Gardening update

What we've been up to this week.

Matthew watering the salsa garden.

One of my favorite irises.

I hate when the pictures load wrong. Half our salsa garden covered with chicken wire...

to prevent the pregnant cat from digging. She attacked one tomato pot last weekend.

Tuesday (pj at school) we got some more seeds in, so Matthew and I planted them. We have all the seeds planted, except for the Alpine Strawberry, which hasn't arrived yet.

We cleaned some of the back porch and found my watering can.

Since Matthew shattered my water pitcher, I bought him his very own watering pitcher. He is so excited about it. It lives on the back porch in his wheelbarrow.

Watering the salsa garden.

There just wasn't enough salsa garden to water so we went on to my irises, daylilies, and poppy sprouts.


Today is kinderGARDEN update day. I've been patiently waiting and saving up pictures all week to post about what Matthew and I've been doing in the garden this week. If you'd like to read week 4, (which I called week 4 last week-I have to go change that) go here. The Inadvertent Farmer has guest writer, Susan Morrison, that shares some interesting stuff. In her article, she shares that as a society we are spending less and less time outside. Some think it's the internet, some think it's people are scared of bugs and dirty, but that if you want to raise children that love the outdoors, NOW is the time to get them out there. Thankfully we don't have a problem with bugs (as long as the house isn't infested) or dirt, so Matthew gets lots of outside time.
In the article she talks about another landscape designers philosophy is that where you lived as a kid influences you as an adult. I agree with that statement. Phil grew up in a big city where grass was highly prized. You raked your lawn of leaves and had tidy compact plants. I grew up in the country where grass was grass, you had alot of it and that meant several hours on a mower, we never raked leaves, we let them do what nature intended and plants were wild, even the ones we put there. I love plants that go crazy and Phil hates it. He is so proud of the grass he wants to have it redone and all the dandelions evicted. I just smile and think good luck with that buddy, you're in the country now! And I always knew I want a big yard for Matthew. I've been so thankful for it and am a little heartbroken that we are leaving it. Hopefully, this is temporary. Either way, I'll find a way for him to get a piece of dirt and outdoor time.

I was so pleased this week. By being a part of the kinderGARDENS contest, I've managed to influence a couple coworkers to try a little gardening this summer! Last fall they had both told me that they didn't like to garden and weren't good at it. This spring I started updating them on our progress with the salsa garden. They both thought it was neat, but what really caught their interest was our purple green beans. I heard stuff like, "No, really, you really found purple green beans?" "Who is messing with the genetic codes?" "So they are just dyed purple right?" This week we got the purple green beans in and Matthew planted them. The next day I went in and announced it. The one is a mother of very involved 4-Her's. She wanted to know where I found them. How I planned to plant them. I told her and said I would be happy to bring a few for her to plant. I got, "well, I'm not much of a gardener..." I said, "So put them in the ground somewhere and give them some water." "Well, I could do that...maybe we could raise a K-State garden, all purple veggies. What purple stuff is there?" So I blew her mind! By time she left and my other co-worker came in we wanted to know if the second co-worker wanted to join our club, the Purple Green Bean Club! After hearing what I'd been telling the other, she was rather interested too. Yesterday I took the beans to the first co-worker and showed her the Seed Savers Exchange's catalog. She announced she already had a pot or 2 picked out for the beans!!! When the second coworker came in she also looked at the catalog. By time we were going home she said, "Well, my husband is the planter, maybe we could take a few beans too...it'd be neat after all." Yes, two converts! I couldn't be more delighted (even if they aren't children!) They were both really interested in all the weird colors of tomatoes out there. There is so much the average person doesn't know about heirloom seeds. I'm so happy to share my love!