A Walk Through My (newly weedfree) Garden

I am so proud of myself! Even though it was extremely HOT last night, I stuck to it and managed to get my garden weeded! So now I can give you all the grand tour.

This is the edge of my garden, and the first time I have planted either one of these plants. Along the very edge are a Zinnia mixture. I got the seeds from my Mom and cannot wait until they start blooming! The next row is another first for me. They are sweet potato plants. I had no idea how you grew them or even how they grow! I was told they are a vine but I found this wonderful variety called Porto Rico. They are a bush type of plant so they work a lot better in my small space.

This is my sweet corn, it is looking pretty good, but as you can see it varies in size a little. I had to replant some after all the rain we had this spring. Now as you can see we are really in need of some rain!

And now onto my melon patch! They even have a few baby melons on them. I love the Hale’s Best cantaloupe. They are a very sweet variety. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into juicy slice.

The next two rows as you can see are cucumbers, summer squash and tomatoes. I planted the Bush Crop Cucumber this year. Last year I had the vining type and they just grew all over my garden, so this year I went with less mess! I planted the Spineless Beauty Squash, which I have had before and we really liked. Then I tried something new with the Fortune Squash I am hoping they are good in our summer stir fries! I planted all hybrid tomatoes this year in hopes of avoiding the dreaded blight that I had last year. I am also trying to prevent it by staking them up. I am told this is one of the best things you can do. I am reusing some of my heavy duty folding tomato cages, they are wonderful because they are easy and you can reuse them from year to year!

My latest addition to my garden is some Esmeralda heirloom lettuce and some Summertime lettuce plants. We eat a lot of salads! The rest of this plot will be filled in with cabbage plants.

My blue lake bush beans and my progress number 9 peas. In the back you can see my carrots and onions.

Finally, my Easter Egg Radishes which did very well once they were in the ground, and my loose leaf lettuce. In the back you can see my sweet peppers and my late flat dutch and fast vantage cabbage plants.

Thank you for visiting my garden! Come back anytime, especially if you want to pull a weed or two!

My Own Little Herb Garden

Ok so i just started my own herb garden. This is my first try at growing fresh herbs. I have grown mint before and that is it! I have pretty much all different varieties. Some of which i do not know how to use so if anyone has any tips or suggestions I would love to hear them!

The biggest thing I would like to know is different favorite recipes and uses! I will keep you updated on how they grow!

Tennessee Clean Up

Ah, back home after a very busy weekend. My husband and I, along with some friends went down to Camp Creek Tennessee to help Christian Aid Ministries with clean up. The tornadoes really did some damage. We cut up and cleaned up many trees and there are so many more to do yet.

The damage was very wide-spread and in many places the roads had just been opened. Also, many people were still without power. The rebuilding efforts are on hold until FEMA comes to their aid. It definitely felt good to give back even just a little bit. Here are some pictures of the damage we saw.

April Showers…..

Wow we have had a lot of those April showers. It seems like here in Indiana we have had about two full weeks of rainy, dreary, and sometimes stormy weather. I managed to get my onion sets mudded in but the rest of my garden is just patiently waiting on some TLC.

My strawberries that I planted last year made it through the winter just wonderfully. They are strong and hardy and Vining out everywhere. If I remember right they are mostly Jewels.  Also, all of my fall perennials that I planted except one little digitalis has yet to make an entrance. I am still hoping and watching…. It is so much fun to watch them all pop through the ground and make that wonderful spring.

Over the long winter we have gotten a new family member. His name is Dallas and he is a cute, cuddly, little chihuahua. He is 8 months old and spoiled rotten. I am including a picture so everyone can see just how cute he really is!

Summer Flowers

Its been so hot that some of my flowers are looking a little droopy! But some of them are looking great! Here are some pics of some of my favorites!

Here is a mixture of impatiens and ferns.

I love my regal geraniums! This is a petticoat regal combined with petunias and splash helichrysum

This is one of my very favorites of the summer… the striking bonfire begonia!

Happy summer!

Sweet Summertime!

Ah I love the (not so) lazy days of summer, with its hot dazy and hazy nights. My garden is doing fantastic and so are my flowers. I have tomato plants that are almost as tall as me and I have canned green beans, pickles and peaches and next up is the corn! We have been eating it but now I am going to be freezing it! I can’t wait to use my pampered chef corn cutter I have been told it works great! Here are some pictures of my garden and yard!

This is my plant hanger my husband made for me… I have Pink Parfait Geraniums, Ace of Spades Ipomea, Blutopia Blue Bacopa, and Mega Magenta Calibrachoa planted in them! Don’t they look awesome?? 

Here is a pic of my corn….

my pickles and zuchinni which just went nuts this summer!

Now if i would just not got wakeboarding so much I could keep the weeds out!

LOVIN THIS SUNSHINE!

Ah i love this time of the year! i have most of my flowers planted and quite a bit of my garden done to. I will try to get pictures posted this week. We ate our first radishes out of the garden and also some winter onions. I planted the same Red Mars and Candy onions as I did last year because they stored great. in fact i still have some that are usable!

My favorite flowers that I planted are my hanging baskets. I think the baskets themselves look  so elegant and then I filled them with Magenta Calibrachoa’s, Pink Geranium’s, dark Sweet Potato vines and the dainty Bacopa . I think they look wonderful and cannot wait to get pics posted. Now i am just waiting on my hummingbirds to find them!!