Our glorious garden

This year we have a truly glorious garden! Since the natural soil in our backyard is junky, Matt built raised garden beds. I've always dreamed of having a big garden and since this spring I've been busy caring for baby Solomon, I was thrilled Matt volunteered to tackle the garden project.

Little did I know the crazy plans my ingenious husband had. Thanks to Matt's industriousness and vision we now have 9 garden beds, 5 pot stands, and a potted herb garden.

Our jungle garden is thriving and doing well! While most of what Matt planted was an "experiment" almost all of the seedlings have sprouted and taken root. (Spinach and the root veggies didn't take). Thus far we've harvested 3 zucchini, several sugar snap peas and green beans, lots of strawberries, one banana pepper, loads of leaf lettuce, and some herbs.

Having a garden has been incredibly fun and educational. It's exciting to go out every night and check on the progress of our veggies. And it's so amazing to see the intricacy and variety of God's creation expressed in plants! Who knew that sweet potatoes and tomatoes were in the same plant family? Or that squash family plants have male and female flowers? Or that root vegetables needed added phosphorous in order to thrive?

Veggies picked fresh from the garden taste much yummier than those bought from the store. And it's incredibly rewarding to be able to eat what we've actually watered, tended and reaped.

Do you garden? If so, what have you planted this year?

(Warning: Excessive amount of garden photos below.)



My potted herb stand containing basil, mint, oregano, lemon thyme and cilantro






















Zuicchini

Eggplants in pots

Homemade topsy-turvy-like tomato planters

















Pumpkin plants!






















Butternut squash plants





















Our first broccoli!






















Sugar snap peas





















The fuzzy things in the middle are asparagus. Four small blueberry bushes in the corners.

















Our first green bell pepper! Isn't it cute?























Yellow banana pepper






















Brussel sproutlings





















Gigantic tomato plants























Strawberries!

















Leaf lettuce

Picking kay-boos

Since today was a lovely spring day, I packed up the kids in the sit-n-stand stroller and we embarked on a monster walk. We went to the drug store, library, post office, and park before heading home. Quite the outing.

Several times I asked myself, "Why did I do this again?" Like when Clive stunk up the children's dept. at the library (which has NO changing table or baby-friendly changing area) and I decided to change him on the floor amidst the nonfiction stacks. That was fun. Especially when I went to wrap up the diaper and in that millisecond he found the dvds and proceeded to knock 10 of them down in one blow. And while I cleaned that up he went like a homing pigeon for the junior mints in my purse and dumped them all out. Really fun.

On the way home from the park I enjoyed the breeze and as is our usual habit Chloe and I admired and talked about flowers. As we strolled past a vacant office building and noticed several lilac bushes in bloom. We snagged a few to take home and Chloe said to me, "Mommy, are we making a kay boo?" After questioning her repeatedly I finally realized she was trying to say bouquet. Some words must sound so strange to a three year-old brain!

Hope you're enjoying the springy flowers and making your own kay-boos! What flowers are blooming where you live?

My poor tulips!

In northeast Ohio it has been SNOWING all day long!

It's actually been a lovely snow. Big wet flakes have fluttered down gently (but steadily) and covering everything in pristine whiteness. And of course Chloe is pumped about some unexpected snow playing time.

But my poor tulips just popped their heads through the soil yesterday! Pobrecitos!*

My gardener friend extraordinaire assured me the tulips should be fine as long as the flowers are still low to the ground. We also have some hyacinths that are sadly bent over from the weight of the recent snowfall. They were a beautiful vibrant blue while they lasted!

I'm hoping our front-yard flower bed will bounce back from this inclement weather. Slowly we've been adding perennials to our property. We began with 40 tulip bulbs in the front and now we also have a few lilies, parrot tulips, hyacinths, gladioloas, irises, a fledgling peony bush, and mums. We are ALL about perennials because of their low maintenance.

Are you experiencing springtime snow too? What flowers/plants do you grow?





*Pobrecitos means poor little ones in Spanish in case you were wondering. :)

Chloe the gardener

As my favorite flower is the tulip, that's the kind of flower we have planted in our front and side flowerbeds! We have about 40 red tulips in the front and maybe 10 yellow/orange parrot tulips on the side bed. Chloe has taken to helping me water the tulips. Matt has also taken Chloe outside with him to work in the backyard several times. Each time we go out to garden, Chloe gets her hat and her "tools" (watering can, rake, hoe, and shovel).

I snapped these photos this afternoon as the tulips (and Chloe too of course) were looking vibrant and lovely.

I even did a wee video of her watering and have discovered that I am quite a pesky videographer! Chloe was intent on her gardening and I distract her constantly from her task. You'll see what I mean below . . .






















The view of Chloe and tulips from our porch.

















What a cute little gardener!
















Here's Chloe watering the dirt and weeds. :)



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