Progress!!

Just a quick post of photos to share my progress.

New view of front yard!



Bed on the right is #1.


Here is #1 all ready for final layer of compost/soil. Peas have been planted.



And here is my work in process - the walkways which will surround the raised beds and cover the rest of the lawn in this area!


I have been blessed with some amazing people in my life. Babs has made most of this possible by her generous donation of pavers, compost and soil to this project. Thanks, Babs! My son-in-law, JD has been making several trips to get the materials as well as lending his strength to get them loaded and unloaded, my neighbors, and of course Mia and hubby who have been helping with the whole process. Hubby did an amazing job on the construction - giving up his vacation to get it done.

We even have enough crushed stone from the new patio to fill these walks!



And photos of recent Daffodil/Pulmonaria bouquet from the gardens.





Just a quick post of photos to share my progress. And photos of recent bouquet from the gardens.

Seeds planted

Got half of bed 1 planted. Mostly greens, roots and beans. I will be using a plastic cover when the weather gets back down to normal.

Set up my mini greenhouse, where I am tending to plants getting ready to be moved into the garden beds.

Also enjoying meeting new gardeners through Plant Traders group.

Just too busy for more right now, but I have been getting lots of photos. Will be spending the hot part of the day downloading them!

Enjoy the sun!!

Monday

Had a very busy weekend. Gardeners starting to visit to get plants, getting new raised bed #1 filled with planting mixture, a trip to the Sugar Shack in New Hampshire, and a visit to a conservation site to check out Japanese Knotweed.

I am ready to get half of bed #1 planted. WHEW!! Lots of shoveling and hauling, getting the compost from my main bin!! I can now drive a truck!! Got a load of straw, peat, cow manure and mulch for this process.

First thing this morning I will be getting my seeds ready for planting then I'm heading over to Crocker Pond to get a few Japanese Knotweed sprouts to try out at lunchtime. According to the seminar and hike I went to they are supposed to taste like Artichoke hearts. We shall see! Everything else he recommended has been very tasty, so I am definitely looking forward to trying this. We all love Artichoke hearts here.

Until I get #1 planted I will be cutting down on gardeners coming in. Just too much to get done.

I am also fitting in significant blocks of time for one of my sisters who is very ill.

Wednesday and Thursday, as I will be watching the kids would be days that I would be able to give plants out. I don't know when I will get back to the computer, so please be patient with me!

Today's work

Need to get the veggie beds filled and ready for planting.

Okay, so there is no way all three 4 x 22 beds are going to get done in a day. I filled one small corner of bed #1 and planted peas earlier in the week.

My more reasonable goal for the day will be to get half of #1 ready to plant seeds. Had a new gardener visit yesterday, who told me she had just gotten all her seeds planted. She uses a plastic cover at this time of year. LIGHT BULB MOMENT for me!!!

I can put plastic sheets, of which I have several over the top and secure them on the wood!! Hello!!

Found out this week one of my sisters has cancer - it has made my brain all fuzzy, Need to take a deep breath. There that done, now get focused and head out to work!!!!

Dandelion buds

Found this great Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, while getting pavers from Babs, just sitting on top of a pile of leaves in the compost area! It is best to get to them before they produce any flowers for using the leaves.



The large plants have lots of buds. I just pick them off, some even come with the stems.




If you work your way through the plant there are lots of buds at the base of the stems.
I wash them thoroughly, drop them in boiling water for 60 seconds and then add to salad or hot dish.

Ryan enjoyed helping to locate the Dandelions and pick the buds, after helping me to load up the car with pavers.


He especially enjoyed investigating the buds to see what was inside!!

Apple and Pear Guilds

We planted four fruit trees about four years ago; Apple, Pear, Peach, Cherry. One died right away and was replaced, I think it was the peach. Then two years ago both the Cherry and Peach bit the dust.

This photo from last year shows our Pear tree in the distance, just to the left of the Spruce. It was set at the side of the Spruce bed. So far it has not produced any fruit -


And you can just make out the Apple tree to the right of the Spruce.


I will be giving more information about my plan to help these trees be more productive. I am creating guilds around each tree.

More to follow!

Dandelions are definitely worth a try

I take the grandkids to reading programs at the local library. Last week we noticed Dandelions in bloom. I had been looking for a source to use for their edible portions, so I got the kids locating the plants for me by having them pick the flowers! Once a Dandelion starts to bloom the leaves become bitter and no longer good to eat. I have been picking leaves from Dandelion and Chicory for a few weeks now. I use them in salads, soups and stews.

As I had learned that the flower buds are tasty I picked buds with the kids last week. We put them in boiling water for 60 seconds then i did a stir fry in EVOO with some leaves I picked from non blooming plants. We all loved them! I also located some Wintercress in the same area and picked the leaves which were also added to the stirfry.

