Sights of a Minnesota Gardener

Gardening is a labor of love. Spring comes & I am on a mission to do my part to keep our family eating well with the freshest produce we can get. 

Hummingbirds frequent our backyard & have for years.  This is the first year we've had a feeder out & so far these are the only birds that are snatching up the dripping nectar. I was amazed to hear that you are supposed to clean & replace the nectar in the feeders every 2 days. That's crazy right?! Others have said they only clean it when it's empty - I have settled on doing it once a week. 

The nectar in the feeder is clear. I'm not convinced that "red on the feeder" alone is enough, so I'm getting some red nectar to mix with the clear to see if that makes the hummingbirds come more quickly. I bought another feeder with a bottle that is blue, but now looking back on the decision, I shouldn't have chosen that one! I put together a red floral arrangement as well - hoping that the hummingbirds love it as much as I do.

The Clematis are blooming.

The peonies were gorgeous.

Even sneaked a few pics of the neighbor's varieties - so different than ours.

This is one of the stinkers eating on the plants in our landscape  

- also enjoying our plush grass.

Therefore the best of the produce is grown on the deck - far out of reach for big eyes like these, although the squirrels now venture up to steal a tomato or two quite often.

A small sampling of the plants from seed we have going: Flowering Eggplant (from Tyrant Farms)

FLowering Tomatillos (from Tyrant Farms) for Salsa Verde.

Austrian Winter Peas (from Tyrant Farms)

Sugar Daddy Peas, Super Snappy & Blue Podded Peas (from Tyrant Farms)

There are 3 varieties of carrots in this pot. (Incl one red cored from Tyrant Farms)

Garden Beans & Royal Burgundy Bush Beans (from Tyrant Farms)

Flowering Peppers (from Tyrant Farms)

So many new experiences thus far due to it being the first year I've sowed from seeds almost my entire deck garden. If you don't know about Grow Journey seeds yet, Google it & be prepared to be enlightened & tempted to take a plunge & give the subscription service a try.

I am not being compensated to talk about Tyrant Farms Grow Journey seeds.  From one year to the next, I've learned so much about what to do to improve each year's gardening experience. Documenting will be key to understanding what was done well & what needs improvement for the next season.

May Showers...Early Flowers

It's Mother's Day 2015 & I have a healthy jump at this season's Gardening.  Yesterday was the better of the two weekend days & I took advantage of it - transplanting a few starts from seed into 10 containers on the deck. Today is pretty much a wash out as it began to rain in the early afternoon just after I paid for a few things at the local nursery.

Last year for Mother's Day my MIL gave all of the girls - her daughters & we "outlaws" tulip bulbs. While I'm a pretty good container deck gardener - learning a little more every year, I'm a rookie landscape gardener.  We dug up the existing borders that line our backyard patio beneath the deck. Hubby let me take over the bed & do whatever I pleased. These are the tulips that were planted last fall.  I had no idea which varieties they were so I just planted them & prayed they would come up & look halfway decent.

The anticipation was immense, but totally worth the wait:

 

 

 

 

I also received a Home Depot basket of bulbs from my big & little boys with both Daffodils & more Tulips, so come fall, those will be added to that same bed & hopefully they will all return next Spring, filling out the bed even more.

 

 

For Mother's Day today, hubby got these fun birdhouses to add to the deck, which has become a haven for so many birds, bees & butterflies.

 

 

These blooms always appear early under the shade of the deck.  I don't know off-hand what they are called but they're so pretty & unique.

 



 



The gardening process is always a marathon - not a sprint.  It always takes a few months to get everything into place & then before we know it the season here in the Twin Cities is gone in a heartbeat.

 

Open Season

Drought abounds here in the Twin Cities. The temps are crawling up. We desperately need rain because there wasn't much snow this past winter & we haven't had much in the way of April Showers.  

I have a really good head start on my deck garden - started a few seeds in early March. The progress is rewarding... we had a late crop of some varieties of Tomatoes last Summer & Fall because I waited a bit too long to start the seeds. 

Not everything I planted sprouted though - live & learn. I'll know better not to pair certain things that sprouted early (tomatillos & various types of tomatoes) with seeds that need more time like Peppers, Parsley, Peas, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach and a number of other veggies.

Planting a few of some seeds because I wasn't sure which would sprout. No doubt I'll do that again - no guarantee how much of which seeds will germinate.

Pictured below are the Black Krim, Hillbilly, Yellow Pear, Garden Peach, Roma, Super Sweet 100s, Honey Delight, Tomatillos & the one Austrian Winter Pea that sprouted out of 12 (yes that made me very sad.)

I'll blog the progress as the weeks go by.  It may be a couple more weeks before we no longer have lows in the 30's & I can move these babies to containers out on the deck.

