of the pots of basil out there and it perked right up. The wind killed the basil on Sunday. So much for that.
The sunflowers that I planted really early have still no blooms and are small. The ones Daniel and I planted almost the end of june are about four feet tall and opening up. I think it is because the other ones get no house protection from wind, which has been bad this year. I also think they get too much water because the ground over there never dries out between the lawn sprinklers and the flower bed sprinklers. Any other ideas about why the early sunflowers are sad? Maybe I planted them too deep?
My square foot garden was good but not like super fantastic this year. But I think we did pretty good for our first garden out of pots. Next year will be even better, the tomatoes will be planted differently for sure. I am still glad we did it.
My cosmos are beautiful and just starting to really bloom. we had one that was like a really awesome dark pink. It was really cool and Daniel loves to show people the yard.
The butterfly bushes are now twice the size and they look awesome. They are not over two feet tall and are about three feet wide. They have attracted lots of pollinators our way.
The trees are all doing good and we didn't lose one in the wind on Sunday which was nice. One of our ash trees is a hornet hangout and it is not doing as well. It's leaves are brownish and the new leaves take a long time to uncurl. Not sure what to think about it. The other ash tree is really pretty and doing well. The pine trees and other trees are all doing good so we are glad.
I have heard that if it can last for one year, than it will probably stick around. So is the planting news in the area. It will be interesting to see what happens in the yard through next year.
I have read a few phenomenal books and wanted to write them down before I forget. One is "Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West" by Marcia Tatroe. I loved this book because it helped me not hate our rocks. The other one was "Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture" by Toby Hemenway. This book was just amazing. It wasn't fanatical but a very realistic way to approach your yard. Permaculture is a functioning garden/landscape that both wildlife and humans enjoy. It has been very helpful in provided good ideas about catching rain water, planting for your area, and bringing nature to life and work in your yard. Jason has agreed to let me put some of the less extreme ideas to work in our yard. Anyone have a tractor we can borrow?
Utah has announced/legalized the ability to put two one hundred gallon rain barrels in our yard. Or anyone's yard in Utah. This will be our first step in letting nature help us in our yard. We are still debating about chickens.
Monday, July 26, 2010
July
Here are some things on my mind grapes about the yard and garden.
I think we are watering too much. Most of the things in our garden/yard are good matches for our soil but it is hard to tell if they are getting all the water they need. I know the weeds have been getting enough water so the plants should be too right?
The grasshoppers are not as plentiful around our garden area but I have found a lot in the grass. While weeding with the kids the other day three green grasshoppers jumped out of the grass and Daniel shouted "Mom!!! Grasshoppers!!!" Thus I proceeded to squish one with my shoes and kill the other two with the spade. It was awesome.
So I sprayed some soapy water on the plants to help with bugs but I think my solution was too high on the soap. The leaves on some of the plants turned an odd color and when I sprayed them with water to wash off the soap bubbles were everywhere.
The ash tree that was doing poorly is recovering and we are so glad. The lawn is looking better considering it is July. The lilacs are struggling the most. The one has been eaten alive by bugs and has rust colored leaves. The other one is still dried out like crazy but I know it is getting water because I water. Any ideas?
I have been reading about weeds and xeroscaping and all sorts of gardening things. Slowly but surely I will be enlightened enough to kill things in the yard. Mostly I am hoping to kill the weeds with out killing my children or the things I want growing.
I pulled up the bean plant (I just had one), because I could not figure out what was wrong with it. The yellow pear tomato is the biggest plant I have ever seen. It has taken over the other plants next to it and has tons of babies, we are so excited. The peppers are not doing well, but not a big loss for us since we don't really eat them. The cantaloupe has tons of blooms but no fruit so in two weeks if it is not showing fruit I will pull it up.
We are thankful for the rain today. Daniel and I saw a bunny, frogs, and at least ten kinds of birds at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens today. I love that place.
I think we are watering too much. Most of the things in our garden/yard are good matches for our soil but it is hard to tell if they are getting all the water they need. I know the weeds have been getting enough water so the plants should be too right?
The grasshoppers are not as plentiful around our garden area but I have found a lot in the grass. While weeding with the kids the other day three green grasshoppers jumped out of the grass and Daniel shouted "Mom!!! Grasshoppers!!!" Thus I proceeded to squish one with my shoes and kill the other two with the spade. It was awesome.
