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.

Previously Unpublished Reflections: Take Me Out To... Target Field

Stumbled upon this draft post from forever ago. Not only do we have funding for the new Vikings Stadium, but construction has begun, plus they were awarded the Superbowl in 2018. How times have changed in such a short time! 

Finally it was my turn to visit Target Field with my Hubby & Munchkin.

It's truly a sight to behold.

Although we didn't win I now know: 

We are truly blessed to have been able to build this fabulous home for our Minnesota Twins.

(Now if only the Minnesota Vikings could get their act together & sell the legislature on rallying around funding for their new stadium)

Wordless Wednesday - Signs of Spring

One of the things I love about the lot we live on is the abundance of nature that surrounds us.  Having a new camera allows me to capture way more than I was able to in the past. Until we get a new PC the photos I'll post will be unedited:

Goose Egg - Hatched

My Munchkin tells me both of these must be males because they are so colorful...

Sassy Male Cardinal

Gathering worms for their young after the morning rain.

Nosy rabbit on our deck before the garden was planted.

Frog or toad? Not exactly sure.

Sugar Spa Peas from seed

Still amazed how quickly they grew...

 I'll be sure to post garden pics throughout the summer... Trying a lot of new things this year on the deck. 

Already getting ideas on self watering systems to add for next year.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like:May Flowers & New Experiences or Wordless Wednesday - Patience Reaps Reward

Wordless Wednesday - Patience Reaps Reward

From humble beginnings

Some of the varieties I'm growing, besides the big cherry tomatoes include:

• The Big Rainbow, a sweet, mild & gorgeous, pictured above with striking yellow and red streaked flesh. 

• Djena Lee's Golden Girl (orange), also pictured above, which we ate too fast to take a picture sliced.  

• The Black Krim Heirloom Tomato, a "medium-sized, very dark maroon beefsteak, with wonderfully rich flavor." 

• The Rutgers Heirloom Tomato, pictured above - a "legendary 'Jersey' tomato, introduced in 1934: a cross between J.T.D. (an old New Jersey variety from the Campbell Soup Co.) and Marglobe. Its flavor, both for slicing and cooking." 

Hope you are enjoying fresh Summer treats from your garden as well!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:  Lunch via Vellee Deli or Minneapolis Loves A Good Food Truck Vendor

Carnivals - Simple Family Fun

Just thought I'd share a recent Friday night out with the family - Summer is so short in Minnesota we take as much time as possible to enjoy it as a family.  This was our second year going to this Carnival which my hubby grew up going to.  No doubt some of these rides have been around for a very long time.

#NoFear

;  )

 

Of course Munchkin spotted Spiderman

And Munchkin had to have a Raspberry Blue Sno-Kone

Look Momma!

Of course the evening's main event was the fireworks.

 

Simple. Family. Fun.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Wordless Wednesday - Fall Nostalgia or A Christmas Eve Tradition