One of the things I love about Spring is the opportunity to re-fresh our home decor, including finding new ways to utilize & display pieces I don't use that often. 



This pitcher is from the now defunct Taste of Home Entertaining line. Unfortunately I am not the Multi-Level Marketing type & never did much more than sign up to sell it, then buy a few pieces for personal use at a discount.  The kitchen window view I put on Instagram just didn't do this simple & classic arrangement justice, so I brought them outside into the sunshine.

But it's Sunday & with our beyond crazy schedules, I've skipped a couple of weeks, so check in with me next week for a 5 minute Stream of Consciousness brain dump...

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Changing Landscape

I'm back at it - pulling thoughts from my cluttered head & putting words on a page.  Such a bizarre week - an unexpected death in our extended family.  A father, only 50, who had been diagnosed with stage 3 Colon Cancer, but most likely due to fatal complications from chemotherapy & a genetic heart condition he was called home way too soon, leaving behind a wife, three kids, his parents, his 2 siblings & a myriad of friends & family.

Others in my circle have experiences heartbreaking losses, or are dealing with a family member with disease diagnosises requiring aggressive treatment. It never seems fair or just, it just is.  We are left to do what we can to support our friends & loved ones as best we can.

So here's my 5 minute brain dump...

Spring is arriving sooner than normal for Minnesotans.  It's barely April & my husband has already played his first round of golf.  I have high expectations for this year's growing season, the efforts more planned & calculated than ever.  

When we moved into this home coming up on 10 years ago, the lansdcape was beautifully done - the work of the previous owners, who left behind meticulous records of everything planted on the property.  It was overwhelming to say the least - I knew nothing about maintaining landscapes or distinguishing between a dozen differn't types of fertilizers. I still don't.

So since Hubby had proclaimed the outside of the house his territory to maintain & the inside was mine, I let him go at it.  But outside of lawn care & anything other than trimming hedges back or cutting back hostas at the end of the fall, he was just as lost as I was in that department,. As he slowly started to decontruct the existing landscaping, attempting to make it a lower maintenance effort from year to year, my love of gardening started to emerge.

I started with filling pots with colorful arrangements of flowers to brighten up our front walkway & steps, then branched out into the world of container gardening on our deck. Over the years, my love of growing has blossomed. Last year 27 containers filled our deck & each year I am anticipating more & planning how to do things better, getting more yield from my efforts. Our landscape continues to evolve. Last fall, I planted new tulip bulbs, a Mother's Day gift from my MIL last year. Blanket Flowers, Zinnia, Lillys & strawberries will edge our home again & for the first time I'll plant more Blueberries in the yard & grow a couple patio varieties along with a few strawberries on our deck.  I intend to plant some wildflowers on the edge of our marsh. A peek at this year's seedlings...

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Link your new posts to All Things Fadra (feel free to use her SOC Sunday graphic).

Spring in Minnesota...Finally!

Each year about this time I do an obligatory gardening post. This past winter was an extrordinarily horrid one. So many hashtags emerged to help us all deal with the day after day of frigid cold. A sampling...

#PolarVortex
#Coldmageddon
#BlameJerrid

One reward for having an abundance of patience is gardening. It allows you have a place to strategize, plan, retreat & relax...to nurture, to escape.

It is a few days away from June and most of us only started the serious in ground & container planting this past week. I started with sowing seeds. Being a complete amateur at growing things from seed did not deter me from giving it another go. Last year sowing pea seeds was a rousing success & the herbs were a huge flop.

This year I have two indoor trays going... 2 kinds of Swiss Chard, 2 kinds of carrots, green onions, 2 varieties of tomatoes and a sweet pepper mix. This time everything has sprouted except the peppers. Outside I am direct sowing seeds for peas, sugar snap peas & green beans.

Growing tomatoes is a treat here in Minnesota. Summer & Fall's home grown tomatoes make up forball the cold months of suffering with bland hot house tomatoes. Come October, we actually start coveting the last few ripe tomatoes which can be picked & saved before the threat of a hard frost.

Along with Mr. Stripey Heirloom, Sweet 100's, Roma & Wisconsin 55 Heirloom starter tomatoes I've planted cucumbers, 6 varieties of peppers, tomatillos, basil, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, cilantro and rosemary. Oh...and Strawberries. Can't forget those.

The front of our home is well shaded by mature trees, so the selection of annuals is always slim pickings. The Fushia is a new choice, but it's quickly growing on me.

Long Time No See

Holy smokes it's been over 3 weeks since I blogged last. It's been such a stressful few weeks - like nothing we've experience before as a family, but we are adjusting as we go. A roller coaster of celebrations, goodbyes, new beginnings, emotions & experiences.

