Production Count

So my garden is done. It has frozen :( and so now everything that got picked.....now needs to be dealt with.

Green Pepper Jelly-

has just a bit of a kick to it. Wonderful with cream cheese and crackers. This is for the honeys family for christmas. There are 9 brothers and sisters {counting him} sooooo this will work perfectly.

Plum Juice

This will come in handy a couple of months from now, when we want to make plum jam. yum, yum.

Apples!

 Anyone want some?

Crisp from said apples. Jerika made it all herself!!

Tomatoes

Still need to deal with these gals + a bunch of green. I am boxing them in the basement so we can eat tomatoes till christmas.

What's a garden without BUNNIES?

I finished the pattern---finally, just had to put the pics in...how lazy am i?

I am in the finishing mode apparently.

Check out the store to get your own hoppy copy.

In Excess

There is this slight problem I have......if there is a free item out there it finds its way to ME!! Do you have a problem like that too? I think that it is in the genes, maybe even a disease....my kids always seem to find the free box at the garage sales and load up.

There is nothing wrong with getting things for free, mind you. i am just noticing this week i have an over abundance and a bit of excess of free things.

Tuesday- went to the park with amy and a couple of others to play. I needed some pre-emergent that won't kill the chickens, she says--i'll drive (that would be because the car is STILL in the shop and now they think it IS the transmission- whatever) so i go in, get my stuff and the gal---who is like my best friend since i shop there All the time! says----hey---did you know----uh,oh here it comes....that ALL the veggies are FREE???? Why, no i didn't ---run out to the parking lot and inform amy. She too has a free problem. We of course unload all the kids (my 4) and we go 'shopping'.

Guess what we came home with?!:

That's right---4 carts later ----and just a little bit of a GARDEN!!! This is the back of the Suburban. Seats laid down, plants piled high. WEEEEEE!!!!

ok. now, before everyone gasps---let me tell you. I got $120- bucks worth of STRAWBERRIES!! the everbearing ones in 1 gallon buckets. yup. then some tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchini, eggplant, green peppers, black peppers, red peppers, sweet pepper, cherry tomatos + a WHOLE PUMPKIN PATCH!!! not that i needed them all I mean, I already have my garden planted and growing and it is just about to start producing.....lots of stuff, just waiting to mature.

I know, i am out of control. it is a problem. I mean really it all sounds good and all, until you have to plant them all--did you know it has been in the 90's like all day long? there doesn't seem to ever be a break. :) So that is what i have been busy with. I have only the pumpkin patch to go...phew. (that's just a mear 15 plants or so)

Other free items creep up on me in phone calls and boxes. Hey, i have...do you want? OF COURSE i want!!! it's fabric girls!! I should just put up a sign outside the house that says fabric donations taken here, no questions asked.

Not that i n e e d fabric, but you know...it's a problem...my disease. So here is the 2 foot tall by 2 foot wide by 3 foot long box FULL of fabric scraps. Flannel, chenille, cotton, quilting....i haven't even found the bottom yet fabric. Where to put it? What to do with it? Hmmmmmm

Maybe i'll add a bit to the Cranky Quilt give away or have another give away.......you know, just to spread the disease. you won't mind will you?

*pst--the free veggies are at Rock'n E Country STore 500 south and way west. Till friday-then they will toss them! They need to be planted or they will die :(

*pst-pst-- don't forget the giveaways here and here . What---don't you like free things?

Mary, Mary.....

How does your garden grow?

Just thought i'd share another yard thing today. Sewing things are coming. Just finished quilting a quilt, and working on another one....and patterns too. Lot's of good stuff. Until then, yard stuff. ok? ok.

These are my garden boots. I wear them when mowing (people giggle i just know it, when they drive by- me mowing, shorts, with my boots and big sun hat on), who cares--- i don't want green feet or shoes..you know what i am talking about....and i wear them when i go in the morning for the chickens so they don't peck my red toenails. they think they are bugs or something. hate it.

I made this berm last year---i call it the dead mans berm. It looks like a burial spot or something, when bare. Do you see now? I just don't make these things up! Luckily the flowers are coming in!! And where you ask - did i get those flowers? Well, from the dollar store in a can. How about that?!!!

Last year i thought, late summer time,---why not. what's a buck? so there ya go. this year it is growing more than last. the perenials are starting to spread. it is one suprise after another. just so you know i dumped one and a half cans on that body berm.

**I do have to say that i got some FREE ornamental grass and bishops week (which will be moved) and moved a few flowers into that spot, but for the most part it is $1 flowers.**

So for the weekend---go find yourself some cheap flowers in a can and give it to yourself. find a safe spot and dump away. you might be surprised at what pops up.
I am this close to getting a bunch and dumping it in the park strip. i hate that area....this close.....

