Category Archives: My SFG

My garden is planted and in full swing! I have some photos showing my progress–from 2 weeks ago and again last Friday. Here is my broccoli, planted April 6th. You have to look closely to see it! And here is the same bed two weeks later. You can see the four broccoli plants, one eggplant toward the bottom, onions on the right, and a little cilantro. I’ve also planted pumpkins and squash on the ends by the trellis. This is my spring garden bed, you can see kale on the left and parsley in the middle. Also planted as seeds … Continue reading →

For Mother’s Day this year, I asked my family to help me redo our front garden beds. It took several trips to the nursery, several hundred dollars, and ALL DAY on Saturday to get it done! Just as an aside, gardening with vegetables is like second nature for me, but I was completely lost in a world of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Thanks to several friends and a helpful saleswoman at the nursery, I was able to fumble my way through it. This is before–two years ago in the fall I planted about 100 tulip bulbs. This was their second … Continue reading →

Honestly, this year I’m feeling so behind, a day late and a dollar short (Donny and Marie, anyone?), not at the top of my game. But then I take a deep breath and remember that gardening is very forgiving. Forgot to start those seeds? Just buy transplants. Forgot to plant peas early? Plant them later for the fall. Plans can always be adjusted, and there’s always something you can grow right now. Once I remove all the pressure to do everything all the time, I remember that I love to garden and I start to enjoy it again. So here … Continue reading →

Update: I finally found my pictures, so I’m reposting my 2012 report. Summer was crazy for me, and I realized I had never really done a garden review. It’s the whole reason I started my site–so I could track my progress and what I learned. Here goes: Camera I need my own camera, that works. My camera broke, and I took turns using our “big” camera (Canon SLR) and my son’s camera. Though I have scoured all the memory cards, the pictures I KNOW I took are nowhere to be found. Good news–Santa brought me this! Walls O Water I’m officially … Continue reading →

First, I am happy to report my computer is online. Parts fixed, programs re-installed, I am finally able to function again! And that’s good, because my garden has been in full swing: Here is one tomato bed–huge and green towers of tomatoes. Unfortunately, I didn’t remember which plants I put where, and got my tall and short towers mixed up. This is my other tomato bed. It’s so strange, because these were all treated the same way, but these plants are quite a bit smaller. Still, they are producing tons of tomatoes, so I’m not complaining. Here is my first … Continue reading →

You may have noticed my total failure to post. Here’s a short summary: 1. Little camera breaks. This is my “go to” point and shoot. Something is wrong with the lens, it won’t come out all the way. I’ve LOVED this camera, and it’s served me well for a long time. Long enough to justify buying a new one. I just hate the process of having to read reviews, analyze, and decide. 2. Big camera battery dies. This is my “fancy” SLR camera. We have two batteries, neither of which will hold a charge. So we need to bite the … Continue reading →

My broccoli was a bust (I blame early warm temperatures and late transplanting), so I had a moment of silence for the failed broccoli, then I pulled it out and replaced it.  Now I’ve got green beans and collard greens in that spot. With the warm temperatures, the beans popped up in just a few days. It always seems like where one plant fails, another succeeds. This is my first year growing kale and collard greens, and they are producing like crazy, as are my snap peas. Every couple of days I go out and trim off a few leaves … Continue reading →

I have to apologize. I’m really sorry for disappearing. I was doing so well–posting several times a week, and then summer hit. Here’s what summer looks like for me: Mother’s day End of School Start Summer Homeschooling* My birthday Father’s day Local Rodeo (huge family tradition) My husband’s birthday 4th of July LOTS of family in town (this spans about 2 weeks) My son’s birthday I always think “This year will be different. This year I’ll keep going.” But then I hit my summer slump for blogging. With kids home all day, it’s hard to sit down to the computer … Continue reading →

So I tried a new thing this year, Walls of Water. Basically, this is a product that allows you to plant your tender and very tender vegetables earlier, offering them some protection. It is like a circle of tubes that you fill with water. The water collects energy and heat from the sun and warms the soil and air around the plant. I bought two kinds, the original Walls O Water, and another kind. In the original one, all the little tubes to fill with water are the same size. In the other kind, there were a couple of super … Continue reading →

First, I have to show you one of the things on my gardening wish list that I finally got: These are Sloggers Gardening Boots. I love that I have something to slip on quickly, tromp in the dirt and water, and not ruin my athletic shoes. The downside–I MUST wear socks, and they can be hot. In retrospect, I might have ordered a half or full size larger, so they slipped on more easily, and would breathe a little more. Still, I’m happy as a clam. Oh, and I have to tuck in my pants, making me look a bit like … Continue reading →