Indoor/Outdoor

So I spent today playing soccer and going through pictures so I thought it was time I updated everyone on the beautiful garden! I have tons of new pictures and even a video! Just a panned view of the garden, but here's my outdoor garden and Chris and Kelly's:

Those are my dahlias, and as of Thursday there are five of them! Next year I'm going to try ball dahlias. Those colors are just captivating if you ask me. And the Sunflowers, there's tons of them!!!

My happy little people, they are always asking me to show them flowers and here they are. I even managed to take those sunflowers that were finished and have begun to dry them.

Its a beautiful place that makes me reallly happy. Next time I'm there on Thursday I am thinking I will finish trimming in the backyard and update. I just love it so much. Next year the plan is tulips, hyacinths, and teddy bear sunflowers! God gave us so much, I thank him for that.

THIS! Is my home garden. I just finished grooming a basil and another has met its end. It had the trunk of a tree and was starting to lose all its leaves. There was no harvesting it, but it was so beautiful and brought joy to my home. It is good to have these things around me. Soon they will come indoors. The Lavender will be groomed back to the wood and brought inside next week, to be placed under the lamps that were gifted to me, as well as the baby basils that are beginning to grow. Growing season is almost over... for the outside!

They are growing so fast that I'm going to cry when they start to wilt.

This is the marigold this morning: and this is this afternoon!

The basil is producing flowers and is ready to harvest soon as well! And with that I say! adieu!

Buds and Blooms

This morning started with a tummy ache and thankfully it was solved by crushing some of my dried basil. Its smells filled the air so beautifully and wonderful that I was solved of my stomach ache and went outside to tend my plants between the football plays. Upon going out there, I did two things! First checked for my mantis, and to see if she's chosen her place to make an egg case (she's very good at hiding mind you), and then checked the plants for buds. I was pleased to find!

Emma's marigolds have produced buds and are ready to make flowers. These flowers started in a Vacation Bible School in Sycamore, where they were teaching the kids what plants grow in. If they could plant in sand, dirt, or rocks. Very interesting. Anyway they planted several plants inside paper cups, marigolds, basil, and carrots, as well as pole bean in a plastic bottle. The bean didn't come up, but everything else did and the marigolds are ready to sprout after 2 and a half months. Exciting!

Also after some thinking about it, I let one of my basil plants make its flowers so that I can harvest it again next year and make a bushier plant by only harvesting from the plants that are bushy. They look very nice and smells better. I have a full jar of dry basil now. I am flattening a branch it as well between the pages of my heaviest book. I would love to make some shampoo however. That would be really nice. I just really love basil. I used the microwave to make them as crispy as I could. First time using that method!

On top of that! Our strawberry plants are getting much heartier and I'm glad to say their stems are very strong now! They look extremely good. I'm very proud of them.

The First Melon!

For those of you who don't get that, its from Ice Age, or rather the 'last melon' is from Ice Age. Anyway! The point remains that I am in awe and have become quite jolly! I produce before you! The first planted pots of 2011!


Very exciting, VERY exciting indeed! Mom produced me with some dirt. I would have bought it myself, but as we are all well aware,... I'm cheap. Plus I forgot that I could acquire some from my friendly neighborhood garden providers. They have a mountain of dirt that currently has no home or plant to cover until I get the remaining leaves cleaned out of the area.

Speaking of them by the way, I mentioned to mom that perhaps since she's going through yard withdrawal as well, that I'm sure she'd be welcomed to join me on a weekend to bring the Emma-pie and let her play whilst she aids me in the garden. They are such wonderful people those Morton's. I honestly want to repay them by making what I think will be a grand garden for them. I think she wants to plant an actual garden with potatoes, which is something I would love to do, but in order to do that I think we'd have to find a different plot. The current plot providers aren't into growing root veggies I think.




Nice and tall those sunflowers are. I wish they'd hold off just a wee bit longer, I have to wait another two weeks before they go into the ground and all. I would prefer if they'd get more stocky rather than taller, but they are already growing a second pair of leaves! Those in the middle there are the cumin, looking very nice and healthy. They didn't make it into the pot today. Only the basil managed that feat, though I did plant, in that short snubby pot, some chives! I new attempt. Anyway, the little ones are the strawberries, finally getting on their way. They are three where they once were only two and I'm so pleased. The poor man's weather glass, they are doing alright but I still need some research done on those. Make sure they aren't climbers.

Alls looking great people! Can't wait to keep a weather eye on the horizon for those baby chives (Nicky has some accidental ones in her garden, lol), and get this garden off to a better start than spring is!

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Garden Bunny

First Day of Spring!!

Its awe inspiring! It's amazing! It's... SUPER SEED! It's almost like having my very own present for the first day right? I mean its so huge and strong looking. This one is a sunflower. One of TWO sunflowers that have popped forth from their tray. I'm so proud. I try really hard every year to put myself down and tell myself my first sprouts are no way going to actually sprout so that when they do, BAM! I'm all excited, but somehow, I had an inkling about this group of seeds. I mean they are as excited to get into the ground as I am to put them there!

Speaking of, I took a before picture of the garden spot that was so wonderfully provided to me, tada! A perfect spot if I do say so myself! I have already pulled those whitish yellow reed things. I had aid from the most adorable little gardeners. Sarah, Jonathan, and Emma. Sarah was more interested in the spiky plant that I couldn't get out of the ground without first getting myself some garden gloves, but I think it was because it was the only plant I wouldn't let her fiddle with. Jonathan and Emma preferred the leaf raking part. It looks nicer now, but next is the huge rock removal.

Very VERY! Exciting.

Oh and then of course, as of yesterday we began the next step of our gardening. The house plants. First it was to farm and fleet to gather some peat pellet replacements, the the window box after it was all arranged. That of course was the planning phase, but the other side of the box was arranged like thus, from left to right: Spice Basil, Cumin, Poor Man's Weather Glass, and Strawberries! That's right I tried out the cumin. Mom thinks its best to do only the herbs right now. She claims its too early yet for flowers and that they might get wind shock. Not that they are going out of doors, but you know. Anyway! That was my exciting first day of spring, how was yours?!

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The Happy Tine!

Shopping!

Oh how I love Farm and Fleet. Its like this wondrous little place that carries everything that would ever make me happy. Yes I know sounds weird to be swooned by a warehouse department store, but they are the only people I know who carry the new year's seeds. So with that lead, I'm sure we all understand what I am about to start chattering about. SEEDS! I mean 40% off on sale! It was great. And a 50% off on the seed pod trays. Extremely exciting. SO! This year's seeds, or at least this rounds seeds:



Top Row, Left to Right: Lemon Basil, Cinnamon Basil, Sweet Basil, Spicy Globe Basil, Curly Parsley

Bottom Row, Left to Right: Herbal Strawberry, Bellflowers, and Bunny Tails!!!

I mean how cute is that? Now I've been told I have to wait until Easter before planting, at least that's what mom claims, but you can bet I won't be waiting that long. I have pots outside the boxes in storage and such. I think she's more worried though. See our cousin just moved and she now has a yard and porch... On that note of this new year of planting coming along she is talking about moving again for us. She wants a porch too, and a yard for my herbing. Hahaha. Well that sounds great and all but it won't stop me from starting basil plant one as soon as this Christmas Tree goes away.

Don't get me wrong I'd love to move, but it doesn't mean I'll wait for it to happen before returning to my green thumbed ways.