With the nice weather holding steady, we decided to do a little more work in the garden. I’m hoping that by properly planting things in some waves based on the temperatures they prefer, that we will not only have good harvests, but I will not feel overwhelmed getting everything in all at once. As you…
Category: gardening
Gardening Days 2025 Kick-off
The time has finally come to get some plants into the ground. The temperatures are staying above freezing with the daytime temperatures steadily climbing to double digits daily. I love this time of year! I realize I haven’t updated the blog about some of the work we have done in the yard in the last…
3rd Winter’s Arrival
As expected, the third winter has arrived, bringing a dusting to the tops of all the mountains in the valley. Here in the base of the valley, we were graced with rain and a cooling of temperatures. However, spring will be back later this week, when we reach back up into the high teens and…
Garden Seed Prep
And we are back to gardening! Sort of….more preparations for the garden, but technically I had my hands in soil today, so I count that as gardening. Last year, I planted most of my seeds in February, which was WAY to early. If I had looked at my trusty spreadsheet, I would have realized that…
January Planting – Starting the Canna Lilies
I know, I know, it is too early to plant…and I learned my lesson last year when I had 4′ tomatoes in my living room in April. I promise I am not starting too early this time! What I have planted is our Canna Lillies. In the fall, I collected all sorts of seed pods…
2025 Landscaping Ideas: Creating Our Perfect Outdoor Space
The author reflects on winter while planning summer landscaping changes, notably the addition of an above-ground pool in 2024. They envision a raised deck with a gazebo and leisure space, consulting local experts for suitable plants. The plan also includes removing cedars near the house and enhancing the fence, with the potential for additional projects.
2024 Growing Season Review
Since I slacked a bit at the end of last year with blog updates, I thought it would be best to review the 2024 growing season as a whole. Overall, it was a great growing season, especially with the cost of food being what it is. The fresh veggies are always great to have and…
August & September Comparisons
Where has the time gone! Apparently, I have been slacking on updates and stories for the month of September. Though, I have been busy working on the yard and processing all the delicious food. My downtime for writing however has been taken over with teaching a new course this year. Reading a text book and…
Spiced from my head To-ma-toes making tomato powder
We plant a lot of tomatoes because they are very versatile for so many recipes we like. Thanks to some great tools, I am able to use them in a variety of ways in the kitchen. I have canned, dehydrated, pickled, frozen and added tomatoes to a plethora of recipes. As I was looking into…
Improving Garlic Harvest: Lessons from Year Two
Year two of growing garlic was a vast improvement over our first year of growing. To be fair, our first year was quite the kick at the can, with little knowledge of what needed to be done. Luckily, I have a fantastic co-worker who gave great guidance and advice, which is why we actually managed…
JK Building The Dream 