Garden Update

Roses that come back year after year. One small plant was given to us by my sister and they have grown very big. We just cut them back as needed.



The camera isn't showing the detail of the soil or the defined rows because the Christmas Eve kittens are now amazing trapeze artists. They knocked our camera from a high shelf on the China Hutch to the floor and it isn't working well anymore:(
Anyway, these rows are the parsley (two kinds) and two basils.



Confederate rose plants shooting back up. Above those is our cilantro row and to the left are the wildflower seeds.



My husband creating BEAUTIFUL soil that cannot be seen. In the picture, it just looks like mud! This is our vegetable garden and is in the front of the house while the herb garden is to the side... kind of. Two hard to explain for now!



Our summer baby! This thing works even our toughest land into soft soil!

Our ragged little yard and garden are coming along!
We need to keep working and not give up.

The tiller was in the shop and we got it back today. SO NICE to have neatly plowed and tilled rows to plant in.

My husband separated what once was my herb garden (freestyle --- I just added herb plants as I got them) into neat sections for our seeds. I am so excited!

On the side closest to the porch, I planted a neat row of heavenly blue morning glories (as I wrote of recently --- and went all the way around the little porch) and there was a rectangle spot of soil with a wood beam on the outside as a border.
It has more shade than sun and I found a pack of lovely wild flower seeds I purchased last year to cover it with. They tolerate over watering if they must and this area is the most moist of the whole "plot".

In two, full sun rows, I planted one row of two different parsleys and a row of regular basil and a half row of cinnamon basil.

My confederate rose got cut all the way down (it becomes a MOUNTAIN each summer) has a whole new circle of little babies!

Next to that is a small patch of dill and the row above that is all of cilantro.

Much to do but we are on the way!

Our "new" and natural yard & garden

Over the 16+ years of living here and working on this yard, I have put in countless hours. Hour upon hour of clearing land, pulling weeds, claiming areas, unloading dirt, collecting mulch, planting flowers, herbs, and a few vegetables.

I have spent free money, gift money and more on new flowering bushes, roses, and bulbs. Eventually, no matter how cleaned, pruned up, and cared for it has been ... the weeds have taken over. Lawn mowers break routinely here and it takes a lot to keep our basic yard tools in good shape. Kind of makes me think of taking care of a jungle...

Anyway, I'm tossing the "giving up attitude" out with the pruned, dead parts of this yard. I have a renewed motivation to reclaim this little (and HUMBLE) piece of land and make the most of it.

It has helped to have my husband on board more than I thought it would.
He has been clearing areas, using his grandpa's old tractor to break up ground and has our garden plot in place. He started this last year and we planted some of the seeds I bought after spending hours and hours researching for the most natural choices.

Not a great deal of success to report from that. A long and boring story concludes with the fact that half my garden got dug up, the compost was abandoned and none of the beautiful and lovingly cared for seedlings survived.

This year... we are praying to be different.

As of today, we:

* Have a nice garden plot with wide rows and narrow footpaths like I wanted last year. We have planted a section of beets and started two flats of broccoli, zinnia's, and two squash varieties.

* Plowed a half circle that goes from the flower area under our vegetable garden and goes to the other side. We are going to plant flowers all in it and already a nice pack of wildflowers for this.

* Planted heavenly blue morning glories all the way around the porch and on both sides of the steps. The once brand new wood is now old, splintering and not so visually appealing. The morning glories get planted every summer and we tear the unsightly vines down when they start turning brown in fall after saving the seeds.

* Watered the peppermint we've had in two stone pots for so many years along with both heirloom roses, two other varieties of roses, the Southern Jasmine, blueberry bush and two azalea's.

* Moved the compost bin to a more convenient location and gone back to diligently adding coffee and tea grounds, egg shells, fruit and vegetable peelings, and more.

* Prepared an area in front of this window to fill with herbs like I did years ago. Right now, little blue/lavender flowers are sprinkled as a pretty ground cover.

I'm going to journal our progress and include pictures here and another place or two. I want it for us and since I'm always searching for things like this myself... thought some readers might appreciate sharing it as we go.

I'm pulling out all gardening books so it might be awhile before I post again... smile.