Life is once again moving a hyperspeed, and I as a mere mortal who is growing older by the minute is having trouble keeping up.

All I've got for the 4 people who still read this today is purple...

Beautiful purple, though. 

My carrots are doing better than I expected, especially since they should be more of a cool crop.  They are so pretty, I just want to look at them.

I kind of exaggerated on the tomatoes, but these are a mixture of my heirloom, non-GMO, organic tomatoes started from seeds (just as the carrots were).  The redder ones are Creoles, and the largish, purple (kind of) one is a Cherokee Purple....

All are good eating....

My new task at hand was to create a veggie garden at my house.  While I have access to a huge garden at my parent's it is just nice to think that I could successfully grow things on my own here....

I decided to make a raised bed lasagna-style garden....  I first heard of this style in No Greater Joy's magazine in an article written by Debi Pearl.  I then got the Lasagna gardening books from the local library and poured over them for a couple of weeks... it seemed easy enough....  Basically the premise of this style is to build a garden in layers that self-compost.  You use mostly stuff that you have on hand (or at least that I already had) to build a raised bed with great soil....

We started with 2 small plots... 6ft by 5ft each, and removed the sod from the yard.  We chose the area because it is one of the few areas in our back yard that has sun all day long.   The neighbor's fence behind it is on the north.

I took up the bermuda sod and moved it to another place where it didn't look as good and then put down a layer of newspaper to block any potential weeds.  I don't think that weeds were likely to come from the clay below, but the book recommended it so I did it. 

The important thing is to wet down each layer well as you build it, so I kept the hose handy.  

I also bought several bags of compost blends from Walmart... Technically you should use peat moss, but due to the non-sustainability of this (and price) I wanted to make another choice.  Several of the cheapest products ($1-3 for a 40 pound bag) were the compost-humus, compost-manure, and soil amenders with peat moss added.  I picked up about 10 of these for a total of $20.  That with the lumber to make a border was the only cost I had.

After newspaper... I put down some top soil that I had in the back yard.  I then did a layer of grass clippings.  Then a layer of the compost-humus and compost from the compost pile over that.  The compost-manure came next followed by chopped up leaves.  I then put the peat moss soil amender on top with some ashes from the fire pit last.

Ideally the peat-moss and store bought layers would be 2-4 inches deep and the others 4-8 inches deep.  They settle down pretty quickly when watered though.

We started the plot first and then built a frame, but it still seemed to work well.

Today I put in some bunching onions, radishes and mustard greens... I don't know much about square foot gardening, but I'm trying to follow the principles spelled out in this... but we'll see how it all works out in the end....

I've been pretty good about eating organic over the years.  I'd like to think that I stay on top of recent nutritional information so that I can keep my family healthy and safe.... but I feel like I've dropped the ball on this one to a degree.

The subject would be the use of Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO, used in our food.  These items are not required to be labelled in the US as they have been around the world, and are becoming incredibly prevalent in our food supply.   This can be as simple as a hybrid seed or plant, but is more increasingly becoming gene-splicing and DNA alterations in the name of progress.

I go out of my way to buy organic grains, and grass-fed animals, but in my garden I've not been so picky. 

THis year I've made some small changes.  I found Heirloom Acres... a small farm that sells heirloom, or non-GMO seeds.  There are other places, including mainstream stores that sell heirloom variety seeds.   These are seeds that I can grow, and then save my own seeds from the harvest (if the notion strikes) to grow for next year.  These are seeds as they have occurred in nature, not in a lab.

I'm also excited as I picked the varieties that we will grow...  we're going to have purple carrots that are orange inside, purple tomatoes, and a bunch of other normal stuff too.

I had a nice garden this summer, and fortunately for me, I didn't have to do all of the work.... I am actually a real novice at gardening as I haven't had to do the whole thing alone.  The bad part is that I tend to learn best from my mistakes so while I've had a great garden the past few years I don't know alot of the "theory" as I didn't have the opportunity to screw it up.

I've decided to start a new venture.  I was wanting to mainly fill the empty void that is an upper balcony with a container garden.  I had planted a small assortment of things including lettuce, spinach, arugula, chervil, raddichio, and bunching onions.  The problem was that there just wasn't enough sunlight in this location.