This week when we went there were a ton of Dandelions available. What a great help to the library to have the kids picks all the flowers to keep them form multiplying too much. This keeps the plants there for foraging yet controls the spread so that they don't have to treat them with chemicals!!

I will speak to the library Director so that she will know I am willing to do this weekly, so that she is not compelled to use the chemicals!!!

I got enough buds to serve at dinner last night. The kids and my hubby ate them. JD, my son in law thought they were interesting. They are full of nutrients, and the leftovers will go in our salad today.

I also found 3 Wintercress starting to produce their flower stalks. I cut the stalks, leaving the plant in place ans added these to the buds at dinner. The end of the stalk with the flower buds was very similar to Broccoli Raab, and even Mia liked it!! So we need to get out and get more Wintercress stalks today!!

Try them. You may find them as enjoyable as I have!

Raised beds

This is the progression of our front lawn being transformed into new productive beds. We are very busy this week getting the work done while hubbie is on vacation. Will post photos of progress when I find more time. These are the photos from over the weekend.

Pulmonaria

Pulmonaria, Lungwort, is one of the first plants to bloom in my gardens each year. They are especially great as they keep their leaves all season and grow similar to hostas into a nice round clump. They seed freely and form great masses of plants if not deadheaded. They prefer a shady site and thrive in an area that gets flooded in winter and spring.




I have the variety with dark green leaves with white spots that produces both pink and blue flowers on each plant. Right now their leaves are very small, but you can see the spots quite easily.




I noticed last year that a white variety has evolved.




As a garden center was going out of business last year I was able to scoop up a silver leaf variety
which has a delicate pink bloom!

Look what I found

Took a hike out back to check out the Rosina Violets out back. They are a good three weeks behind in growth from the ones out front. Did find one little one in bloom, all by itself. Hopefully it will have more company soon.



Interesting how there is so much diversity within my gardens. The front gets the full hot sun all day, so things are much faster in coming up. But I never took a close enough look to actually figure how how far ahead my front gardens are!! VERY INTERESTING!!!



So if I remember - it would be wise to plant some of the cool weather veggies out back, to prolong the harvesting. The seed bed we cleared last year is where we used to plant all our veggies years gone by. So the soil is good and will be a great place to transplant some of those seeds I already planted that need work out front! I just wrote myuself a note so that I will remember to move them back there.

This is a close up of this beautiful Violet. I just love the rosy color. Soon the whole back slope around the pit will be covered with these blooms and joined by the five other colors of violets I have around here.





There are tons of violets, so I have lots to share. There is deep purple, violet, white, white with purple and variations which have developed from all of the above! Come and help yourselves!

And Krissy, this photo is for you. These are my white Lily of the Valley starting to poke up in back gardens!! Got some pink ones last year. Can't wait to see them in bloom!!


Have a great day!

Blueberry bed

Looking up from the hedge, this is the area where the Blueberries are going.




And this is the view towards the hedge. Such a large area of lawn.




I started by just transplanting bushes to the area.




I also moved all the roses left around the front gardens to bring out a new bed in front of the hedge.




I moved two established Blueberry bushes that I had purchased from the back gardens. They had not done well as they were in very overcrowded ares, without the benefit of full sun.




I also moved a Snowberry bush, a Crabapple seedling from my large Red Crabapple by the driveway, a Peegee Hydrangea that was crowded out of the hedge and Highbush blueberries from the woods.





I added a Butterfly Bush that had been residing in the Daylily bed at the end of the area.




Then I put fabric down on the grass around them and piled on leaves shredded by the lawnmower in the fall. As long as it is a natural fiber, fabric works as a great layer to keep out weeds/lawn growth, just like newspapers or landscaping cloth.


From this view you can see the start of my new veggie beds.

Change is coming

This is the view you all got to enjoy last year in the gardens. This huge expanse of lawn has been dwindling ever so slowly over the past 22 years! It started with the area down by the street. We put in the Burning Bush/Privet hedge, then planted Rugosa Roses and Creeping Juniper. As the Juniper got overrun by native plants and ivies, Sheila and Jimmie transplanted it to their gardens, where it was enjoyed all winter long by their resident deer!! How nice to have provided a winter feast for the taking - or should I say, eating!!

Obviously we are still working on their deer problem!!

I took over more lawn for the front perennial beds and the berry patch, then added the nursery bed, Lily bed, Strawberries and Yucca and on and on.

Then last year after going through the process of becoming a Certified Natural Habitat I learned how much a lawn can add to the problems of our environment. The gas used for mowing, the gas emissions added to the environment, not to mention the energy expended doing the mowing and the chemicals required to maintain a pristine lawn.

All added up to me rethinking the whole thing. Add to that having no available garden space to grow many veggies. Then comes that wonderful book, "Gaia's Gardens". That was all I needed to figure out that I already had the perfect place for my veggies. Where do I get the most sun? Right out front.

So I started changing it more last fall. I moved Blueberries out from the back and the woods, established guilds for my Apple and Pear trees, and decided to get rid of most of the front lawn.