My mom gave me this one. Newspaper arcticle. Must share it:

Ode to odious, obnoxious weeds
by D. Louise Brown

I think that i shall never see my gras and gardens all weed-free. Though i may spend long, sunny hours on my knees among the flowers with a digging fork in hand trying to relieve my land of every nasty, weedy plant. I must admit---i simply can't.

It seems they wait until i pass all hunkered deeply in the grass, or camouflaged in all that's flowered--- the plant world';s most conniving coward.

Once my weeding ofrk and i have done our work and passed on by, then up they spring with leaves uncurled. prepared to overtake the world. they twist around each flower's stem, choking life right out of them. they sprout and seed and creep and crawl, with no sign of retraint at all.

In Eden's garden weeds were born, springing up midst beans and corn. The world, once, was weed-deprived, but that pure state did not survive.

An apple snack by Eve and Adam, and ever since, the world's had 'em.

Meanwhile, the things i try to grow are tender, delicate, and slow. And though i give them hours of care their response is barely fair. Despite my best attempts to nourish, the weeds are always first to flourish.

Perhaps this care is overrated. Perhaps if weeds were cultivated, then they would grow all weak and frail

or happily, they'd simply fail. And if that worked, then planted seeds might have the chance to grow---like weeds.

The camera thief of 5 1/2 took this goodie: does she think i won't notice or find out?

i'll leave it at that. Have a great weekend girls.

Meet some new friends

I was over at sister-in-laws home saturday night having fire cooked hot dogs and yummy food for the dogs "Sambo" 1 year birthday party...i know, funny...but we'll go anywhere for a good little party!! anyways- they have a neighbor who has encroched uppon their land, with a huge garden.

Now, before you get all upset because he is in their yard, taking it over, digging, plowing, tilling and whatever else he does with dirt ---it's a good thing. Lucky for me he was out there --triangle hoe in hand staring at his crops. Everyone knows that i always take advantage of knowledgables. (that would be those in knowledge of something that i have an interest in) So, him standing, me chasing him down.......just a few questions for ya ;) and then off i go. 30 minutes later (I ate a cold hotdog for the info) and full of knowledge i came back to enjoy the fire pit and people.

I thought that i would share his knowledge and my new stuff with you. so, come along and meet some new friends.

*First his name is "nolan" ---not really sure if that is his first or his last. Didn't ask. He has a VERY large orchard in Brigham City full of cherries--they froze this year--, and peaches. He also grows a lot of other things to sell. Peppers, squash, pumpkins, and melons.

--this is what i learned:

**pumkins, zuchini, squash and other alike WILL NOT cross pollunate if planting new plants!!! They will if you take the seeds from those plants and plant them again next year.

**Peppers need NITROGEN to grow big. No, they don't really like to sell it (it makes big bombs) so find something with a high nitrogen count and use that. Fertilize it once a week in the water.

**Trough watering is the way to go!! Build a line, fill it with water, voula!

**Cucumber plants don't like to sit in water. They will mildew and die (i know this first hand--many years---duhhh)

**Fertilize your tomatoes when they are around 1 foot tall with a 16-16-16 mix. They love it!

**You can make new grapevines yourself---cut a length off that has at least 4-5 nodes on it. Plant it into the ground making sure there are 2 in the ground. Then water, and watch. Grows quick--will produce in 2-3 years. Of course you can buy them for $5....but just good info anyways.

I don't have any pictures of Nolan or i would share. I do however have a picture of my "best friends". I have many best friends. I have catagories that they go into. This would be my gardening best friends.

From the left---rake, hard one, medium size. Skinny shovel-don't know it's purpose in real life, just know i use it all the time. Lucky charm horse shoe weeder- gets right under those weeds and breaks up dirt great. New friend--everyone welcome her---the triangle hoe. She is better than her name implies ;) She digs beautiful trenches in between the rows of plants.

So here is the new garden. It has been waiting for me to de-weed it for a week or so now. Isn't it nice? I cleaned it all out this morning and dug new trenches for the water to go this evening. I learned this from Nolan. See the big dirt space in the center sort of rightish? let me tell you one more thing: you put a trench on the outer sides. Then the plants next to it. Then in the center you leave for dirt. This is where the plants can lay and grow. No Moldy here baby! As my boys say "ingenious".

So there ya have it. your little garden lesson for the day. I love to do it, but really struggle when it comes down to "doing" it. I love that people are out there (Nolan) who are over flowing with knowledge and love to spill it out. I have my fingers crossed---it will be a good garden year!!

Here are the travelers taking a slide in the afternoon with us.

This was a great day.....hot....but great.