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Morning Garden Walk
It has been awhile since I’ve taken a morning garden walk! There just isn’t that much to see in the winter unless there is a good frost. Yesterday we had threats of tornadoes and 70 degree temperatures, so that warranted a visit to see what had changed. Mint does not give up easily. These are runners I dug up this weekend that seems to still be thriving. I mail ordered this Renee’s Garden garlic, and it is happy to see rain and warmer temps. Here we have the first strawberry blossom of the year! I don’t know what this is. I suspect these are tulips, but I honestly don’t remember…
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The ultimate free composted woodchips
A year and a half ago, a local tree company delivered a truckload of fresh woodchips at the top of our driveway. We played on our mini mountain for a week or so before spreading it out. Joe has been parking on the flattened pile, but noticed that they have softened up, evidenced by his tires spinning out this past weekend. Now, the woodchips are perfection for the garden, if we don’t mind the potential for truck drippings in the mix. If you are interested in using wood chips on your garden, here are some things to consider. 1. Many local tree companies end up with loads and loads of…
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Sunny Saturday in January – Break from the Winter Blues
Oh this weather! We spent nearly our entire Saturday outside and in the garage. I sat out on the bricks in the garden and rolled up my sweatpants hoping a little sunshine would chase those winter blues away. The boys went straight to digging and playing with water. Up until yesterday, I was wary about the upcoming garden season. Anticipating all the fuss and labor exhausted me. Bed sheets and pillows are so seductive. The thought crossed my mind that I could conquer the world — if only I could get out of bed. At one point I crawled back into bed, ready to resign myself to a post-lunch comatose…
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Watching Hummingbirds
We may think it is the fancy toys, exciting play dates, overpriced kids museums that our kids are craving, but really, I think what our kids truly long for is just a moment with us. Tonight Scooby and I sat out the in the garden in the twilight watching the humming birds zip in and around the feeder and hover around us just to see what we were doing. They are such curious birds and are perfect for a curious little boy to get caught up in watching. Scooby was concerned that they were chasing each other away and fighting over the feeder, and he suggested that we teach them…
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Treehouse on a Low Budget
For months now, Scooby has been talking about building a tree house. We’ve had a tree picked out for a year, but no funds to build it. This past weekend, we went to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore center to find some free or cheap lumber so I could build a raised bed for fall and winter lettuces. We ended up finding up to 16′ long 2″x 8″, 10″ and 12″ boards for $1 each. I also sent out a Facebook blast asking if any friends had free lumber scraps they were looking to unload. That lead to three pallets in good condition, a whole pile of decking slats, and…
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Harvesting Beans with Kids
Daily I am learning that my four-year-old is capable of much more than I ask of him. I find that the more responsibility and tasks he is given, the less he whines and the more he takes pride in his abilities and being helpful. I suppose preschoolers do have something in common with Thomas & Friends – they want to be very useful! This brings us to beans. Our garden is jam-packed with pole beans, bush beans, edamame, peas, and a variety of other beans we plan on harvesting to dry. I like that the legumes return nitrogen to the soil, and I like that they are easy to enjoy.…