Gardening

10 Things August

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Would someone please explain to me how it is August already?  I know I’ve been absent on the blog (I stay much more active on my social media), but where has this year gone?

In an effort to share a few going-ons in our life, I thought I would share ten things that I’m loving right now as well as give you an idea into our year!  Who knows, maybe this will become a permanent addition to the blog.

 1. It’s farmer’s market season and I love visiting our little local, Saturday market here in Cartersville.  Audley & I do very little grocery shopping during the summer, choosing to focus on supporting local farmers and small businesses.  If you have a chance, check out your own local markets.  Eliminate the middle man and find much better quality food to enjoy!

2. Hit the outdoors and enjoy a waterfall hike.  Our health is one of the most precious things we have, and it’s up to us to protect and nourish our health.  One way to do this is get outside more, taking in natural Vitamin D, breathing in fresh air, and exercising our body, both internal and external.  The North Georgia Mountains are abundant with waterfalls to choose from, but I’m sure there is one near you as well.

Helen, Georgia

3. One of my resolutions this year was to dig a little deeper into Bible Study.  I am loving Candace Cameron Bure’s devotional books geared towards women.  From dealing with our own brokenness that we often don’t want to face, to discovering power in kindness, these little studies are simple yet impactful.  I found my copies on Amazon and  Dayspring and they are definitely worth investing in.

4. Another resolution I had for this year was to write more personal notes and remembering to send cards.  This beautiful stationary from American Stationary really makes that goal easy, as I love the beautiful colors and textures of the paper.  

5. Graphic tee-shirts for all occasions are all the rage right now, no matter your age.  I love these cute shirts from Kelley & Co.  Of course when your daughter is Kelley & Co you can’t help but love her work as well!  Check her out on Facebook or Instagram! 

Less News, More Nature
Girls trip anyone?

6. I have 6 pounds of fresh huckleberries arriving  tomorrow, so its time for a little jam session.  Huckleberries aren’t native for us here in Georgia, but hopefully the ones arriving from Idaho will satisfy my craving for this sweet berry!

7. Head out one Saturday morning to catch sunrise on the lake/river/creek/secluded field with someone special.  A thermos of coffee, fresh donuts, and a blanket are all you need for this inexpensive but romantic date.  Audley and I love taking our canoe out for sunrise, but believe me, a blanket and viewing point are all your need!

8. From Kindergarten on I’ve maintained a summer reading list every year.  I may not earn a free personal pan pizza or tickets to an Atlanta Braves baseball game any longer, but the satisfaction of finishing another great read is great in itself!  This summer I’ve finished Mary Kay Andrews The Newcomer, The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House by Adrian Tinniswood, When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplin, The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters by Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kashner, Below Stairs by Margaret Powell, and The Glitter & The Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt.  I also purchased several books about Laura Ingalls Wilder while on our road trip (see my social media) last month that I can’t wait to dive into.

9. Summer gardens are at their peak and even beginning to fade away, so now is the time to plan and organize your fall garden/container gardens with cooler weather vegetables.  Start your seeds for sugar peas, collard greens, brussel sprouts, cabbage, spinach, parsley and the like for fresh veggies through the next season.  Hopefully some of the summer heat will begin to loosen its grip soon and help make for a productive winter. 

10. Finally, if you don’t know already, I’m going to be a grandmother in just two months!  It’s a girl!  I’ve spent several weekends up in South Carolina helping Gracie and Michael pull together the nursery this summer using paint and *gasp* wallpaper.  The color scheme is just beautiful and I’m loving this gorgeous mural from Photowall that pulls everything together.  It adds so much color and personality to this sweet room.  I can’t wait to see everything completely arranged after her showers.

I hope August is full of simple pleasures and you find joy in the small things as we roll through the last days of summer!

A Little Indoor Garden

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

After oh-so-many false starts, it seems spring has sprung bringing April showers and what appears to be hope for gorgeous May flowers.

