In the Garden

As other bloggers have written, us midwesterners have had a hard time gettin' in the garden.  Planting a few seeds here, a few plants there, all weather permitting.  I am very fortunate to have one of the few nice days off from work that this spring has given us, and in that day I turbo planted all of our gardens.  Everything from lettuce to potatoes to beets to tomatoes.  Sweet corn and raspberries and peppers and squash and pumpkins and yadayadayada. 

We have been patiently waiting and finally our seeds have hatched and poked their tiny, delicate heads out of the ground.

Blossoms of all sorts cover portions of our yard.  Apple blossoms....



Strawberry blossoms...





And cherry blossoms...

It is amazing that these beautiful blossoms turn into delicious fruit.


Our grape vines, which look dead in the fall, winter and early spring, have finally sprung alive.



I decided to take a few quick photos of some of the plants in our garden before nature watered it again.

Our beautiful jade bean plants that will produce enough beans for us to can and freeze....




I planted the rows of sweet corn too close together (Aaron was not happy) to fit the tiller between the rows. 
    

 Our biggest battle with our gardening is not bugs nor animals nibbling on the vegetables.  It is the wind.  We had an inch of rain not even two days ago and notice that in all of the photos the ground is cracked from drying out.  It dries out so quickly from all of the wind.


We squeaked the potatoes in the ground on Easter.


The peas are starting to vine.  The next step is to put the fence up so they can climb on them.


Hopefully our garden will not get infected with butterflies/moths so we can actually eat the lettuce instead of the worms eating it.




Beets are something I have never grown because I do not particularily like them.  But all of the boys like them.  So, I was out voted.  I know you can can, freeze, and pickle them.  Which way is the best?



The creeping phlox is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.  It really adds a pop of color to the front of our home.




The tulips that I thru in the ground last November have blossomed and are more beautiful than expected (especially since I thought I had planted white tulips.)



 I am sad to say that this year is the first year in nine years that I planted the gardens by myself.  The kids were both in school.  It went ten times as fast and that is great and all...but I missed their little muddy hands and boots.  So, I do not have any memorable photos of them diggin' in the dirt or surprised looks on their faces when they are reminded that their seeds turned into food that we eat all year long.  Next year I will make a point to have them help me.