Planting Our Garden In Spite Of The Weather

Wood Raised Beds Planted

My husband and I have been working on our garden as much as possible for this whole month. We thought our weather was going to let us get our garden in before Memorial Day, and was excited about that. Well, it did let us get it in a day or so before. But we had nights of frost warnings, tornado warnings, high winds, heavy rain and days so damp, cold with no sunshine. EEK! Not good for planting my precious little transplants and new seeds!

Salad Greens Already Coming Up!

Luckily, salad greens and lettuces like cold weather. I did cover them up the nights of the frost warnings. For the most part, I didn't worry about them. They are all coming up really good. I can't wait, because we eat salad every day if possible. Buying it from the store in the winter is not my favorite thing to do. This year, for sure, I am going to get some salad greens going in the fall, for winter time salads. I say that every year, but this year I am doing it for sure!

Backyard Beds Mostly Of Rock

For the time being, we have all but two beds planted. We will fill them up with more compost in the next few days and get them planted too. I have also planted many containers. My tomatoes will stay on the deck this year, away from the rest of the garden in their own containers. Hopefully, that will keep them from getting the dreaded Late Blight. I have really missed canning my own tomatoes for these last two years. This year I am determined to overcome that problem. Tomatoes in the grocery stores have absolutely no taste. Compare one of them to your own home grown tomatoes and see what you think!

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No Fumes! Uses Human Power!

In these times of everything costing so much money, planting a garden is truly a necessity. Growing your own food is so important. Most people cut their budgets to accommodate other expenses, and you know where they cut it? If you guessed, their grocery budget..........you were right! When food in the grocery stores is questionable, it is time to get your hands dirty. If you are not growing your own food...........you are way behind! You are not putting your health and your family's health above everything else. Start today! Once you get started, I am sure you will love it. So will your family!

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2013  Kathleen G. Lupole

Watching My Seedlings Grow!

 Tomato seeds planted in this one.

From a container of dirt, some water and sunshine...........comes our food! Every spring, gardening fills my thoughts. I want to always grow more every year, than I did the year before.

 Seedlings in the bathroom.

Many different plants get their start inside the house to give them a head start when the weather warms up. Tomato and pepper plants, especially have to be started early in order to enjoy them as early as possible. My cucumbers and squash plants, I have been starting inside in recent years, but I really don't have to. They still grow fast, and I know we will be eating lots of squash and cucumbers fresh from the garden all summer.

Getting bigger!

The seedlings respond to the warmth of the sunshine every morning! Someday, we hope to have a greenhouse. We had planned on building a sun room on our deck so that we could start seeds there. But now we have plans to move from this house, and will make sure our new house will have a space for starting seeds. And it will not be cold during the night, as it is here. That will make gardening much easier.

Gathered together in front of the window every morning!

I swear if I sat in front of them all day, I would see them move through the dirt! No, I have watched, and you never see their heads pop up. A few minutes later, you come back and there they are......popping up through the dirt!

Copyright © 2013 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2013  Kathleen G. Lupole

Nice Spring Day At Peaceful Forest Homestead

Snow has just about all melted now!

 Today we were supposed to go visit my FIL, but our brakes on our truck need to be replaced. So we decided not to go and take a risk as they do not sound good. My husband will get the new ones on in a few days. So we both spent the day working on our individual projects around here.

Callie in the barn

My day was spent on transplanting my seedlings that had grown quite big. They badly needed a bigger pot. The Green and Blue Hubbard squash has taken off nicely. It looks like we will be putting a lot of winter squash in our root cellar this year. For some reason the butternut squash and Hopi Gray are lagging behind. But I haven't given up on them yet.

My husband spent the day organizing the upstairs of our barn. He has his tools and stuff up there and needed it better organized. The upstairs is really big and he is planning on putting a work bench up there. He has definitely needed one!

Spring is finally in the air around Peaceful Forest. Mud season is here, though not too bad.....yet. I will not complain about our wet climate in light of what my Texas online friends are going through at the moment. Some of our rain would help them out a bunch about now. It is in our forecast for tomorrow in fact.

Happy Sunday and may God bless all! 

 Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole