Last year by the time it was time to sort out the garden I was still up to my eyeballs in processing my mom’s stuff and getting on with trying to salvage the second semester of our school year and there was a lot happening. [Aside: It makes me laugh that I will still describe periods in my life as “Busy” or “Crazy” as if there was ever a time when my life was “Slow” or “Calm”. I love to laugh at myself, so I’ll just keep on keepin’ on with that, shall I?]
We still buckled down and really turned out a respectable harvest. Remember the baseball bat zucchini collection? The first pumpkins I actually got to a decent size? It was a good year. Especially considering what a late start I got.
This year I’m working with different kinds of busy, and my farm girl ambition has very little to keep it in check. Naturally that mean projects. And gardens. More gardens.

My big garden isn’t terribly exciting. I mean, except for the periodic bonfires to torch the dried weeds. Our sweet missionaries have been a huge help on a few of my garden projects including helping me get the non-burnable weeds out of the garden and in to the goat pens (lovely snack for my goaties). I’ve spread rabbit muck all over and re-worked the hills. The cold weather stuff is planted (not that it’s actually cold anymore) and the other beds are ready for warm stuff as soon as I do a bit more work.

Right behind our house we had garden beds that were for the kids. We put them there when we moved in and over the years Garyn’s strawberries took over his and weeds took over everything else. I’ve been wanting to start over for a long time and Neil made it happen right in time for our littlest gardeners to get some cold weather plants in. The missionaries helped us clear away the space where the beds will live forever. Garyn, Neil and Corra all took shifts moving wheel barrow loads of soil from where it was dumped to fill the beds. The beds are tall enough to keep weeds from encroaching and to be really easy to work. Corra and Layna each got a half of a big bed, and the other one will be potatoes then sweet potatoes, then in the fall Naomi can re-plant strawberries. There is space back there for two more beds and I can’t wait.
Corra has stuffed her space with bulb flowers, onions, carrots and a potato plant. Layna has carrots, bulb flowers, and wildflowers. We check everyday for signs of life.

Way back in November, the girls were perusing Amazon looking for Christmas ideas and Corra fell in love with a succulent garden kit. We got cuttings from a friend and she set up a garden by our kitchen table. She’s even got a few flowers blooming.

Neil decided that the young men in our church needed to rediscover the joy of sprouting seeds in a plastic bag and tiny terra cotta pots. They talked about the scriptures and all the references to seeds and growing and they actually loved it. They planted basil and got excited about using it at a planned manners dinner in October. They also planted zucchini seeds and planned to have a zucchini bread bake off later in the season. Currently my mens’ plants are living next to our beautiful south facing window until it’s warm enough for them to go in the big garden. This picture is actually a few days old…Garyn’s sprouts are a few inches taller with true leaves coming in. I’ve got to get busy clearing a spot.

Not pictured is my future ginger plant in a beautiful pot that was here when we moved in. It will live in its pot in the herb garden during the summer then come inside during the winter. I’ve never grown ginger. Also not pictured are the big planters in front of our house that have herbs and new tulips that we are hoping to see this year.

We have our first big bumble bees working every flower in sight, and it’s feeling like things are happening. Right now I’m so excited. Remind me of that in 4 months when I’m fighting a losing battle against the weeds and have tomatoes and cucumbers filling every square inch of counter space in my kitchen. I’ll appreciate it!