My August Garden

Friends, the people running the internet have had it out for me lately.  I've spent an embarrassing amount of time sitting in front of a screen with a spinning wheel.  It's not my computer.  It's my Internet Service Provider.  They have to get their butts out to my house and figure something out.  I hope I can post as much as I'd like to.

So.

I tried my hand at a vegetable garden this year.  I figured I'd start small, particularly because my yard is teeming with animals and I was certain anything I planted would be eaten instantaneously.  Seriously.  We've got a zillion rabbits, groundhog, and even a fox.  Also, I didn't know what would grow well, so I didn't want to get in over my head.

Here it was when I started.  My friend picked up these raised bed kits for me at BJs.

We put wire around them in an attempt to keep the animals out.

And then I watered them every night, and kept my eye out for the bunnies.  Those suckers are everywhere.  This is what I saw from my house one day:

The photo is grainy; I snapped it quickly from inside my house with a telephoto lens.  It's a groundhog, on his haunches, staring into my garden.  That rascal.

Today, I'm proud to say, the plants are growing nicely. The "fence" worked well.

These are my little farmers.  They help a little, and goof around a lot.

Have you harvested anything lately?

A Terrific, Mildly Creepy Greenhouse

This week is my Spring Break, and since my college days of jetting off to Daytona Beach are a thing of the past (this year, anyway), I decided to do the next best thing:  go to an out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-path greenhouse with my mom and my sister, Katie.

The people there were...interesting.  I'm pretty sure I heard the banjos from Deliverance playing when we pulled in.  I don't think advances in personal hygiene have reached them there yet, either.  But that doesn't matter, because they were super-nice and helpful.

This greenhouse was not for the faint of heart, or the claustrophobic.  There were plants everywhere; the ground, tables, the ceiling.  And the aisles through the greenhouse were so narrow that only one person could fit down at a time.  But the selection and variety was amazing.

And then, to top off my awesome trip to the greenhouse, I made a stop at the doctor's for a check-up.

I may not be 21 anymore, but I still know how to live it up!  

Let's Get Planting!

The best place to seek God is in a garden.  You can dig for him there.  
                                George Bernard Shaw


I haven't truly gardened, at least not like I've wanted to, for the past four summers.  This is because I've either been pregnant, nursing, rocking, feeding, or chasing kids for the past four summers.  But this summer, my plan is to get my hands in the dirt and grow something.  Truly, there is nothing that centers me and calms my spirit like growing something beautiful.


Last weekend, my husband and I put together our raised beds.  I'm beginning to plan what I want to plant in them.  I've read a bit about square-foot gardening and hope to try my hand at it this year.  It seems like a sensible and economical use of space.  My major problem is that I live on a wooded lot, and it's not uncommon to see these guys roaming around in our yard:

Along with rabbits, mice, groundhogs, and the occasional fox.  I'm thinking a fence around the beds is in order.  My neighbor actually grows her herbs on her roof.


My mom called me the other day to tell me about this terrific seed company she found called Hudson Valley Seed Library.  The farm and business are run by partners Ken Greene and Doug Muller, who offer locally grown seeds from responsible seed houses.  But the best part is that their seed packs are designed by local artists from the greater New York region.  They are so beautiful, and totally framable.  The packs unfold like a flower and have a pack of seeds inside.  Also, they are printed using green ink on recycled paper.  Here are some of my favorites:

Wouldn't these be a perfect gift for a gardener?  Or a great Mother's Day gift?