So the garden was moved to the back deck where it seems to be doing well so far.  I did pick a few baby lettuce leaves to add to todays salad.  I also have some kale to plant, and want to add more lettuces.  We should have another 8-10 weeks before first frost here so I'm wanting to take advantage of this time.  I'm also considering cold frames or just pulling things into the house overnight and see how they do this winter....  Really I'm still just experimenting....

We spent this morning catching up on some gardening chores.... weeding, staking, and thinning out. 

This is our first year planting carrots, and I'm really pleased at how they are coming along.  We are still getting radishes, and the potatoes are also beginning to be ready for picking.  The squash, tomatoes and cucumbers are all flowering and starting to form....  Beans are growing, but not producing yet...

I'm also dedicating some time this week to reading my Ball's Blue Book of Canning in preparation of what's to come.....

The garden....

The first carrot....

Digging up potatoes...

Mr. B working in the beans....

The squash growing....

I'm really fortunate in that I know very little about gardening and have a great resource in my parents.... I would really encourage anyone who wants to garden to mooch off of someone else's knowledge...  We pretty much just show up and do what Bob tells us to do...

Yesterday we weeded and planned on what to do with all of the cucumbers as far as a trellis of some sort...  The kids picked wild strawberries and honeysuckle....

The baby robins are almost too big for their nest...

Granny, Lucy and the Prince under the rose arbor...

The garden growing....

Daisy and Bob sent me these pictures this morning of the garden as a reminder that I should probably come and actually do something in it on occasion....  It's just so much easier to let them....

I've just gotten very homebound lately with my attempts to burn less gas...

At any rate... I've got to get things going and get over there a couple of mornings a week...

Radishes......

Taters....

Today after working for a few hours we went to Bob and Daisy's to get started on the garden.  I'm usually pretty excited about the potential of a garden in January with the arrival of seed catalogs and then pretty much get tired of the whole thing by the begining of June when the real work begins.

This year I never really got excited, until today. 

Now we are not gardeners in our house by nature.  I like to think that I live out in the country, but our lives are far from rural.  I tend to be a gardener out of cheapness, or frugality if you prefer.  Plus, I have an expert in Bob, and a free garden space that I don't have to attempt to keep up on my own.

This year, Bob gave me this whole plot... he has a couple of larger areas that he tends to.  He also bought alot of the seed and some of the plants.  He then shows me how to plant it after he spent the day tilling it.

So... today we planted 16 tomato plants, I like Roma, but also put out some Better Boy and Early Girls...  I have room for 6 more that I'll add later this week.

I planted a variety of pepper plants for a total of 25 plants including cayenne, bells, jalapenos, and sweet bananas.

I planted 2 of the 65 foot rows with half runner green beans.

I'm going to use the last empty row for cucumbers and started some by seed  today at my house.  That will be alot of cucumbers, but Mr. B really loves cucumbers.

I already have 1/3 row of carrots, 1/3 row of radishes with the remainder of this row going to be zucchini and yellow squash.

My row of potatoes is also doing well....

BUT... as much as all of the outdoor things are useful... I also wanted to add some beauty and function to my kitchen... I bought some colorful pots and planted some herbs that do well in semi-sun.  I'm not sure how much culinary use I'll get from dead Nettles, but the chives and lemon balm should hopefully prove useful....

I usually plant hanging baskets for my front porch each spring as I am too cheap to buy the premade ones.  BUT... last Thursday I saw them get some off of the truck at W-M and I loved them... 
I didn't buy any because we usually do 9 baskets across the porch and I knew it would cost too much.  I could always plant some myself.  So I went home...

I became obsessed with these hanging baskets, and saw them at another W-M, and they had 5... I thought that I could probably do it with just 5 if I respaced my hangers, and these were much bigger than my usual baskets.  BUT I didn't need them so I left.

My mother knew of my obsession with them and looked at her W-M, but they had sold out...

So I was a sad kimi thinking that the baskets were so beautiful that they would all be gone....

So I went to the original store, and hidden in the back on a shelf were the baskets!

I was so excited...  I bought 5 of them.

Now while I usually wouldn't splurge on something like this... they are spider plants so I can bring them inside during the winter and use them again next year... I'm not sure what the other plant is... but I do love them....

I always look for spring this time of year... One day the trees and woods are harsh and cold and the next they are bursting with life.

I had been checking my Lady Banks' Roses and all of a sudden they were starting to bloom today.  The dogwoods all over the back yard are in flower, and the little daffodils look happy, too.

I've been down for the count this week for whatever various reasons... it feels like it has just blown by so quickly.  Today we have been battling tornadoes and power outages, and of the many things to do today, I have done none.

