Garden Update:

It has been a while since I have talked about the fun stuff growing in my garden! Currently, I am enamored with my pumpkin plant! Last year we purchased a pie pumpkin (smaller than the standard Jack-O-Lantern type) for carving, and before we got a chance to slice and dice it, a squirrel ate it! Well, I guess it wasn't all bad since a seed was buried by the aforementioned squirrel, and we receive a wonderful pumpkin "surprise plant!"

Now there are a few things that I had to learn about pumpkin plants (I actually learned this last season with my squash plants... squash and pumpkins are in the same family!). Pumpkin plants have male and female flowers, and only the female flowers can produce fruit... makes sense!

The above flower is a female pumpkin flower, and the below flower is a male flower... they NEED each other to produce pumpkins- with the help of bees and/or butterflies!

Most plants will have FAR more male flowers than female flowers, which can get kind of discouraging when you really want to see and taste the fruits (literally) of your labor!!! Hang in there, and hopefully your plants will produce!

When the female flower is ready to be pollinated, this is what she looks like! That bump is a baby pumpkin!

Sadly, this flower didn't get pollinated, and it will not survive!

This is the largest pumpkin in my patch (...wink)! I took this picture last Sunday.

Five days later, this is the same pumpkin! Exciting huh?

How is YOUR garden coming? Will YOU be taking a few plants for a "test drive" next season?

Pickin' Time!!!

Earlier in the week I picked these beauties! My husband L.O.V.E.S. raspberries!

I use a site called Pick Your Own (.org) to locate local picking venues, and that's how I found fresh raspberries at Erwin's Orchard in South Lyon, MI.

I picked just shy of seven pounds of berries (single handedly) in just over an hour! Erwin's berries are delicious and plentiful! Plus, for those of you who may be interested in picking a few berries for yourselves, Erwin's bushes are pickable until the first frost... for $3.95/pound!

I called ahead (like just as I was walking out the door... 248-437-0150) to make an appointment and to make sure that there were plenty of berries to pick. Monday's may be slim pickings days if the previous weekend has been heavily attended by pickers!

I'm definitely heading back to Erwins!

Will YOU be picking this summer?

Look What's Growing!!!

This morning my little garden helper and I picked these beauties!!! The first picks of this tomato season- and I can't wait for our dinner salad tonight!

I have several more still ripening on the vines!

This is a squash blossom! Unfortunately its a male flower and so it won't produce fruit, but at least its beautiful!

I think that green bean blossoms are my favorite garden flower!

And here are my cucumber blossoms!

My lettuce is finally taking off- that red line is red yarn to help my little gardeneer know where he may and may not step!

Lastly, my chili peppers are growing HOT and strong!

How is YOUR garden coming along?

Pickin' Time!!!

These beauties are from my strawberry patch!

I've been picking them little by little (and sampling some too!) and slicing them for the freezer! I can't wait until I have enough to make a delicious treat!

Garden Update:

Well... I've spent nearly every day this week in my little plot of Heaven, digging, planting and sweating, and I've taken a few pictures to encourage those of you who are gardening this summer too!

First of all, I hit my local Payless to scope out some sexy gardening shoes! (Mission definitely accomplished!!!) OK, I hate dirty feet, and even though its hot and tempting to just wear flippy-floppies, I decided that I can N.E.V.E.R go wrong with pink & brown canvas saddle shoes! They were a $6 splurge, but heck, I'm totally (spoken with an 80's valley girl twang!!!) worth it!

I planted several varieties of lettuce seeds, and I used plasti-ware to mark the beginning and ending if the line of planted seed. I also (should have used white) write the variety of seed on the spoon to help me remember!

I have 5 varieties of peppers, and when I planted them, I decided to plot my rows by alphabetizing my plants so that I can easily distinguish between my Bell peppers and Habaneros!

Lastly, you're seeing a combination of two of my favorite tricks!

The handle of a wooden spoon makes the best seed whole maker, and the long handle of my rake makes a great straight line!!!

I could probably make my own ruler markings along the spoon handle, so I'd know exactly when I was 3/4" deep in soil... but I prefer just to guess!

See, the rake handle allows me to keep my seeds planted in a straight line, and my rows are al the same length since I begin at one end of the rake, and finish at the other!

How are YOUR gardens coming along?

Third Season

Many avid gardeners claim that the third season for strawberry-lings are their BIG year... and I am now a believer! I can't wait for my berries to ripen!

Do YOU have any favorite strawberry recipes worth sharing? I'd LOVE to hear/taste them!

Seedling Update:

From this...

To this,

and this,

and this,

and this!!! These pictures were taken 3 weeks after planting the seeds! I LOVE it!

Garden Update:

Yesterday I decided to take another peek at my strawberry patch- I was hoping the wild rain storms wouldn't have washed away all of the beautiful strawberry blossoms- I LOVE those sweet looking flowers! Happily I found plenty of blossoms... this year I hope to have lots and lots of yummy strawberries!

Last year I planted three very small blueberry bushes and I was surprised by how beautiful blueberry blooms are! I don't think I've ever seen a flowering blueberry bush before!

And then I stumbled upon two heads of leaf lettuce. Last growing season ended with a much earlier than usual first frost... just after I sprinkled a few remaining lettuce seeds on the ground. I was tickled to find that the lettuce had secretly begun growing- and now I can enjoy the first home grown salad of the season tonight! YUM!

Are YOU planning to garden this year?

PS: I'll post a few pictures of my seedlings soon!

Seed Starting

Last year's garden was amazing! Last year I decided to jump head first into vegetable gardening with a 300 square foot garden! This year, I upped the ante by starting more vegetables from seed!

I began dreaming of ways to begin as inexpensively and "green" as possible! A friend sent me a YouTube video for paper seed starting cups, and my wheels started turning!

I began with single sheets of newspaper... you know, the "bonus material" that comes with the coupons each week? I cut strips that were 3 1/2 inches wide, and I rolled them around a shot glass. I used a mailing label to secure the rolled paper, since I have experience that wet tape does NOT hold its sticky properties!

Roll you newspaper around the shot glass several times, making sure to leave about an inch of paper extending beyond the lip of the glass. Stand your shot glass/mini cup up, and gently bend in the 1" overhang paper towards the center of the glass.

When you are finished bending the overhang paper, this is what the bottom of your paper cup will look like!

Don't worry if it doesn't stay perfectly tucked after you slide it off of the glass. Once the paper cup is filled with wet potting mix, it holds its shape well!

I have been scoring incredible deals on strawberries lately (Yay for FREE fruit!) and I saved a few of the containers to use like mini greenhouses! I fit 8 seed starters per container.

Fill each paper cup with soaked (but not dripping) seed starting mix.

I'm so excited!!!

The toughest decision is deciding what to plant! These are seeds that I saved from last years green bean plants! I've got my fingers crossed!

Next, add two seeds per paper cup- two seeds help to ensure that at least one of them will germinate and grow!

Lastly, place your seeds in a warm and sunny window, watching daily for your seeds to sprout! Obviously, they will need to be watered!