So this photo is all that remains of what used to be a large expanse of lawn!!

First bouquet

This is the first bouquet of the season! I picked it about three weeks ago, making it the earliest Violets I have ever picked!! This is the Rosina Violet. They always bloom earlier than all the other varieties I have.

These are from a little patch right by the driveway so they are easy to spot - Hey, I have more of this variety out back. I need to remember to check it out today!

New raised beds

Have finally got a plan for more vegetable beds. Started putting brick walks on front lawn which will surround new raised beds for vegetables. That is the area that gets full sun all day. These beds will abut the new Blueberry island I created in the fall, which will be bordered by a new potato bed as well.

I found a large bed of Daylilies in the woods, so dug up a bunch for one of our gardeners and proceeded to harvest several tubers for a meal before sending them off to their new home. I cooked them with Wintercress leaves in broth, and enjoyed it as a soup with my dinner. Mia and John did not like the tubers with their skins on. The kids and I do, so I figure they can peel them after they are cooked, but neither one of them was willing to do the work! Oh well, their loss. From now on I will just use them at lunch with the kids.

The other day the kids and I gathered Dandelion flowers, buds and leaves. They picked all the flowers, helping me to locate the plants. I boiled the leaves and buds, then served with butter. The kids did not go for either, but I found them pleasant enough to eat. Another time I would probably put them in with other items in a soup/stew. I have been using the leaves for salads and additions to many dishes so far.

Lots of seedlings are coming up: Radish, lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, broccoli rabe, for edibles, and lupine, columbine, cleome and many more perennials. A few of you who have been here already have taken home lots of seedlings. They all need thinning, so I am very happy to be able to share them rather than put them into compost.

I'm finding it much easier to not capitalize to get this written. Funny how easy it is to adjust when time is so much more precious. In the gardens I am trying to zero in on the most important things to get done. But then I tend to get side tracked so easily.

Went out to dig the lilies and then saw remnants of groundnut throughout the wild roses. Those roses have gotten so overgrown over the years, but are in a spot edging the woods, so have not been a priority. There was a nest in it from last year, so it has been serving a purpose, but too many thorns in my way of digging the lilies, so I stopped and just pruned it all back, so that I can dig up the ground nut. Last fall I dug a bunch in another area, and found them to be quite tasty.
It is so much fun to locate another source of edibles.

Planning to help a friend thin out bleeding heart today. Did mine (the White ones) last week with Krissy's help. The roots were just amazing. Some were creeping along the soil line, as they had no where else to go. I managed to have enough to give to the seven gardeners who were on my waiting list for it and then had extra which I surprised two people with. You never know what you might find over here!

Started watching the kids as JD started work this week. Thank You, God. Definitely keeping very busy. Such glorious weather!!

Plants now available

Make arrangements to come over and get young plants while they are easiest to transplant. check out list of available plants. As I am very busy getting ready for vegetable plantings, there will only be a few offerings of plants this spring.

Gardens update

Gardening has begun. Arugula, radish, spinach and lettuce are all coming up from the seeds I planted last month!

After a lengthy look around there is lots that needs to go to new homes. Spent the morning yesterday working with Sheila, Thanks so much, Sheila.

After a very long winter, it is really necessary to get down on your knees to get a closer look at what is going on in the gardens. And there is so much going on right now that I am overwhelmed. The winter blanket of snow protected plants that normally would have died down in the cold weather.

My Poppies are looking splendid as are the oh, so many Foxglove which hung in from last year! For Biennials, I'm not sure what to expect as I have not seen such healthy specimens in April before! And the Tower Mustard has come up all over and sown at least a million seeds! But that population will have plenty of company in my wild garden, so it will be interesting to see just which plants prevail.

It's my day to care for the kids, so I must run to get ready. But check out the seeds and plants already available. My time for giving out plants and seeds will be very limited as I will be caring for the little ones throughout the week and on Saturday afternoons, so I will need more time to line up visits to the gardens this season. Contact me when you see something you are interested in.

AND MOST OF ALL----- take off your gloves and get some dirt under your fingernails - Then the season will have officially begun!!!

Early plantings,, red onions and snap peas

The kids helped me plant red onions yesterday. Now you have to realize that when you plant with young children, it is very different than doing it yourself. We didn't get much done, but they had fun digging the holes and picking out the sets to be planted. I decided to do the peas myself!

I am just amazed to see all that is already growing in the perennial beds. There is lots to be given away, so I will be getting a list ready soon. But a quick preview includes bronze Fennel, Money Plant, Chives, Strawberries, Raspberries, Asters, Tower mustard, Scallions (onion and garlic), Violets, Lambs' ears, with lots more to be added!!

Have to figure a way to do it this year to minimize the time it takes to get it organized. I will definitely do postings through Plant Traders, not sure about Freecycle as it just takes so much time to wade through all the posts. Any suggestions?