Wild Violet's Garden Blog

I saw this on www.repeatcrafterme.com and decided we should, in the name of mommy/daughter rainy day projects, obey. I started with two pieces of felt stuck together with iron-on fusible webbing (Mom suggested this to give it more rigidity for hanging). I Googled a candy corn pic as a cheat sheet, traced it on, and Girl #1 and I began the great button sort.  I had bought a few cheap packages of orange, yellow and white buttons, but the all the same size and color was quickly boooooring, so Grandma's old button stash to the rescue! The Girl was great at sorting through those by color, while I ended up doing most of the glueing. I like the different textures and shades of color we ended up with. Twine for a hanger, and voila!

Here's what's up these days: Brandywine tomatoes coming out of our ears. Two batches so far of homemade spaghetti sauce- already eaten and gone. One batch of fresh salsa and more to make if my new crop of cilantro gets a little bigger. Three mini pumpkins harvested so far. All of the pumpkins and mums/kale in the photos we bought in town today. Damn you, squash vine borers. Note to self- grow some kale next year, at least for decorating. Not sure if I'll ever get on that kale chip bandwagon. Lots of peppers- bell and jalapeno. A few butternut squash might get big enough to eat before a freeze. Have been using TONS of herbs in cooking lately due to salt restrictions (more on that whole ordeal some other post) and it's awesome! Dill, parsley (aphids hit it hard recently though) oregano (ditto aphids), basil, chives. Thinking I'll try starting more herbs in a windowsill soon for winter and move them downstairs under supplemental lighting if I need to. Herbs in t...

Another way humans are completely screwing ourselves with use of pesticides: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/08/14/home-gardeners-new-plants-could-be-killing-off-bees/

An awesome photographer friend of mine introduced me to her awesome photographer friend who introduced me to her awesome photographer friend, who came over and took unbelievably awesome pictures of us doing just regular Mommy/Daughter stuff.  It couldn't be sweeter: http://heartoflifephotography.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/mom-project-stephanie-g/

We're eating good these days. Raspberries (jam!), green beans, a few tart cherries (first time ever I beat the birds to them), a few blueberries, lettuce, basil, snap peas, jalapeno peppers. Also stuffing ourselves with Georgia peaches purchased by the case off the back of a truck in the Menards parking lot. Sounds like a bad idea? It's not. They are THAT good. www.tree-ripe.com. Girl #1 is also having fun with her food. Snap peas and peppers became princesses (see photos). Girl #2 likes to help in the garden too. I'm usually holding her in one arm and the garden hose in the other hand. 

Finally things are growing!  The girls and I came back from a week at Grandma and Grandpa's house and it seems like stuff really took off while we were gone. Tomato plants are small but blooming.  Strawberries are blooming like crazy.  We have picked a few radishes.  Girl #1 is planting a second crop of cilantro in these photos as the first is going to seed already.  Second crop of lettuce and basil is emerging.  We replanted more green beans yesterday since only a few emerged from first planting.  I love that the garden is so close to the house so we can pop out there and fart around while baby is napping.  Life is sweet.

Today Girl #1 and I replanted butternut squash and cucumber seeds that are MIA.  They were first planted a couple of weeks ago on one of the rare, hopeful, sunny days.  No doubt they just rotted in the cold rainy weather we've had lately so we'll try again.  But the zucchini, a few green beans, morning glories by the arbors and the radishes and carrots, lettuce, spinach, and sugar snap peas are up that we also planted that day.  Next on the agenda today we put in more lettuce seed for a second crop and some basil.  Then one hill of 'Jack Be Little' mini pumpkins in a corner of the garden box near the sandbox, and one hill of 'Big Max' pumpkins in a bare mulched area just outside the arbor entrance to our potager. (Using the word potager is fun since it makes my garden sound fancier than it really is.) We scratched some 'Giant Gray Stripe' sunflower seeds in a row in front of the propane tank to hide its ugliness. The tank does have a lattice screen,...