..unfinished-part two..

The last area of our home to share is our outdoor space. We sit on a plot of land that is about 1 1/2 acres. It's not a tremendous amount of land, but it's the most we've ever had. And right now it sits *snow-covered* as a blank slate.

Our land: pre-house and pre-snow

Blank slates make me nervous. I know that sounds funny to say, seeing as we have just built a house, but even those plans started with a basic model. We took that basic model and changed it in ways we thought made sense for our family. Those changes came with input from a variety of resources. There were the friends we have that had built their own homes, questions posed to various friends and family, and numerous internet resources, namely houzz. In short, our home was, we feel, a group effort.


This yard? Well, there is still the seeking out of opinions and ideas. The problem is, there is no basic blueprint to start from.

There are plans for a deck, which will start behind our family room and wrap around the north side of our home. We've already planned for this, as we have two patio doors, one off the dining room and one off the master bedroom. Beyond this, it's anyone's guess.

Since we have a septic system, care must be taken to keep that area clear of flooding. We are considering a rain garden, which would then serve as a barrier of sorts between us and our neighbors, and also suck up any excess run-off before it would get to our drainage field. What this rain garden looks like or what plants/shrubs/trees it includes, remains open for discussion.

There are patios that will need to be constructed, either with pavers or concrete. There is a door that is off our laundry room, as well as doors leading out from the basement. Ideally, we will have some area for a grill and an earthen pizza oven -- most likely to the rear of the house.

Gardens and laundry lines make the most sense on the south side. It will have ample sunlight, and with the laundry room door, it's the most convenient access.

Eventually, I would like a yard that serves to nourish our family with fruits, vegetables, chickens, and even bees. I envision a space that we can spend time in during the milder months of the year, either with outdoor meals, games, stargazing, or tending to what we've created.

So I suppose this blank slate really isn't so blank after all. But the possibilities it holds are what overwhelms me at times. What plants? Grass or prairie? Playset? Tennis court? *oh yes, this has been discussed!* What kind of trees? Flowers? Which way will the driveway run? So.many.decisions.

But right now, our yard is a dumpster and two large dirt piles. A snow-covered area full of promise. Although, for the record, I do not look forward to spring rains, which will turn our snow-covered paradise into an acre-plus mud pit.

..mary, mary, quite contrary..

My garden is growing quite well, thank you. We have finished the radishes, and have harvested some peppers, cilantro, and parsley. But I am getting ahead of myself.

parsley, mint, basil, cilantro

 

I felt I was doing so well with my gardening, that on a recent trip to a local nursery, I picked up more gardening goodness. Enter thyme, rosemary, 2 heirloom tomato plants (names escape me, and I don't keep those plastic tags), 4 pepper plants (2 red bell, 2 cayenne), rose geranium, dill, parsley, basil, lemongrass, and mint.

 thyme, rosemary

Initially when I started this container garden, I had planted 4 small pots with mint, dill, parsley, and basil. After planting my seeds, carefully fertilizing and watering them gently, I looked through the booklet that came with the seeds. I wanted to make sure that I was putting them in the correct light, keeping them watered just enough, in the hopes of enjoying a bounty of herbal goodness.Then I saw the expiration date. It was staring me in the face, all faded and worn. 2003. Crap.

 rose geranium.....smells heavenly

I remained optomistic. Surely some seeds would prove hardy enough and show me some love. And I truly thought that I had beat the odds when I saw small little leaves start to sprout up. I watched and waited, expecting these leaves to grow and change into leaves that were more familiar, more like the herbs I was anticipating. Instead, I got a lesson on what weeds look like. That is all that filled my pots....weeds.

do you see all those peas?

