Catch Up

Whew! Well, the garden is planted for the most part and  I would like to say that means less busyness but, in reality, it just means more work with the weeding and tilling! Then comes the good part the eating and canning!  I will say there is an urgency for me in getting the garden planted  living in, what I at least consider, a difficult climate. The window to get everything planted is somewhat small. It has to be planted soon enough that the veggies will make before it gets too hot or too dry, although this year the dry isn't a problem, and late enough not to get nipped by a frost. I never forget though, this is Texas and every rain could be the last for who knows how long! Once everything is in the ground it takes the pressure off and makes it a little more enjoyable. You all have to remember I am an asthmatic,out of shape middle aged woman breaking up gumbo clay soil with a tiller so it takes a while to get the garden ready to plant! Now, I will show you all some pictures of what I have been up too. This is a raised bed up close to the house ...that biggest plant is Clary Sage and there is some New Zealand spinach and some kind of celery stuff, kohlrabi, chives, purple sprouting broccoli..red onions and further down is some lettuce and one cauliflower..there use to be more cauliflowers but Mr.Tumnus got out and ate them. He always eats them if he gets out..apparently they are his favorites!  I have yet to have a year that I get more than one cauliflower! Mr.Tumnus on the other hand gets plenty,lol! There is another bed next to it that has red bell peppers,parsley lettuce, celeriac, eggplants...more onions...

Here are some of my cabbages covered by some burlap for shade. I planted these in the wrong spot and it is getting too hot on them but the burlap shade cover seems to be working.That bed also has herbs,sage and horehound and some onions plus some small cherry bushes and flowers.

This is a separate garden place where I have some raised beds..the grass is impossible to keep up with with all this rain so just ignore that! This looong bed has giant jalapenos..bush winter squash, cantaloupes,lemon squash and some tame blackberries. The other beds in here have asparagus,onions,leeks fennel and some paprika peppers.

On to the big garden. 51 tomato plants and 6 tomatillos! I use the cattle panel method for the most part for tomatoes. I did plant some carrot seeds directly under them and the hay between the rows keeps down weeds and conserves water plus I planted squash and cantaloupe and water melon to grow between the rows on top of the hay.

I had more tomatoes than I realized and ended up making a few cages out of a roll of old hog wire.

I already have some baby tomatoes!!!

I also have 8 tomatoes in a raised bed up by the house. They are all  different types of cherry tomatoes like yellow pear,fox cherry,black cherry....

I made some shade tunnels to grow Kentucky pole beans and speckled butter beans on.

Underneath I have some summer squash and peppers and I have a little room for something else under there..don't know what yet!

 The first pole beans are already coming up!

These are green beans up..

I also planted more peppers,purple hull peas, corn, more squash,more watermelon,okra, cucumbers,beets...parsley..sunflowers ..just anything I could find I stuck in the ground!

The apple trees have apples!

 This is the omega rich chicken forage I planted for the chickens coming up nicely.I threw  some black oil sunflowers and sorghum in the mix too. Those chickens can not wait to get in there believe me,they love their garden too!

  Peanut Doodle would like to say hi...but since he has a mouthful of my skirt he will just have to look at you sweetly instead!

On to other news...my friend Texan is having a giveaway to celebrate the opening of her new Etsy shop ,My Suite Retreat! She has some super cute things for sale and I can personally testify to the quality of her work because she makes me stuff! So click on over  to her blog and get in on the giveaway,you may be the lucky winner!

I got 2 awards while I was away. I will only do one today. It was from Suzan at Tree Hugger!

Suzan has a great blog! She is always doing something fun and has great photos and she loves the past and genealogy! One of these days, when I get some spare time, I am going to get her to give me some helpful hints on how to get past the dead ends I reached in researching my genealogy!

The rules of this award are to link back to the giver and pass it along to 5 other blogs with less than 200 hundred followers. I like this because it help us little blogs get a few more friends! I think almost all my blog friends fit in to this category  so...I choose you all! But I will list 5 because it does help with getting new folks together. 

OK...I will do 6 because I am putting Texan on here and ..well I already linked to her give away but she really has a great blog too!

Dakota Goats- Deb,she is about so much more that just goats! She has a lot of critters and makes soap!

Homesteading at Redtail Ridge-Dr.Mommie all kinds of good stuff over there!

I Forget what I Forgot-Sharon, she is a good blogging friend who never misses commenting on a post! She is retired and living with disability but she keeps on going despite it. Inspirational and she has had some pretty great adventures and somtimes she tells all about them!

The Wild Magnolia- Her blog is filled with beautiful poetry and photos.She adds a smile to every day!

Grow Fish Eat-Chris..he just cracks me up! 

Isobelle Go Lightly is one of my favorite goatie blogs along with A Goats View of Eden Hills!..

Oops that is 7! I could do 2 dozen more but I am out of time! I have such a wonderful blogging family. I will list more next time since I have another award to post.

Let's see..what else..Hubby is home! That is always good news! All the critters are good and the grass is high and the Boy just keeps getting taller! Life is good....