5.26.2009

shed a little light

fellow james taylor fans, please note the blog title - it isn't entirely random, given excessive sun exposure over the weekend, and major...MAJOR (yeah, all caps there) progress on the shed.

kudos to brian the builder for getting up just about all of the siding in a couple days - it looks great! next up...chicken coop? hmm.

anyway, sunshine led to a lot of productivity over the long holiday weekend. we worked in just about every part of the yard - from shed building to weeding unpleasant rockery, creating new planting beds, harvesting tons of greens, and more.

with sunshine, things just get way bigger. seeds that i just planted start sprouting almost immediately, including several varieties of beans - purple, yellow, green, and scarlet runners. over the course of just a couple days, i could actually observe the beans evolving. we concocted a trellis of sorts by re-purposing some japanese window screens we recently removed from the living room. on the other side, we planted cucumbers. underneath the trellis, we scattered baby greens seeds.

we also planted some beans and other edibles in the front yard. after day dreaming of how to overtake at least part of the front lawn, i decided to jump in. and with shovel in hand, proceeded to painstakingly remove sod. a pain in the ass project, but well worth it in the end.

let me take you through a pictoral journey (time lapse = two days):
in the new front yard bed, we put in a variety of grasses, coneflowers, lavender, rosemary, black-eyed susans, thyme, blueberries, and we moved the huckleberry from a relatively shady spot in the back yard. at the base of the tepees (that we fashioned out of bamboo from the yard), are snap peas and the beans.

in addition to accomplishing these projects, we've been able to start enjoying the fruits (er, vegetables) of our labor. lettuces, arugula, and a number of herbs are in full swing. end product? delish veg pizza, arugula pesto pasta, and just picked salads.

5.10.2009

we're getting there

a sunny weekend brought about real progress in the garden. sunshine meant we were finally able to bring out all the goodies that have been taking refuge in the greenhouse. we planted...

tomatoes (11 varieties)

including "oregon spring"

red brussels sprouts

3 types of squash - black beauty,
yellow crookneck, and baby round

we also planted purple cauliflower (pronounced call-ee-flower - it's more fun that way) - you can see them at the top of the squash photo. here's what to expect come harvest time. and yes, those were brussels sprouts.

this weekend also brought about the emergence of potatoes - the green leaves are finally pushing through the soil. once they get a bit taller, we're supposed to cover the greens a bit and mound up a potato hill.

the strawberries are thriving - full of blossoms and some small green berries. getting excited about the sweet fruit we'll have in a few short weeks.


and lastly, the snap peas are coming along, huddled amongst some baby greens. brian pieced together a climb for them, by crisscrossing twine between the bamboo support structure.


it's supposed to rain tomorrow - a blessing in disguise - to replenish the rain barrels and give us a watering break. but hopefully the sun revisits us soon.

5.04.2009

reds and greens

back from a beautiful trip to charleston, and the garden is coming along! we came back to ready-to-eat micro greens and radishes aching to be pulled.



french breakfast and cherry belle radishes
just picked and washed

apparently we got a good amount of rain over the weekend. and, as i sit here (and have sat here for the past few hours), it continues to rain with a moderate breeze. as a result, the garden beds and front yard are littered with cherry blossom petals.

the greens are flourishing, and reminding me to plant more lettuce so we'll have some to harvest in the coming months.

in this bed: broccoli, radicchio,
arugula, lettuce, and snap peas

more greens - almost ready to eat!

kale, broccoli, onions, garlic, shallots, snap peas, and carrots are all breaking solid ground. i would have taken more photos, but it really started to rain! rainbow chard is also coming up.


and strawberry plants are blooming!