State of the Garden Address: Welcome To The Jungle

Here are a few pictures of the garden as it stands. We had a cool spring and then lots of rain. Two nights ago it rained so hard, it woke 4 out of 5 of us up. I have heard we got anywhere from 2 to 4 inches overnight in the area. Crazy! That is the reason that everything, weeds included, has grown to epic proportions. I can't really say if the garden is going to have epic yields though.

This is James' corn patch. The really tall stuff is Broom Corn, which is technically not corn. James made a hand broom out of this stuff last year at Farm Hands and wanted to grow his own. He is also growing a really pretty Indian corn and some beans. And least I think there are still beans under there.

James is burrowing into the tomato tangle to find a snack.

Where's Waldo? Can you spot James and Katie? They are both in there somewhere.

This is the monster pumpkin that so far looks like its all show. Either the pumpkins are hiding or this is going to make one massive snack for the chickens.

Here you can get an idea of how tall the broom corn is.

Proof that there is indeed something coming forth from all the foliage!

Nitty Gritty Garden Post (Here's To You, MJ!)

The tomato jungle (that's our shed in the background)

Despite the fact that we live right smack dab in the middle of suburbia, I am trying to squeeze in a little piece of 'farm' into my yard. My sister keeps shaking her head at me and telling me to just go and get a farm. And believe me, I wouldn't complain. Although I do know enough about farming to know it is very hard work. I think what would suit me is to have a rambling farm house, with a rambling garden and enough space  for the kids to run free. I would have more chickens, a few fruit trees and maybe convince Jeff to spring for a goat or a cow. Until that happens...I'll make the most of the space we have on our spacious .19 acre Franch. :) 

My main garden

My main garden is about 11' by 50'. It is along the south(ish) side of the house. We actually moved the side fence up to accommodate it. The soil was pretty decent and mainly rock free when I started. However, I have noticed a huge difference over the last 4 years by adding compost and tons of grass clippings. My neighbor doesn't treat his lawn, and he dumps his grass clippings over the fence for me. He also brings me magnolia petals in the spring and leaves in the fall. I use them as mulch to keep weeds down and add nitrogen to the soil. He also brings me scraps for the chickens and the compost pile. Nice neighbors bring you their rotting food, didn't you know? This year I have been able to include compost that includes chicken manure and I think it has made a big difference.

I have three rhubarb plants in a raised bed. They are very productive.

The last two years I have been researching companion planting which has been helpful. Basically, it is about what crops grow well together, even benefit each other. Some plants can repel each other and stunt their growth. Last year, I planted lettuce under a trellis in early spring. Right around last frost, I planted cucumbers. By the time it got a little hot for the lettuce, the cukes were tall enough to provide some shade. I got a ton of lettuce and the cukes did well too. There is a book called Carrots Love Tomatoes that is really good for this. 

The garden (looking out toward the street and my neighbor's giant motor home)

I also recently planted 3 blueberry bushes along the side of the chicken run. I don't think they'll produce this year, but I was able to find nice tall bushes from our CSA for $10 a piece! Along the other side of the yard I dug a bed this spring but it doesn't get a lot of sun so I think I'll stick with greens and flowers over there. 

Oh, look! Chickens! They make sure to trim anything that grows near the fence except of course the poisonous pokeweed that grows everywhere around here (on right). 

This is my lame-o side 'garden'. You can't really tell but there are flowers on the left near the compost bin, and unplanted on the other side. Next year...

There you go...probably way more than you wanted to know. ;) 

Chappy, Garlic, Etc.

A few pictures of Katie and her Chappy

The kids love their Chappy

And I must say, he IS pretty awesome!

James' Class Picnic

My little farmer helping me harvest the garlic

I've never grown garlic and didn't know what to expect, but boy, was I ever surprised when I dug it up! 27 huge heads of garlic weighing in at about 12 pounds total, all from 1 pound of seed. 

The garlic weighed an average of 7 ounces per head, with a few weighing in at a half a pound! I am going to give the credit for this phenomena to the lovely composted chicken manure I added when I planted them. 

