Today's Harvest

I harvested three bell peppers, three banana peppers, five green beans and 10 cherry tomatoes today. I am feeling very proud of my little garden and so relieved to finally have some tomato success.

Handful of Beans

This morning I picked twenty-two beans fresh from the garden, washed them and ate them. I don't really care for green beans but I felt I should give them another try since I grew them and all. However, I still don't think I like them but I'll keep trying. Jordan loved them and Logan is confident that she does not care for green beans. It's hard to get a proper tasting accomplished when you have to divide your twenty-two beans by three. :-)

I have lots of peppers on my pepper plants. There are three big banana peppers and two medium green peppers on the plants. The plants are loaded with more peppers but they are just getting started and are quite small. Still, only three tomatoes and they are still green. But, I've only had the garden seven weeks and it might be possible that I'm a little impatient.

Coal and Nola

Nola stayed with us for about nine days last month. She was such a delight and absolutely no trouble at all. Coal loved her and they had a very good time. It was his first sleep-over.

Birthday Socks!

Today is my Mom's birthday and,to celebrate, I made her a pair of ankle socks because she loves ankle socks. She loves socks in general and will be super happy to receive a pair of hand-knit socks. One of the qualities, and there are many, that I love about my mom is her appreciation of hand-knit socks. And, she thinks I'm a knitting genius. She gets it! They were knit using Socks That Rock lightweight sock yarn in the pebble beach colorway. I hope she likes them.


These little socks are for Anne of Green Gables, one of my Mom's porcelain dolls. In my opinion, Anne of Green Gables is one of the best book series ever written. I love Anne and wish to be her bosom friend. Now, Anne and Mom can be all matchy, matchy.

Growing

Beans on July 6, 2009


Beans on July 8, 2009


Beans on July 9, 2009

I read somewhere that beans shouldn't be planted this way because they have fairly fragile root systems. So, I won't do it this way again. Although, they don't seem to object. I moved them into bigger pots today. Growing beans is an exercise in almost instant gratification. I really like that about beans.

Composting

The gardening bug has really taken a large bite out of me. I have spent countless hours researching different plants and their special needs such as soil conditions, sunlight, and water. I’ve also spent time learning about organic pest control, weeds, ground cover, soil preparation, container gardening, and composting.

The composting thing really interests me. I want to make my own compost, my own dirt full of nutritious good stuff for my plants. There are a lot of composters to choose from costing anywhere from $69.99 to $399 and up. I’m not prepared to invest that much money into composting at this time. I need to get my feet wet first – make sure it works. So, I looked at the design features of each model and set out to make my own. I thought of building one with wood and some sort of wire but, frankly, this idea seemed like too much to undertake right now. After all, I had just built a 3 X 4 square using two pieces of 2 X 6 X 8 lumber to make my raised bed. The lumber was obtained from a pile my father keeps by his shed from when the porch blew off the house. So, it was free. I wanted to find something free or as close to free as possible.

To that end, I purchased a 32 gallon trash can for $12.98 at Lowes. The material is something similar to what you see with those Rubbermaid containers (i.e. easy to drill holes in). I brought it home and assembled the necessary tools for the job – an electric knife and a drill. I’m particularly gifted in the art of deconstruction. So, I had no trouble at all. I cut out the bottom and drilled holes in the side and in the lid. It’s perfect if I do say so myself.






It is now full of compost including a layer of cardboard, grass cuttings, produce and other kitchen waste (no meat, fat or oil of any kind) and hay. Yesterday afternoon I went out to check the garden. Everything is doing well – everything is still alive. I believe I may be somewhat gifted in the gardening arts. The compost pile is steaming. There is condensation on the lid much like when you are simmering something on the stove. And, I can feel the heat generated by the compost doing its' work. This is so exciting. I gave it a little stir to keep things cooking and went inside for the evening.

Lenore

A long time ago, in a galazy far, far away I received a package from my Socks That Rock Sock Club including yarn and a sock pattern both named Lenore. Lenore was part of the Raven series and I loved her. The colors were beautiful. I still love the way the colors play between darkest night, an almost black blue and burgundy. So, I decided to actually use the pattern, created by the Yarn Harlot herself, included with the yarn to make a pair of super-fantastic socks. But, it was not meant to be. In my humble opinion, this sock yarn does not like this sock pattern and is screaming to be something else. The yarn wants to fulfill its sock destiny but has been begging me to choose another pattern. And so, I wait for Lenore to speak to me. She needs to tell me what she wants to be.