---> Preschool Graduation

---> Saying goodbye to the old teachers

---> New School Age Summer Care provider w/ fieldtrips

---> Making lunches daily

---> Adjusting to the new teachers

---> Birthdays

---> Father's Day

---> T-ball Lessons

---> Swimming Lessons

---> Wedding

---> New schedules for everyone

---> Volunteering

The list goes on. All in the last 3 weeks. I can hardly fathom getting through it all, but we have. Everyday is a struggle. Like an amusement ride that never ends. The strength starts from within but from where I'll never know. No time to recharge the batteries, no time to second guess. Just go with it. Follow the schedule. It's just about all I can do.

I've been squeezing in some "me time" too. A girlfriend talked me into joining her Beach Body Challenge group - remember? We are on day #62 of a 90 day program. I chose Brett Hoebel's Rev Abs. Even with this crazy schedule I've made huge progress for me... 8 lbs down & 14 1/4" gone from all over my body. I've dropped a clothing size & overall am feeling more like my old self. They goal is to be down 2 sizes by the end of this & to continue what I finish, meaning I choose a new program to do at the end of this one to continue the progress.

My garden is taking shape & babies are everywhere:

Gives me some peace & joy to see them taking shape, plus it's a great daily reminder for Munchkin that patience reaps rewards. So hopefully it won't be quite so long before I blog again. Time will tell.

Oh! Guess what?! I pulled the trigger & ordered an iPad (version 3) today. Our family's first. I can hardly wait to pick it up. The badly needed new PC will have to wait ; )

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: May Flowers & New Experiences or Stream of Consciousness Sunday: 90 Days to Success

May Flowers & New Experiences

Looking back to see the last time I blogged & it's a little embarrassing. Once a week used to be my absolute minimum, but life's been a bit over whelming & every time I sit down to write, you might say my mind is overflowing. So much so that I can't decide what to focus on.  Spring has been a lovely one but one that has been full of pending transitions.

My only son is going to be a Kindergartener in the fall & I'm not sure I am ready for all the changes to come in his little world starting with a daycare provider change in less than a month.  It's a huge deal for me - not so much for my husband.  

Sometimes it makes you wonder - all the things that we as women process differently in our day-to-day lives.  The things that give us wings when we feel like we can't make it another day & calm us down when things get hectic are very different. I would care less about a cold beer, I'd rather relax with am extra large mug of hot Chai tea. As much as I love golf, my hubby loves it a lot more. My passion this time of year has become setting up & tending to my gardens.

The first few strawberries plants are in, using a different "pot" than I've used in the past. I've got about six more plants to load into this, but it's a start.

Two tomato plants are in their new homes for the season - I plan to find 3 more varieties to add to the mix...if I can find more of the pots I need to grow them properly. As much as I love my wooden pots, they aren't wide enough or heavy enough to stay upright in a good wind or as the plants grow really tall.

I love to take photos of the arrangements I've planted to give color to the front of our home until the fall.  The plants always look so meager at first but as they grow, they always fill in the posts so nicely. The after pics are a joy to look back on - giving me a huge boost of confidence.

From year to year,  I try to change things up. I'm not very predictable, at least in my opinion, even though my shade to part shade varietal choices are few.

My Mother's Day gift from my sister-in-law made it into this pot - a red Gerbera Daisy - the color Munchkin chose - his favorite.

We are finally getting our Master Bedroom together after almost seven years, which energizes me like you would not believe. It's always been the one room in our home that I didn't want anyone to see.  The horrid 80's poorly coordinated wallpapers drove me nuts & made me very sad. I never really felt rested in that space with all the "honey do's" swirling in my head.

With only our new headboard left to install along with a few more pieces of art to hang, most of the things on my Master Bedroom list are checked off as complete. The room has the feel of a fancy hotel room rather than an old run down motel room. I am at peace & feel calm when I'm in the space now. ( I promise to post the "after" pics when the last few elements are installed.)

The Master bathroom got a phase one facelift, which will be complete once hubby installs my new faucets. Phase two will have wait for a big windfall - I have such plans to make that space a retreat. One day...it will be.

My favorite thought for the day was: 

"Sometimes you take chances in life, not because you know it's the right thing to do, but because it's the only thing to do in that moment."

There have been so many actions taken lately where I've felt like I was shooting from the hip - choices that perhaps seemed bold for me, but they needed to be made. I refuse to regret or second guess those decisions. This life is an evolution - a web of paths traveled & consequences; joy & pain. I pray all the new experiences ahead in the coming months are worth every ounce of anticipation.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday: 90 Days to Success or Wordless Wednesday - Patience Reaps Reward