Which One Is Dinner? And Other Randomness

 Which one of these does not belong? It may be hard to tell, but there are 7 chickens in the box. Three light brown ones, three dark ones, and Fatty.

Here's a better shot of Chicken Dinner next to her hatch mates. You can kind of see how she has no feathers under her wings. Does that mean she'll be easier to pluck? Hmmm, perhaps I shouldn't be counting my eggs before they're hatched...har, har!!! Seriously though, is she just 'big for her age,' or do we have a meat bird on our hands??

And if you made it past my corny chicken jokes, here is a picture of Katie in my wedding dress. She has been wanting to try it on for a long time.

It was a little big...

But she felt like a princess!

James took his chickies out for a little fresh air and get-acquainted session (through the fence) with the older chickens. 

And if you've made it all the way to the end, here's a bonus for you! Close up shot of my toe thumbs. Dad told me that they accidentally put toes on my hands. My sister-in-law actually learned in cosmetology school that it is called Club Thumbs...a real 'condition'! So far, I have not been able to collect any government funds or even get a special parking spot for my condition. Bummer. Anyway, the real point of this picture is to say that not only are we getting eggs straight from the backyard, but I pulled my first turnip! It was delicious!

The Garden

I will admit that by the end of September I pretty much had my fill of gardening for the year. I even slacked off in my obsessive habit of weighing everything. My best guess is that we got about 250 pounds of veggies last year. I still have a little parsley and rosemary growing which has been nice. Yet after only a few months of non-gardening, and with the arrival of the seed catalogs, I am going nuts! I want to go out and dig in the dirt and plant seeds and then pick baskets full of food. This winter I am planning on researching cold season plants and growing techniques so I can extend the season. (And I make fun of Jeff for reading books on Thermodyamics and Mechanics of Solids!) Maybe this year will  be the year I actually build a cold frame...we'll see. For now, I will have to be content perusing my seed catalogs and planning away. I asked Jeff what he would think if I turned our front yard into either an orchard or vegetable garden and all I got was an eye roll. I don't think its going to work. I need more space. Hmmm....maybe the neighbor's yard?! :)

Garden

The garden is doing well this year, with the exception of my squash. I am kind of stumped on that one, because squash is generally easy to grow. I couldn't resist digging up a few of my purple potatoes, just for kicks. This is the first year I've done potatoes. Guess what? I boiled those suckers up and ate them all by myself. I didn't even share. ;) We've also got a surplus of peppers and tomatoes around here, which is quite nice. I had a tomato sandwich for breakfast this morning. Mmmm! Now I've got to fire up ye old canner and get cracking! For the record I am at about 175 jars o' fruit-and-veggie goodness so far. (pickles, jam, fruit syrups, BBQ sauce, tomatoes, jam, pickled peppers, more jam...) This winter is looking tasty!

Random Randomness Volume 9 Edition 72

Aren't these carrots beautiful! These are thinnings from the garden. Yum!

Jeff's Birthday Cake, after Tyler found it

The beautiful Chef Katie to the rescue!

Just fill that all in with some whipped cream!

And voila! No one'll know the difference. Well, except if you get the piece that is 82% whipped cream.

Happy Birthday, Jeff! Welcome to 30!

Having nothing to do with cake, but sweet nonetheless:

Last night we *tried* having Katie sleep in the boys' room. She has been going to sleep in our room, then we move her upstairs later, when we get her room cooled off. With the weather we've been having, that ain't happening, so she's been downstairs. I put her toddler mattress on the floor and put them all to bed. Next thing you know, I hear whispering. (Of course!) After a while, I peek in and see the older two snuggled up in James' bed, talking and giggling. Tyler was standing at the side of his crib joining in. James told me they were telling each other funny stories about when they were little. I am pretty sure it went something like this: Hey, Katie! Remember when you ate that whole pan of mashed potatoes? (giggles) Yeah! Hey, James, remember when I ate all those mashed potatoes? (more giggles) That is their favorite story right now. I finally had to break up the party in the interest of them getting some SLEEP! This morning when they woke up they were whispering together and playing with James' stable. Of course, it didn't last long, but it was cute while it lasted.

