Well with the sun coming out and the days warming up I have been spending more and more time gardening. I thought I would take a break from the planting and hoeing today and snap a couple pictures of how things are looking around here at the end of April.
This is a Golden Oregano plant that managed to survive the winter here. Isn't it beautiful? I can't wait to use it in some yummy sauces.
Here are my 46 tomato plants that I have started this year. I am going to be doing a wee bit of canning/preserving this year (at least I hope so if the weather cooperates). They are all heirloom varieties including Marglobes, Bloody Butcher (I did not name it!) and Brandywine Pink.
Of course just because I am doing a lot more vegetable gardening doesn't mean I am going to neglect my flowers! The blue flowers in the foreground are forget-me-nots. The flowers in the wooden basket are an assortment of annuals I will be planting in containers around our place.
Here are my newest additions to the garden this year. James made me these beautiful cold frames for me (thank you honey!!) so that I can get a few more weeks out of our growing season.
So far I have a nice crop of lettuce and spinach coming along. My 'Loose Leafed' lettuce and
my spinach 'Teton Hybrid'. Grant and I have already been snacking, oh, I mean thinning them. They should be ready to fully harvest in just a couple more weeks.
James made me a total of six cold frames and another 5 frames (no top) that I can use to stack ontop of one another to fit taller plants in. Here is the house side bed. My rhubarb is on the far right. So far I have made a rhubarb cake and had a friend (Sarah) make a delicious rhubarb pie. I love this hardy perennial! These cold frames contain basils, shallots, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower starts and broccoli starts.
Does anyone need any onion starts??? :-)
One thing I take for granted up here is how well tulips do. I bought these tulips the first spring we were here and they are still going strong. I have had to dig them up at least three times because they keep multiplying and crowding each other out.
My newest bed for 2009 is a 40'X60' garden. I asked our neighbors grandson if he would till up the bed for us with his grandfathers tractor and rototiller. He was happy to make some extra cash and Voila I now have my first big garden bed. So far I have planted walla walla onions (50), leeks (50), white potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, french fingerling potatoes and a pumpkin hill. Will be interesting to see how everything does. I still have a bunch more to plant but am really happy with what I have started all ready.
So other than the garden we have really picked up our triathlon training and are doing 6-10 hours of training a week. We have also been in a couple of races. I finished third in my age group in the Eagle Run this weekend. I ran the 5k in 27:24 (8:55 min/miles)and accomplished a goal I had set of running sub 9 min/miles for a race. Good start for the year. Hope all is well with everyone.
This is a Golden Oregano plant that managed to survive the winter here. Isn't it beautiful? I can't wait to use it in some yummy sauces.
Here are my 46 tomato plants that I have started this year. I am going to be doing a wee bit of canning/preserving this year (at least I hope so if the weather cooperates). They are all heirloom varieties including Marglobes, Bloody Butcher (I did not name it!) and Brandywine Pink.
Of course just because I am doing a lot more vegetable gardening doesn't mean I am going to neglect my flowers! The blue flowers in the foreground are forget-me-nots. The flowers in the wooden basket are an assortment of annuals I will be planting in containers around our place.
Here are my newest additions to the garden this year. James made me these beautiful cold frames for me (thank you honey!!) so that I can get a few more weeks out of our growing season.
So far I have a nice crop of lettuce and spinach coming along. My 'Loose Leafed' lettuce and
my spinach 'Teton Hybrid'. Grant and I have already been snacking, oh, I mean thinning them. They should be ready to fully harvest in just a couple more weeks.
James made me a total of six cold frames and another 5 frames (no top) that I can use to stack ontop of one another to fit taller plants in. Here is the house side bed. My rhubarb is on the far right. So far I have made a rhubarb cake and had a friend (Sarah) make a delicious rhubarb pie. I love this hardy perennial! These cold frames contain basils, shallots, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower starts and broccoli starts.
Does anyone need any onion starts??? :-)
One thing I take for granted up here is how well tulips do. I bought these tulips the first spring we were here and they are still going strong. I have had to dig them up at least three times because they keep multiplying and crowding each other out.
My newest bed for 2009 is a 40'X60' garden. I asked our neighbors grandson if he would till up the bed for us with his grandfathers tractor and rototiller. He was happy to make some extra cash and Voila I now have my first big garden bed. So far I have planted walla walla onions (50), leeks (50), white potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, french fingerling potatoes and a pumpkin hill. Will be interesting to see how everything does. I still have a bunch more to plant but am really happy with what I have started all ready.
So other than the garden we have really picked up our triathlon training and are doing 6-10 hours of training a week. We have also been in a couple of races. I finished third in my age group in the Eagle Run this weekend. I ran the 5k in 27:24 (8:55 min/miles)and accomplished a goal I had set of running sub 9 min/miles for a race. Good start for the year. Hope all is well with everyone.
Posts
Holley, everything looks so beautiful! I can't wait to enjoy your garden :P Hkk
ReplyDeleteHolley! Everything is gorgeous and it all sounds delicious. I miss Whidbey, where everything I planted grew and flourished! I'm having a lot of trouble down here in FL, it's hard with hot dry summers and frosty winters. I made a small bed for green beans a few weeks ago, but I'm already worried about them. Ethan keeps asking where the beans are. They'll grow honey! fingers crossed...
ReplyDeleteWow, you have been busy. Very impressive, I couldn't even keep a tomato plant alive...in Texas! Lauren
ReplyDeleteAwesome Holley! I wish I lived closer so I could raid your tomatos...there is NOTHING like a tomato off the vine. We just don't have a good spot in our yard for a veggie garden...so many trees means roots and shade everywhere! Your flowers look lovely too! Good work!!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want to go snap some pictures of my garden - and then plant a little more... Actually, our tomatoes are doing awesome, but the wind is just killing the peppers and beans we have planted. Their poor little leaves just shrivel up and die... How was it planting the lettuce and spinach? That's what I want next year. I planted some tulip and daffodil bulbs here as well. They've all grown stalks, but only one daffodil bloomed. Maybe next year. Great job on your race!!
ReplyDeleteSteph
WOW, I am so hungry looking at your fresh goodies. You are so lucky to have a great hubby! I can taste the lettuce & spinach looking at your pics. You will have a lot of great veggies this summer. The onion pic looks a lot like my chive plants?!? Your flowers are gorgeous also.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a great finish and beginning of a new year in your races.
Great job on your race. Good luck in all the rest. I'm very impressed with your garden. It's a lot of work (something my mom enjoys) to plant all those things and tend to them throughout the summer. I hope it all grows nicely for you. Will anything be ready in 3 weeks when I'm there? ;-) Have you got the chickens yet? James is so awesome to build the boxes for you. I bet your bunny doesn't feel the same way....since he/she can't eat the lettuce now.
ReplyDelete