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We think the thornless blackberries, the peach tree, and the grapes are dead. Curses! What is that about? It’s certainly rained plenty. And so we will start again, replanting the orchard. This farming-from-scratch thing is for the birds sometimes! Why don’t I have an abundant orchard already in action? And, oh yeah, a barn. I know, I know, that’s what I get for deciding to create a farm from scratch. Toil and trouble goes with the territory. We shall overcome!
At least the deer haven’t bothered us. (Yet.) Georgia’s fabulous garden was ransacked last week. After having an extra-high enclosure built to defeat the deer that have jumped her fence the past two years, the electric was accidentally left off and the deer ate all her just-ready peas.
Meanwhile, back at our garden, we (that royal we again) built a giant planter box for a flower garden. A hundred dollars of topsoil later, the dirt’s still low, but I went ahead and planted. More dirt can be added next year. It’s time to plant and I didn’t see another hundred dollars falling from the sky.
I put sunflowers all along the back, then several rows of gladioli and lily bulbs (that will have to be dug up and replanted later if I’m going to add new dirt). In front, I placed tall marigolds and a “cut-and-come again” mix. This box should be gorgeous in a few months! I love flowers.
Our peas are coming along in the vegetable garden.
We’ve got flowers on the tomato plants, but we’ll have to replant the green beans. Not quite sure what happened to them……
Cucumbers, zucchini, and squash are doing well!
This is the pot I’m looking forward to this year. It’s filled with flowering cabbages. I’ve never grown these before, so I’m excited about them.
I got these cool old wash tubs at an auction last year. They’ve found their place as planters at the bottom of the main steps. They’re filled with flowers, cherry tomatoes, and peppers.
All of this activity was made possible by the shadowy figure that is 52.
I tried to convince Coco to come down to the yard with us while we were gardening. We’re hoping to have the goat enclosure ready in the next week or so and then Coco will move in there. In the meantime, she’s been romping on our porch where we have locking gates to keep her in. (And I’ve been scooping up puppy piles.)
She really wanted to come garden with me.
But what are these things called stairs?
I realized that every time she’d gone up and down the stairs, I’d carried her. So I tried to convince her that she could maneuver them on her own. After all, I can’t carry her when she weighs 100 pounds.
She wasn’t having anything to do with those freakish stairs!
She went back and plopped down by her water dish and sulked.
What was this post about? Something about….gardening? I am nuts over this puppy.
I am Coco-nutty!
If the next post you see is nothing but photographs of Coco, I’m sure you’ll understand. Or have me committed. Be kind! Look how CUTE she is!!! Can you blame me? What else is there when faced with such cuteness?
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on June 23, 2008
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But, loved the photos of Coco – I would be taking just as many pictures
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I can neither “blame” nor critize the volume of puppy photos there have been or will be. I bought a new digital camera in anticipation of my Karelian Bear Dog puppy 7 years ago and imagine I have thousands of puppy pictures and who knows how many since. ( I did finally upgrade my camera…)
Coco has so much personality in her face and expression – NO ONE could resist! I think big dogs have a harder time getting used to stairs than smaller – maybe their perspective??? – She’ll get it! Meanwhile looking forward to watching her grow.
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I’ll take some of the cherry tomatoes when they are ready — my favourite!
-Kim
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http://lifeislikechampagne.blogspot.com/
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I love the one where the little smarty pants is sticking her tongue out at you. I don’t think it’s that she CAN’T do the stairs so much as that she knows she doesn’t HAVE to. I can just hear her chanting:
Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya, you ca-an’t make me!
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So far we have 9 chickens, 11 sheep, a pregnant barn cat, and one lone remaining guinea keet (baby chick). Here’s hoping it grows up to be a big guinea hen and eats the bugs that are eating my garden. My raised bed, with the $$ topsoil got the asparagus roots. So far (fingers crossed) they have survived.
Too much rain, red clay soil that is either so wet you sink to your ankles, or so hard when dry you could use it to make adobe bricks. Rain every 48 hours, but at least we aren’t in a drought this year. Topsoil either costs $$$$ or takes years to amend. But I wouldn’t trade my life on my hilltop for anything or anywhere else in the world. I send pictures to friends and family in Calif. but I wish I could also send the smell of new-mown hay, and the sound of dozens of birds, so they could have the whole experience.
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My garden isn’t doing so well this year. Out of 18 tomato plants, I have 6 left. Only one pumpkin and one birdhouse gourd came up. No cucumbers. I’ll try again, cause I just can’t help it, I get spring fever every year.
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BW
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Wow, you have alot of things planted! How FUN. I love gardens. You mentioned cabbage flowers – I am not sure, but when we moved in, our front was landscaped with Pansies and cabble plants in our front flower beds – it was so pretty!
Just think of the fresh tomatoes you’ll have to slice on your pizzas, sand.’s, salads…and one day you’ll have goat cheese, to put on pizza, with sliced tomatoes and basil…yum. All those yummy vegies! AND 52 to enjoy them with!
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~Connie
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My pup is also having problems with going down stairs, but I know he’ll figure it out quick.
Have a great day!
Linda~
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We have to replant the carrots. Like your green beans we’re not quite sure what happened to them. I love your planters!
I want to see more than a shadow of 52!
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I remember when our puppies wouldn’t do the stairs. They are so cute at that age.
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s pics.
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~A
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Have you decided on a name for the place?
How ’bout one simple, cover it all name like “FREEDOM”?
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Coco looks so angelic laying there.
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That picture, where Coco is looking down the stairs is so precious! Keep us posted as this cute puppy becomes a big shaggy sweetie
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For your raised bed, you could use some shreded cardboard on the bottom (too late)… it make a weed barrier or something. You can work other types of organic matter into your raised beds and garden to supplement the added top soil. We deal with heavy clay soils here were I live too.
I’ll get more details from our “master gardener” lady at my church. We have Community Gardens… like old time shared victory gardens where people can rent a plot on our land next to the church. The suburbia where I live used to all be fields and fields for farms on the northern Texas prairie.
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Next year will be better, I’m sure.
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