Yipee!!

I can really hardly believe it, but I picked the first tomatoes of the season today!!!! Bloody Butcher tomatoes, to be exact. How's that for a gruesome name? I was just doing my ordinary garden inspection when I saw a few tomatoes that were just starting to turn color. That made me very happy, and then...then I saw a few ripe tomatoes toward the back! One had a big bite out of it, so it went to some very happy chickens. The other two are sitting on my counter and I am trying to be a good girl and wait til dinner so everyone can have some. Pretty soon, I'll probably be rolling in the 'maters but for now, they are going to be a delicacy!

Grazing

Katie has a new habit. She goes into my garden and grazes. She eats kale and mint. Her favorite thing of all is basil. She will eat leaf after leaf after leaf. I planted a dwarf variety this year, which I hate, but it does have nice little kid-sized leaves. Yesterday I pulled a few carrots and they didn't even make it into the house before being claimed by the kids. I went in, washed them, and they decided who got what color. (There were purple, orange and white) I was thinking that at least one kid would decide they didn't want their carrot after all, but no. They ate them all up. James wanted more, but the rest are just not ready. Now, I suppose before blaming the rabbits for anything, I should check with Katie first! :)

State of the Garden

Broccoli

Calendula

Bronze Arrow Lettuce

True Blue Potatoes

The Garden

Cilantro, Cabbage

The garden is really taking off. Everything is growing really fast now, including the weeds. Good thing the chickens like weeds! So far, I have harvested 14 pounds of vegetables, mostly greens, radishes and turnips. This is the first year that I planted early, and I am happy I did. I am already passing lettuce off on the neighbors because we have more than we can eat. That is a good problem to have!

Farm Day!! And Random Pictures

Tyler and the Saggy, Baggy Diaper

Dew on a Radish Leaf: Amazing!

Before he was sick, James decided to give himself a mud bath

Our CSA opened this week! It was so exciting to drive out there and be at the farm again. We got to pick 3 quarts of delicious strawberries, and brought home a bunch of spring greens and veggies. Last year, I got hooked on Hakurei (?) turnips, which I am growing this year. I don't know what it is, but they are so good. We got a bunch with our share and I ate them on the way home. Mmmm! We have been experiencing near record heat lately, 96 degrees yesterday and very humid. Today is finally back down in the low 80's, which feels wonderful. We've spent the entire morning out in the yard. Woo!

Rhubarb! Dirt! Chickens! Pictures!

(Things are growing in the garden)

I managed to procure just a wee bit of rhubarb on Friday.

Have I mentioned that we love rhubarb? I think I could've gotten twice that much and we'd have eaten it. I brought my cutting board and freezer bags upstairs and sat and cut up rhubarb for an hour or more. And I only finished half of it! Over the weekend, I made a batch of Bluebarb Jam (Blueberries + Rhubarb) and it is delicious! I also made Rhubarb BBQ sauce, and I even refrained from labeling it 'Rhu-bar-B-Que Sauce.'

(Tyler closing in on the jam: Mmm!!)

We also spent a ton of time outside. It was just too nice. I wanted to get a bunch of stuff planted before the rain came. Its supposed to rain all week. I planted purple potatoes! I really hope they do well. I've never grown potatoes before.

Tyler dug in the dirt for over an hour, which is longer than I have ever seen him stay in one thing!

Scrumptious chubby feet! Makes me want to have 12 more babies (not all at once! :)

More chubbiness!!

These two are pretty adorable themselves! Here, they were making some sort of slop for their 'pigs'

James' favorite new job is feeding the chickens. He likes giving them little treats.

I'll smile for you if you leave me alone and let me go back to my DIRT!!

Chicken Noodle (soup?) on the left, Cheepa on the right