veggie garden

Veggie Garden Bliss

/ inkspeare

Finally! We have been postponing working on the grape vine project or planting due to some rain. Last weekend we were able to tackle all this. We bought the necessary materials and plants, and now, everything is in place. Last year, deer ate all the grapes because the vine was intertwined on the veggie garden fence and easy to access. We cut and cleaned it up during the winter to see if we could do something that would make the vine a bit less accessible inside the veggie garden. However, the vine started to grow fast again, shooting new growth everywhere, before we could start training it, and the weather did not help. My husband came up with the idea of getting three metal stakes and wire and placing these on the ground inside the veggie garden and making four rows of wire so the vine could grow. It was a quick project and under $50. I don’t know if the deer would be able to reach it or jump the fence; I hope not. This is what it looks like.

Photo by M.A.D.

This year we are planting tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, onion, strawberries, and I still have to get a raspberry bush. The blueberries are already on their delicious way. Lettuce has already grown from seeds that fell on the ground last year. I already collected some.

Photo by M.A.D.

Overall, the garden is looking good this year, thanks to the rain we have been getting. Every year, it looks better as plants mature. We trimmed some bushes, moved some plants around, and repotted other. We added some fresh mulch, cleaned up the sitting areas, and replaced some chairs. Aside for cleaning and repainting the grill (we had to wait for the birds to leave the nest inside), we are ready to welcome Summer. We have a few projects planned already; I will share some here.

Critters and Veggies

/ inkspeare
The garden just started to give its loveliness; we had a late start, but this autumn seems promising. Lettuce is all done by now, and so are the potatoes, and the blueberries. Carrots are on the way. We are awaiting the ripening of the grapes, but the deer have been busy around the vine. (Photo by M.A.D.)
The hummingbirds have been very busy this year. Since moving here, this is the year when I have seen more of them feeding. That is just wonderful. (Photo by M.A.D.)
The tail end of a black snake on the porch. One thing I have learned since I moved here is to look before I step outside. On one occasion, as I was stepping outside by the side entrance, I almost got rammed by a leaping deer running from barking dogs I heard at a distance. His companion followed. It missed me by a few inches. The scared couple flew through the air. I thank God that I did not step out a second before. (Photo by M.A.D.)
And here is the black beauty going about her day. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Mama Turkey and her darlings made another visit. They have grown fast, and now they are less likely to follow her in a straight line. They are adorable. (Photo by M.A.D.)
And of course, my lovely crows, for whom I named this place “Black Crow Cottage.” I have observed different families raising the babies this year (at least three families, that I could tell apart by the size of the babies). They have been nesting nearby in the back woods. At times, the families are near to each other teaching the babies how to forage for food. In this picture you can see Mama Crow to the left; she is larger. (Photo by M.A.D.)

Hope you enjoy the images.

Love and Light.

Maybe Next Year

/ inkspeare / 2 Comments

It is almost September, and by now, I should have collected several baskets of veggies, but not this year. The dry and hot weather in my area has made growing food challenging – no tomatoes yet, no giant sunflowers, and no signs of the beginnings of a pumpkin or even a cantaloupe – Where have all the veggies gone? Some of the plants died, even when we were watering once a day every other day or two. I only collected this so far, and even the lettuce, the easiest thing to grow, did not do so abundantly.

Just a few leaves of lettuce and a few cucumbers.
Second time – I collected only these veggies.

And that is it! Tomorrow it will be the first day of September, and I hope I can get at least a couple tomatoes before cold weather hits. The plants are not looking too promising, but I hope there is still a bit of time, although I think it will be slim pickings, and I will be grateful for it.

Unrelated but lovely.

The butterflies have been visiting the only bush that have been flowering continuously around here, so I am glad they are eating well from it.
This bush is like Central Station for all winged lovelies.
There are plenty of little white flowers for everyone!

They have their food, they pollinate, and we will have ours as well; not so unrelated now.

The Recycled Veggie Garden

/ inkspeare

As soon as I spotted this old farmhouse, I had a vision for it. It took my other half a bit more time to see it, but from the beginning he saw the potential it had. Immediately, (as it usually is for me) tons of future images began circling my head, and those would evolve into plans. One of those plans was to have a vegetable garden. For that to happen, we had to clear out a lot of years of grown vegetation, trees, bushes, and later on decide what type of garden we wanted. That took some time and a ton of hard work, but between my husband and I, we managed to get to a point were we could plant and grow something. This garden has not disappoint me. We decided not to plant on the ground because it was easier to control growing in raise beds, and I had an issue with the many (I mean many) critters that walk/crawl around. Also we have many deer coming through so we decided to create a fenced garden. The goal was to spend as little as we could, and most materials used (except for mulch, a few solar lights, soil, and paint), are recycled/repurposed/reused. That being pots, wood, garden accessories, and décor. As of this writing, I have already harvested lettuce twice, and a few peas, the rest is still growing, but soon it will produce. This year we planted two varieties of tomatoes, peppers, three varieties of lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, and peas. This will provide plenty for us, and to give away as well. We set up a spot in the back of the house to plant squash and pumpkins, but I am not sure how that will grow. It is not fenced and deer prance around. Eventually we will add another raise bed to this garden, as there is enough space for another one and more pots, and I think for a small portable green house as well, one that could fit into a corner. We placed a recycled shelf to use as a potting station and storage underneath. It works fine. The construction was made using recycled wood and pallets. Here are a few before and after pictures.

This is the area as it was, abandoned for many years, overgrown with all kinds of trees and bushes intertwined.

Digital Camera

Photo by M.A.D.

This is during clean up. The larger trees and bushes remained at that point. Before removing a tree or bush, we thought hard about it. If it was salvageable we left it, but most of them were inside a morass of weeds and three or four varieties growing together at once. So it was difficult to separate them. We were able to save a few.

Digital Camera

Photo by M.A.D.

This is today. View of the area where the vegetable garden is.

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Photo by M.A.D.

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Photo by M.A.D.

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Photo by M.A.D.

Deer wishing for a veggie bite. She is next to a tree that we were able to save.

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Photo by M.A.D.

At night, I enjoy seeing the garden come alive as well. I placed solar lights in a few areas.

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Photo by M.A.D.

I painted this in 2012. It is the farmhouse as I saw it, abandoned, but I saw beauty in it.

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Photo by M.A.D.

This garden will continue to evolve with us, according to what is needed. It is in the beginning stages, but it has room to place more containers where we will grow other varieties of vegetables. There is enough space to add to it if we need to. I hope I have inspired you to create a simple garden if you have been thinking of building one. It does take work, but not a lot of money if you recycle materials. You don’t need a lot of space, and if you live in an urban area, a small area in your porch/apartment can accommodate pots or hanging baskets. You can plant something anywhere. It has been a fun and interesting project so far. For me, it is a place to grow food but also a place where I can find relaxation, a peaceful retreat, hence all the bunnies … I hope you enjoyed this post.