So I sprayed some soapy water on the plants to help with bugs but I think my solution was too high on the soap. The leaves on some of the plants turned an odd color and when I sprayed them with water to wash off the soap bubbles were everywhere.
The ash tree that was doing poorly is recovering and we are so glad. The lawn is looking better considering it is July. The lilacs are struggling the most. The one has been eaten alive by bugs and has rust colored leaves. The other one is still dried out like crazy but I know it is getting water because I water. Any ideas?
I have been reading about weeds and xeroscaping and all sorts of gardening things. Slowly but surely I will be enlightened enough to kill things in the yard. Mostly I am hoping to kill the weeds with out killing my children or the things I want growing.
I pulled up the bean plant (I just had one), because I could not figure out what was wrong with it. The yellow pear tomato is the biggest plant I have ever seen. It has taken over the other plants next to it and has tons of babies, we are so excited. The peppers are not doing well, but not a big loss for us since we don't really eat them. The cantaloupe has tons of blooms but no fruit so in two weeks if it is not showing fruit I will pull it up.
We are thankful for the rain today. Daniel and I saw a bunny, frogs, and at least ten kinds of birds at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens today. I love that place.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Grasshoppers and other garden annoyances
I gotta say, I am not loving our lot as much as I thought I would. We love that no matter what we will not have close neighbors but it is huge and sometimes I want to just cement the whole things and be done with it. But these are some things we have been battling and enjoying.
Weeds. I hate them and don't know which one is which. I only know two weeds coming in my yard by name so my hunt for a good weed book (hopefully from the library) is going to begin soon. We got weed killer for the lawn and the weeds in the back and then our landscaper told us some other things to do. But hopefully I can get a leg up on them. I just can't weed with the kids out there because we have small cliffs and my kids are too involved climbing the rocks to notice how lethal that is.
Grasshoppers. Thanks to my awesome parents I killed a flying grasshopper with a rock yesterday and it was awesome. I have killed a bunch and put out some poison so hopefully that will help. I read on the USU extension page that grasshoppers are supposed to be bad for a few years. I think I will get some powder poison and spread it casually in the emptiness behind us.
All my plants are blooming with small fruits on them. The peas and carrots are done I think. My pea plants have dried up. Some of my onions are starting to fall over which is awesome to watch. I love the garden and am so glad we put it in a box where it is super easy to maintain.
My plants are all doing alright. One of the ash trees looks a little sad. Two of the boxwoods are doing well but the other ones are struggling. Our sunflowers are doing well except the ones that Alice steps on every time and hopefully they will survive the heat that is coming.
The heat makes it hard for me to go out and weed and do other maintenance because it is too hot for the kids outside. But some of the plants are loving the heat, like the basil is doing much better.
Next year hopefully we will have more flowers.
Weeds. I hate them and don't know which one is which. I only know two weeds coming in my yard by name so my hunt for a good weed book (hopefully from the library) is going to begin soon. We got weed killer for the lawn and the weeds in the back and then our landscaper told us some other things to do. But hopefully I can get a leg up on them. I just can't weed with the kids out there because we have small cliffs and my kids are too involved climbing the rocks to notice how lethal that is.
Grasshoppers. Thanks to my awesome parents I killed a flying grasshopper with a rock yesterday and it was awesome. I have killed a bunch and put out some poison so hopefully that will help. I read on the USU extension page that grasshoppers are supposed to be bad for a few years. I think I will get some powder poison and spread it casually in the emptiness behind us.
All my plants are blooming with small fruits on them. The peas and carrots are done I think. My pea plants have dried up. Some of my onions are starting to fall over which is awesome to watch. I love the garden and am so glad we put it in a box where it is super easy to maintain.
My plants are all doing alright. One of the ash trees looks a little sad. Two of the boxwoods are doing well but the other ones are struggling. Our sunflowers are doing well except the ones that Alice steps on every time and hopefully they will survive the heat that is coming.
The heat makes it hard for me to go out and weed and do other maintenance because it is too hot for the kids outside. But some of the plants are loving the heat, like the basil is doing much better.
Next year hopefully we will have more flowers.
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