While recovering from surgery I have truly missed playing in my gardens; pruning rose bushes, weeding beds and planting early spring blooms.  Audley has been a gem keeping me occupied and distracted from some of the things I would really rather be doing, and has even gone so far as to tackle some of my favorite spring activities himself.

But one of the sweetest things he did for me was to bring a little gardening in the house for me to enjoy.

Spring blooms for an indoor container garen to brighten someone's day.

Spring blooms for an indoor container garden to brighten someone’s day.

Choosing a few early spring plants that included miniature daffodils, primrose, African daisy and a silver leaf annual, I was able to play in the dirt and enjoy a bit of gardening without putting myself in a position that the doctor definitely would not approve!  Making an indoor garden box was super easy and fairly quick to put together.

Creating an easy indoor garden

For this little project I took a tool caddy that I assembled & stained from a kit that Home Depot donated to the attendees at last years Haven Conference in Atlanta.  Audley drilled holes in the base of the box for drainage purposes.

Creating a means of drainage in container gardening prevents water from remaining inside the pot/container and souring or causing your the roots of your plants to rot. The stentch is ridiculous!

Creating a means of drainage in container gardening prevents water from remaining inside the pot/container and souring or causing the roots of your plants to rot. The stench is ridiculous!

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First, I added Miracle Grow potting soil about 2/3 of the way full.

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I removed the plants from their pots and broke up the compacted dirt and roots from their bases before planting them in the little tool caddy.

Breaking up the roots just a little to stimulate growth.

Breaking up the roots just a little to stimulate growth.

Finally, I arranged them in a way that I found appealing, watered well, and then placed them on my coffee table to enjoy the blooms for a couple of weeks.

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By using a mixture of perennials and annuals, I can plant the daffodils to bloom out in the yard next spring, and add the silver-leafed foliage to other container gardens to last throughout the summer.

That’s it.

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Easy, Peasy.

Bright and cheery.

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And if your aren’t supposed to be doing certain chores, you can have your kiddos do most of the clean-up which makes it even more fun!

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What I liked best about this quick little project was that not only was it easy and enjoyable, it would make a great gift for someone else to enjoy if they are having to stay at home and recover from an illness or surgery.  It’s a cheerful and lasting gift.

As for me, I was released from the doctor three days ago for light workouts and housework.  While I am sure my version of light and the doctor’s are not on the same wavelength, I do plan to ease back into the things I enjoy, including outdoor gardening!  Audley and I are planning to attack our raised beds this weekend, so stay tuned for a little herb and vegetable inspiration!

Happy Wednesday to you!

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Our Little Urban Garden

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / 3 Comments

Living in a subdivision with a HOA can often present challenges for those who like to grow fresh veggies in the summer months.  Flowers and shrubs are expected in the yard, but why not tomatoes, peppers or okra?

When we moved here two and a half years ago we couldn’t decide what to do about my gardening bug, and finally just took a chance and went for it.  Instead of digging up the entire yard we went with uniformed raised beds that we placed in an area only noticed from one direction.  This is our third summer here and there hasn’t been an issue with the HOA, so I am assuming that we are good!

Looking a little sparse, but full of promise for the summer.

Looking a little sparse, but full of promise for the summer.

6 weeks ago when we first planted for the season.

6 weeks ago when we first planted for the season.

It’s been fairly dry and warming up quickly this summer around here (98 today!), which means my little garden area needs a little extra TLC.  We keep it weeded, watered and fertilized, but we’ve also added mulch between trellises to help keep the grass down and planted a few marigolds to help deter mosquitos.  I need a day off work to spend a little extra time out there, but right now it is filling out and I hope to have our first veggies in just a few days!

Pickling cucumbers starting to grow and show more that a bloom

Pickling cucumbers starting to grow and show more that a bloom

I'm thinking fried green tomatoes may be on the menu soon. Not a lot of size to these yet, but I can taste them now!

I’m thinking fried green tomatoes may be on the menu soon. Not a lot of size to these yet, but I can taste them now!

