Hands off gardening

Every year I get all excited to start gardening. When the pansies start showing in late Feb. I tend to go a little crazy. There are a couple of little nurseries around here and it is just as much fun to walk around and get ideas as it is to pick up a plant or two (or three or four...) Last year was no different. I got a bunch of plants and actually got most of them into the ground. It was only March, but I was ready. Then we had one of the hottest summers in history.
Watering plants has always been a challenge. When we bought our house I was ecstatic it had a sprinkler system. However, one aggressive landscaper and shovel put an end to my automatic watering dreams. So now my poor plants had to actually rely on me for water. Well, that was the beginning of the end. Slowly as the summer dragged with no rain (Come on, we are in Seattle after all)my plants slowly began to die off. I would try and keep up, but if I missed one day they were toast.
One of the things I try and go every year is strawberries. My sister-in-law grows them in hanging baskets and I thought this was a great idea. I had 7 baskets all loaded up with baby plants only to have two little plants left over. I took those little leftovers and planted them in my catch all container and forgot all about them. They struggled just like the ones in the baskets, but these little guys survived the winter and are actually thriving. The best part, I did NOTHING!!
Oh the joy of a lush and healthy looking plant. Better still if I can enjoy the fruits without the labor. :0)

The multi generational garden...

So after my dad and I got the beds all filled I had to plant my plants. I ended up with a dozen tomato plants, but I didn't have room for all of them in the beds. I am going to plant my "zebra" (my sister-in-law gave this one to me) and my 2 "Juliets" up by the patio in the back yard. I have a good spot where my previous tomatoes have resided and thrived. If you have never grown "Juliets" you really should. They are a grape tomato and I think they taste like candy. They are so bountiful the kids and I will just stand there and eat them off the plant and we never seem to run out.
As far as other things to plant, I put in a couple of cucumbers. Tomorrow I will get some peppers, carrot and pumpkin seeds. Hopefully the planting of these will go more smoothly than the tomatoes.
Sammie decided she wanted to help. Okay, fine. She insisted on digging the holes. She is not the quickest digger and my plants were wilting quickly. When I tried to help her she screamed and hit me with her shovel. Oh the joys of gardening with a 4 year old.

Daddy/ Daughter project in progress

Ever since we moved into this house in Aug of '03 I have wanted to put in a garden in our side yard. (It has the best southern exposure.) I don't know about you, but our side yard was very neglected until just recently. It seemed like more of a place to store stuff for our next dump run than actual "yard". Well, we finally cleared it out and the plan was to put in some raised beds.
My Dad is very into growing tomatoes and even grows his own from seed. Early spring he he started a bunch of different varieties and set a side about 12 for me. Every week he would ask when the beds were going in because the tomatoes are ready to plant. Week after week bigger tomatoes, but no beds.
Well the other day my dad showed up at my house with the wood to build two raised beds. We put them together and this morning we went and got some TAGRO to fill them. (TAGRO is a biowaste/sawdust recycled dirt mix. It is a little stinky when you first lay it, but it should put out some plants)
Everyone is adding to the list of what we will grow. So far the list includes, peppers, carrots, basil, chives, cucumbers, pumpkins and of course tomatoes, lots and lots of tomatoes!!
:0)

Cheese Dome Revamp

Here is a pic of my version of the revamped cheese dome.

Tina at Cherry Hill Cottage used a teacup as her base, but I really liked this bowl and I think it works. These are so great. Cheap, cute and easy: my kind of project!!

:0)

Fun Finds at the GW

Today was a good day at the local Goodwill. I can't remember the last time there were so many good things. Lately it has been very hit and miss (more miss actually) but today I must have been my day.
I had gone to GW to look for a glass cheese dome. Tina over at Cherry Hill Cottage had made some really cute covered cake plates and I thought I would see if I could find one for myself. Sure enough, 99 cents. I have a cute Southern Living plate that will be perfect for it. While I was over in the glassware section, I found this little milk glass compote and Pfaltzgraff creamer.
I have a friend who collects Fiesta ware and I thought these little flowerpots were in very "fiesta-y" colors, so I will that takes care of her bday present. :0)
Usually the picture area leaves a lot to be desired, lots of junk and kind of expensive, but I decided to dig and see what I found. First I found this trivet. Totally my colors (blushy pinks, light blue and cream) I hung it on the wall of my kitchen and it really pops off the red. When I found the beach pictures, I wanted to keep them (again, my color palette), but my mom is more "beachy" and already has a couple of neat beach pictures, so now Mother's Day is taken care of. (actually, I already gave them to her, they were too cute to keep wrapped up)
A few more odd bits (an Mary Engelbreit tin and cute dish for my bathroom) and I was out the door for 20 bucks. Nothing beats a good trip to the GW :0)