Mid June Update and Flowers

Flower pictures are after the break.

New Plants, Other Thoughts

Kate planted some new plants in the west garden above the garlic, not easily seen from my normal shot so I took a special picture.










I haven't been very inspired to post here this year.  I've been keeping it up because I might get back into it and I feel I shouldn't have a big gap in time between posting, especially during growing season.  And I would hate to just stop after all this time.  I've tried to get my wife involved in it a little, and she started to post last year, but she isn't much interested now, either.
















So what do I do?
I just don't know yet.




Bonus pic of the stump pots below!

Late May Update

I've been trying to get Kate to post so she can tell you what's what.  I know the east garden is strawberries and raspberries, we covered it with the netting last weekend.  And the west garden has garlic and a couple lettuces and other stuff.

Onions!

Kate has been doing lots of weeding and harvested the spring onions.  The picture is not even all of them.  She is part of our neighborhood farcebook page and offered the extra up to the neighbors yesterday.  As of an hour or so they are all gone to good homes so we did not have to waste any.

These were given to us by a coworker last year.  We had never grown them before and did not know what to expect, especially due to the mild and up and down winter we had.  They are just like what you think of as a green onion, except these are quite a bit larger.



In the west garden the onions are gone, what you see there still is garlic.  You can see some small things growing in rows in the bottom half.  I'm still trying to get Kate to write here so she can tell you what is where.







The east garden has been weeded and we got out the cover I slapped together last year to keep the squirrels out.  Raspberries on top, strawberries below.







Another spring yard tour after the break!

What A Difference...

... a week can make.  Kate has spent much time in the yard and garden again this week, trying to keep ahead of the weeds, planting in the garden and keep up with the growing plants we have.  I don't remember all that she planted in the west garden, she'll have to write something to explain what's what when they start sprouting.













Like last week, I took another picture tour of the yard.  It really is amazing how some things have grown in the last week.  Click Read More below!

Garden Work and Yard Tour

The weather seems to have finally accepted that Spring is here.  Temperatures have been very nice this weekend, we even have the windows open, finally.  Yesterday Kate spent much time in the yard and gardens weeding and removing the winter's hay, and getting the compost soil better distributed.  Not all the work is done, but everything seems to finally be on schedule.









I went out yesterday and took pictures of her work and of all our flowers and plants and what stage of spring growth they are in.  Click Read More below for all those pictures!

First Pics of 2016

The weather is getting warmer, thoughts turn to the out of doors and all there is to do.... soon.  Not quite yet.  But very soon.

Mild December

This pic was taken two days ago, on Friday.  Since then it has been overcast and wet, yet very mild.  As I write this it is almost 60º outside!  We'll see how this mild fall/early winter affects the garden.

End Of Season Pictorial

Yes, we have ignored this site for too long.  Not a whole lot has happened to report, but I have tried to keep regular posts going for our records.  Kate has been busy with school and life, I have been lazy - I haven't even posted much at my main blog.  I promise a catch-up post soon.

In the meantime, Kate harvested the parsley yesterday and spread hay over the garlic and some around the raspberries.  It has been an unusually warm October and now November so far.  The garlic started to sprout so we need colder temperatures soon or I don't know what to expect from it.  The garlic is still covered with the screen to protect from squirrel interference.







The winter onions or spring onions above it are meant to stay over winter, I guess.  I don't know the difference and I don't really get it and I don't think Kate does either, but we will find out in the Spring.  A friend from work and her husband recommended them to us.  They gave us some back in late August, if I remember right, and we were to plant them right away so they would be established before winter.  We must also be careful, I guess they like to spread.  I guess we'll see.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.


Pictures of the yard and other remarks after the break!

The (not quite) End-of-Season Update

Last weekend, Mr. Scoakat retired the tomato plants to the compost bin. I would have done it myself, but the BIGGEST SPIDER ON EARTH was living in a web between the two plants. So, naturally, I couldn’t go anywhere near that side of the garden! Mr. Scoakat says he didn’t see the spider. I say the spider saw Mr. Scoakat and decided it was in his best interest to relocate.

Once I was convinced the spider was gone, I was able to get close enough to plant garlic, harvest the carrots and some thyme, and remove the last basil plant (which provided a few final sprigs before meeting its end).

Between the garlic I purchased and the head I saved for planting from this year’s harvest, I had enough to plant two rows of 15 cloves. As you can see in the picture below, the garlic is covered by one of the awesome garlic/strawberry covers Mr. Scoakat made a few years ago, and so far, it has not been disturbed.

The carrots ended up in beef stew. And the beef stew ended up really tasty! The last time I made beef stew (probably at least 15 years ago) it was not great. The thing is, the beef stew is beef stew. The recipe I used 15 years ago cannot be that different than the recipe I used last weekend. Lesson here – I am a much better cook now than I was 15 years ago! 

Did you notice that small green thing behind right side of the garlic cover? Just in case you didn’t, here it is again.

Yes, that small green thing behind the garlic is a tomato plant that started growing from seed… all on its own. Because when I try to grow tomatoes, I get nothing but trouble (and the BIGGEST SPIDER ON EARTH), and when I’m not even trying, they grow on their own.

I am being mocked by a tomato plant.