Instead of traditional squash I planted sunburst squash this year ... the blooms are gorgeous and the squash are pretty as well.

Instead of traditional squash I planted sunburst squash this year … the blooms are gorgeous and the squash are pretty as well.

My sweet peppers are up first, but the jalapenos and chilis are right behind them.

My sweet peppers are up first, but the jalapeno and chilis are right behind them.

After six weeks our little garden is looking fuller and starting to produce it fresh goodness

After six weeks our little garden is looking fuller and starting to produce it fresh goodness

raised garden bed

I still have a few cosmetic things to do around our garden such as mulch between the beds and create a little walkway, but for now I’m looking forward to making salsa with our fresh grown tomatoes and peppers as well as dine on fresh okra, squash and zucchini.

And not only do we have a variety of veggies growing, I see a blackberry pie in the very near future!

Hoping I can keep the birds away from these

Hoping I can keep the birds away from these

I had hoped for a bumper blueberry crop …..

My ONE blueberry

My ONE blueberry

BUT, the birds and squirrels beat me to them (before they were even ripe).  This is the only berry I managed to get on four shrubs.

It was delicious!

Raised beds are perfect for gardening in areas where you can’t have a traditional garden, if your soil is bad, or you just want a kitchen garden for quick herbs and spices.  I love the versatility of these little beds.  We filled ours with a combination of plain topsoil, a large bag of Miracle grow and Kow fertilizer.  You don’t have to empty them at the end of the season except to remove dead plants and all you need to do late in the winter is add more Kow and possibly another bag of Miracle Grow dirt for added nutrients in the soil.

Here are the plans we followed for building our raised beds.  I found these in BH&G about six years ago and have used them both in our little home in Alabama and now here in South Carolina.

Raised Garden Bed Plans

You can plant them however you see fit, but here are a few suggestions for a lush garden bed.

You can plant them however you see fit, but here are a few suggestions for a lush garden bed.

Hopefully you found a little inspiration for you own Urban Garden.  Let me know if you try the plans and how your beds turn out!

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Our Topsy-Turvy Garden Planter

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / 3 Comments
As Audley cleaned out the shed a few weeks back we discovered that we had quite a collection of terra cotta pots left from various plantings in season’s past.  Instead of filling them with flowers and trying to scatter them around the patio and porch, I decided to tackle a quick and easy planter project that we had seen displayed in our local Home Depot.
The class to learn how to do this project was not until the middle of the month, so after snapping a few pictures, Audley & I put it together on our own.
To create this simple planter all you need are five terra cotta pots of various sizes (large to small), 1/2 inch (or #4) rebar, potting soil and plants.
 Easy enough, right?
Assembling the topsy turvy tower is just as simple.
1. Level the largest pot you will be using where you would like it to be.
2. You will need help for part of this, but you want to stack the pots (without dirt in them) to get an idea of how tall your planter tower will be.  We measured ours to be right at 3 feet and was pretty spot on.  Cut your rebar to the correct height.
3.  Center your rebar in the largest pot.  Have someone hold it centered as you fill that pot completely with dirt.  This will make the base for your second flower pot.
4.  Thread your second pot through the rebar and tilt it at the base on the pot of dirt.
5. Then alternate the remaining pots, tilting and turning so that they rest of the pot just under them.
6.  Fill each of your flower pots with dirt….
And then plant whatever your heart’s desire.

For our planter we went with a combination of herbs and added flowers for color.  I also picked plants that do well in morning sun.

And I love how it turned out!

 

Be sure to water your freshly planted flowers and herbs daily for about five days (unless you are getting rain) so that they won’t wilt and not flourish.

 

 

We have four more flower pots, so my plans are to pick up one more and another piece of rebar for a second topsy turvey planter.  I really like the idea of having my herbs right out my back door for easy access.  I’ll post pictures of the two planters in the whole scheme of things to show off our patio color when I get it finished!
What have you found creative to do this spring?