 

And I decided to start over. This is where my new plants come in.

 tomato and peppers

 

I opted for small plants, not seeds. After acquiring these herbs and vegetables, I carefully put them in their new pots. Success. No more weeds, or, at least, now I know what those mangy creatures look like. And all is well with my garden.

strawberry pot

I think the only other thing I will add to my garden is some cucumbers. I plan to put those in the empty space left by my radishes. And my peas? I haven't yet eaten any of them, but they are covered with pea pods. I am waiting until they are swollen just enough. I have a few tomatoes and a couple of peppers as well, but I am trying desperately to keep my girls from yanking these burgeoning fruits from my plants. What about my strawberries, you ask? Well, the plants continue to flower, and now that it's June, I think I will let them go (I have been pinching them off up to this point). The plants seem to be thriving, and a couple of the ones that seemed dead, have now returned, albeit much smaller. I hope to enjoy some strawberries soon.

more strawberries

 

It continually surprises me how much pride I have for this little garden. There is so much satisfaction derived from going out and finding something to use for a meal. Whether it's a radish for a salad, or some cilantro for a garnish. To me, it's far more appealing to turn to a patch of earth for my food than to the inside of a refrigerator. And as it turns out, the more I utilize the herbs and veg in my little "patch," the more it produces. Who knew? (Be nice, I'm still a novice).

..the harvest begins..

Garden in early April and early May

 
So I had every intention of giving garden updates as I watched my little seeds grow and flourish. But I am still trying to be mindful of taking pictures, and everytime the urge strikes, it is rainy or overcast. But as of this week, we are now harvesting. The French Breakfast radishes are ready.

Radish-y goodness.

Now I am only a novice gardener. I am slowly learning terms and practices, as I hurriedly refer to gardening books borrowed from the library. I allow myself some room for error, and sometimes making the mistakes and learning from them first-hand is the best way for me to go about learning. Thankfully, seeds are cheap.

So reflecting on this garden, I would perhaps thin these radishes instead of just dumping the seeds into the earth and letting them go. It might make for more uniformly sized radishes. And let's be clear...my remembering to water them was a huge accomplishment. I always try to find something positive.

 My peas.

The peas are making their way up my makeshift poles. The River Birch out front is kind enough to provide more than enough branches..much to my husband's dismay. But I am happy to utilize all that I can laying around the house and yard.

I wish I could say the strawberries are doing better. Somehow it looks as if a few of the plants have withered away and died. I'm not quite sure why. It may be that they are too low in the boxes, or that they have just gotten too much/too little sun or water. The strawberry pot seems to be fine, and with the plants that are thriving, I have pinched off a few flowers. So I remain hopeful.

Strawberries in April

And I am so optimistic about this gardening thing, that I ventured out and added some new characters to my cast of green goodness. But in the interest of not rambling on for too much longer, I shall share those another day.

If you have any gardening tips or suggestions, feel free to share!

..gardening experiment..

Spring has come early this year. And realistically, in our corner of the world, it has felt like summer until just a couple of days ago. With this warmer weather, I have felt the itch to do some planting. I have thought carefully about how to garden, since we are longtime CSA members. Our boxes start in June and can go all the way until December, and doing double-garden duty is only setting myself up for failure.

(Quinalt pot)

After pondering the garden question, I settled upon a few things to try in a container garden on our deck. I settled on English peas, Quinalt strawberries, French breakfast radishes, Cilantro, Dill, Mint, Lavender, and Parsley. I may add some English thyme to the mix, and perhaps a smaller variety pumpkin, but we'll see how things go with these first few containers. Once upon a time, I planted 12 tomato plants in our yard, right before giving birth to our son. That story ended with an exhausted new mother and an overly frustrated new father and a heap of rotting tomatoes. I will not make the same mistake twice.

In deciding what containers to use, I wanted to re-purpose containers we already had around the house. I was happy to discover that we had two unused flower boxes against our fence in the backyard. They work perfectly, and are large enough to accommodate the peas, radishes, and half of the strawberries.

 (Radish/Quinalt box)

I have enlisted the help of my kids to assist me in caring for the plants. Both of my girls are always looking for something to "garden," which, loosely translated, means "something I can water with my watering can." They helped me to put the rocks/chards of terra cotta at the bottom of the planters for drainage, scoop the potting soil into the container, and take compost from our yard to add to the potting soil. They were very industrious and helpful, and completely in awe of the number of worms we dug up. *yay, compost!*

Now that everything has been planted, we are just checking up on our little containers every morning. Fortunately for us, it has been particularly rainy so far, so watering hasn't been overly necessary. And we are happy to announce that our peas are coming in nicely. It is quite fun planting with my little girls, and, when he's not busy dribbling a basketball in every corner of our home, my boy.

(Pea sprouts)

How is your garden growing?