I am organizing our school schedule for next year... I truly hate being scheduled, but until I get into the swing of homeschooling 2 kids (yeah, I know, just 2... but 1 is soooo easy!) I think that I should probably be more structured and develop some good habits.

I'm generally not much on reading other people's blogs, but lately I have been reading some with a nature focus and how others incorporate it into their school.  I don't mean to be a blog-snob, but I just don't want to lose my direction and be swayed by others too much... I also mainly write here as a method of catharsis as my head is constantly spinning with ideas and this helps me to organize my thoughts somewhat...

I enjoy how I do school, but I feel that I need to offer, in other words require, the Princess a bit more independence in her work. 

I didn't realize that many people just give the kids their books and expect them to read it and figure it out... I have always sat with her and "taught" her from every book, given some independent work and did alot of her reading out loud to her and the Prince.  I also enjoy alot of the little things I had forgotten that one learns in school, and I love to read to my kids also.  I have come to realize that this is not the norm among others I know and have read about online.  I will be weaning the Princess so that I will have more time to work with my little Prince. 

But, back to the Ides of March....

Things were pretty bad here... NW GA.... as far as tornadoes, hail and rain.  We had over 3 inches of rain in just a few hours with 2 inches of it in just 1 hour.  Our back yard has never flooded, but it bacame a lake of sorts.

The Prince was a bit scared by the warning sirens and said this was the worst day of his 5 year old life, but after the real threat of the twisters he and the Princess enjoyed the day somewhat.... 

My lenten rose is looking pretty right now and many of the trees are flowering out and budding... I feel spring in the air.....

Gardening is something that I have always taken for granted in life... I figured you tilled, you plant then you pick... but last summer I realized that alot more work goes into the whole process and it is not necessarily an art, but a science...

I am blessed with a spacious garden, even if it is at my parent's house, and the benefit of Bob's (my step-father) years of experience.

He is getting older and still enjoys having a garden, but generally tires of it when it gets to be about 100 degrees and is mid-summer....  so we have a fairly good symbiotic relationship... he does alot of the heavy work while I do alot of the maintenence and picking.  I don't necessarily enjoy the aspect of putting up food and have not done well with it in the past, but I think that this year is going to require a different attitude.

My mother, who from here on out shall be referred to as Daisy, was never big on this either, but she does know how to prep foods for canning and freezing will hopefully help me....

Bob has given me a larger plot of his garden this year.  My area will have enough for about 8 rows and is 65 feet long... He has the bigger section down below, and he lets his older sister, Edna, who is in her 80's along with her husband Grady, who is in his mid-90's, have the bottom section...  These old timers get drive over in their Gator and will till one row and then sit and rest, and then till another and sit and rest... They've already been out some as has Bob...

Bob has already tilled up the area a couple of times and has just tilled under his winter garden of greens and broccoli.

He sat down with me and told me what would do best in which area and why today, and mentioned that I need to start planning how much I want of what....

My initial list is: radishes, red and yellow pototoes, sweet potatoes (to share with Bob), corn, peppers, tomatoes, squash (both yellow and zucchini), cucumbers and maybe some green beans... 

The Princess and Prince had fun also today... there are trees to climb and just fun stuff in general.

It was actually a nice, warm sunny day for a change from the dreariness we have had all week.

The bees were out and the camellia was in bloom...

There's not much going on right now in the gardens...

I tend to mooch off of my parents as far as the veggies go... they have an acre or so sized garden that Bob loves to plan for and plant, but is way more than they need, so we swoop in and take all that we can.  Bob, my step-father, has already tilled it a couple of times in preparation for early spring planting.  I've not gotten as excited about planting this year, but it should kick in soon.  My plan is for him to plant it and I'll help to tend it...

I guess that planning out what and how much I want to plant is another thing to add to my list of things to do this month...

...................................................................

One bright spot in gardening during February in Georgia is the daphne, or Daphne odora.  It is a beautiful, evergreen shrub that has the sweetest smelling flowers that bloom in mid-February each year.  You can generally smell the flowers up to 20 feet away depending upon the wind. 

Daphne should be planted in early spring preferably somewhere they will be enjoyed by people passing by.  They don't need alot of care, but do need very well drained soil;  we dug  much larger holes than normal and added some sand to offset the clay when we planted them.  They do well with partial sun, and should be covered round with mulch.