Everyone Loves Strawberries

 

The first pick of the year!  They are so sweet!

They are so red

I see a strawberry pie in my future...some strawberry smoothies...strawberry shortcake...and my Dad's favorite strawberry cake.

I shared but only one per person, please.

Best strawberry song ever!

Zhuzhing

 

An old pitchfork has now become a birdfeeder.  Hopefully, the Oriels will see it.

I planted a few herbs in a little herb garden that Amanda handed down to me.

I am trying Snow-in Summer in a clay pot inside of an old small peach basket.

Betsy gave me this 'cone' and I planted some Nastrium that was coming up in the big pot in the driveway.

I've got lots more zhuzhing to do!

Garden Season Is Officially Open

 

You ask me how I know this...

...Murph is in the backyard with no shirt on!

The Backyard, A Farm, And Plants

 It was a busy Saturday a few Saturdays ago.  Most of them are during 'farm' season.

I wanted to get the litigation system in before we planted this year to see if it made a difference.  So Murph and I stretched them all out and then checked for leaks.  There were a few so we (Murph) tackled that job on the list.

Our first stop was The Sutton Farm AKA Stonelick Valley

They had some alpaca beans for us to pick up but I had to check out all the animals.  They have fainting goats, chickens, two sweet watchdogs, three alpacas, and three babydoll sheep that I kept calling teddy bear sheep because that is what they look like to me.  They have the sweetest faces.  Samson is the sweetest Great Pyrenees that I have ever met.  He has a 'sister' named Stella but I don't think I got a shot of her.

I finally got Henry to come and get something to eat.  Holly was trying to sneak in for a nibble or two.

Henry loved Pappy!

Sweet Pea, Sage, and Sally.  Please don't ask me which is which because I have no clue.  All I know is that they are all so cute!

I'm taking a stab in the dark here and the lead alpaca is named Sawyer.  The black one is called Stanley and the little bit tanner one is named...

I think I bending Kurt's ear about his chickens.  I could have stayed all day.  Maybe I'll go back sometime and muck a stall or two just to play with the animals.

Susan and Kurt thanks for the alpaca beans.  It literally smells like lilacs.  We will let you know how the veggies and flowers do.  I know that one of our dogs loves it because I have had to shoo her out of the raised bed twice.  Bad dog!

Off to Grant's Farm, we go.   We have dreams of juicy ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers....the list goes on and on.  The boys trying to decide on 12 (only) tomato plants.

Murph loves a good trip to Funkes Greenhouse.  They have every kind of hot pepper you can imagine.  We have everything we need but I can assure you we don't.  That's half the fun!

Now to get dirt under our fingernails and get all of this in the ground.

Adding To The Compost Bins

 

Avery adds some paper.

We have to block the compost bins because Imogene somehow gets into the garden.  I know she gets out this way but I have yet to see her actually make her way in.

Avery had lots of compost from lunch.

Gabe added his fruit peeling.  Or it might actually have been Gabe's and they were sharing.

Next week during Preschool we will be digging compost from the first bin and planting seeds.

Teach the young!

First Seed Pantings

April 8 was a good day to plant pees!

Picking my peas straight from the vine and eating them are the only way I can eat peas.  I know it sounds crazy!

Next time I go out I will see if they are sprouting.  The problem is I have been struck with the worst case of mouth thrush that I have ever heard of.  Caused by my seasonal allergies, my age, and who knows what else. Plus I can't hear a thing out of my left ear. I can hardly eat...but I'll be ready for swimsuit season...I can always make my little greenhouses in the garage.

I still have some garden beds to clean.  Lots of plantings. School is coming to an end and so is Wammyville for the year so as long as the pollen is close to nothing and I wear a mask I should be good to dig in the dirt again.

Dreaming and Cleaning

 With warn day I get excited to go outside.  One problem ...my allergies are so bad that I still can't hear out of my left ear.  Things are moving in there because I can hear and feel the bubbles.  WEIRD!

I wonder what will get planted next?  We already planted our potatoes and now we plant ....

Cleaned out Pumpkin Patch

The raspberry bushes look different every time I check on them.

These beds are ready for something we haven't decided yet.

There is still work to be done.  A little at a time and the gardens will be up and growing in no time.  We probably will plant in the middle or end of May.

A Little Help With Garden Clean-Up

 

But first, there are floor puzzles to be worked.

The yahoos help to clean out a vegetable garden that will soon be ready for flower beds.

Raking the Goat Pen.

And we are still raking the Goat Pen.

Picking up and dumping the leaves and straw under the climber for a soft landing spot.

Bailey on the beam.

Gabe working with the wheelbarrow.

Bailey digging to China.

Levi the stork!

While the young ones sleep we watercolor.

And We Are Off And Running

 

NEW DIRT!  And if you look real close you can see Murph coming across the yard with my big yellow bucket.  We planted five 20-gallon grow bags of purple, Yukon gold, and red potatoes.

The man doesn't use a shovel.

He just grabs it...

and moves it with his arms!

Let this time be the first time this year that I say he is nuts!  And I say it lovingly!

Three raised beds were cleaned and dirt was added.  Two Yahoo beds were weeded and dirt was added. Five grow bags planted with potatoes. Four whiskey barrels were cleaned out and dirt was added.

And then came time to remove a two-panel cattle panel trellis from one garden and put it in the Goat Pen.

Mark loves getting good shots of me when I work in the garden.  I had worked my hiney off and still had miles to go before we finished.

If you know what you are looking for you will see it if not you might need to study the pic for a bit.  Now to clean out the weeds and get to planning our planting strategies.

This is what gardening tied looks like!  But I loved every minute of it and it looks amazing.

And Murph is a huge part of the success of our little Community Garden.