Garden Friday

Welcome back to Garden Friday!
We've got a lot of catching up to do,
as each day fills up with gardening tasks.
Don't think I'm complaining one bit!
Here's an update on some of our goings on this week.

We 
hit 
pay 
dirt!
Richard at PC Mulch hooked us up with some black gold.
With a borrowed trailer (thank you sweet friends), 
we made our way to PC Mulch,
just down the road from our home here in Pumpkin Center.
Taking two trips, we managed to pick up 2 yards
of some gorgeous compost, perfect for growing our veggies
as well as amending all of the beds in the front of the house.
It was like Christmas morning, I tell ya!
Big K went with me to pick it up
and I was about as happy as a daisy in the dirt could be!
Of course, the next two weeks will be busy
filling up beds, containers, and new garden zones.

On my daily walk,
I pass so many beautiful flowers and ground covers.
It's no wonder I feel so much better by the time I make my way back.
God's bounty is always present.

 A friendly neighbor whom I've been helping in the garden,
was kind enough to gift me with this stack of bricks.
They will be used to make the border
for our new butterfly bed.

The veggie garden is growing every week!
I recently added the two raised beds to the straw bale area,
as well as placing arches between a couple of the bales.
(I'll post more about the latter project next week.) 
Tomatoes will sit to the left of these two boxes,
and I hope to add a couple of more raised beds as well.

I've been pretty happy with the progress of the straw bales.
The transplants are all doing well,
with very little care.

 We're using our bargain soaker hoses to water daily.

 The pots sitting between the bales are also starting to take off.
Here, Buttercrunch and Red Salad Bowl lettuces
share space with Sugar Snap Peas.

 It looks as if I can cross lettuce and kale off of my weekly grocery list,
as there is enough to harvest for my daily salad.

cucumbers

 

 The melons are starting to get their true sets of leaves,
so we are on the right track.
I'm hoping the melon vines will cascade down the bales.
Another option would be to trellis them.
I have time to figure out what I want to do with them.
It's the first time I've grown watermelon,
so it's all one big experiment!

 The straw bales are watered daily
(it's been unseasonably warm here),
and fertilized with Mighty Grow every 4 weeks.
I think we're on to something!

Ready for harvest!

 

Tomatoes, eggplant, beans, parsley, thyme, one lone broccoli
and a few odds and ends sit on the deck,
awaiting their turn to be transplanted.
This shady spot has been a blessing for seed starting.
I'm hoping that by next year,
I can build some sort of table or repurpose some shelving
 so that the containers can be a bit easier to access.

Feed sacks are being used to kill the grass in this spot,
so that I can transplant some strawberries here.
My generous friend Jannah
(who's garden we featured here),
is always sharing her bounty with others.
 

It's wonderful to be able to start each day with a walk,
and now that the sun is up earlier, I can get it done sooner.
There is one other walker that I often see out and about,
and he was kind enough to allow me to share a few images from his property.

 Joe and Jessie live just a block over,
and their homestead is so appealing.
Would you just look at this clematis next to their front porch?
I couldn't even count all the buds getting ready to open!

Here's another stunner they have planted out front.
Jessie wasn't sure of the name,
but this plant is loaded with gorgeous golden blooms.

I've saved the best for last.
Wait for it...













 

This is the wood pile behind their house.
I marvel at the sheer beauty of it every time I pass by.
It's a work of art, don't you agree?

Joe cuts the wood himself and sells it to neighbors. 
He also does lawn work for several clients right here in the neighborhood.

It is stacked in this way so that air can flow through the pile,
keeping the wood dry and ready to use.
Brilliant, right?
As you may have guessed, Joe is a stickler for doing things right.
The world sure needs plenty of that.

What a blessing to have such conscientious and hard-working neighbors.