Process of the garden, in pictures

process - a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states

Last night it was taking a while to fall asleep so I opened the photo gallery on my phone and flipped through some recent photos. I realized I really enjoy capturing the process of things - gardening, the construction of our landscape project, cooking, crafting, or how the city looks from the top of our park throughout the seasons. So I thought I'd blog about some of it, using mostly pictures. 

This is my very first garden and I've had this spot planned out since we bought the house 5 years ago. Planning it, watching it grow, and learning along the way has been so gratifying! There's nothing like being able to get your hands into the earth in the early morning and seeing what has transpired overnight. Cultivating the soil, checking for bugs and pest damage and problem solving the issues, the smell of tomato plants and herbs in the air as you water, all of this is really grounding. 

Thoughts and stress float away... as Audrey Hepburn said, 

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" 

My giant pile of soil to move

Building and filling

Hey, I grew that! 

planning

planted!

Tiny "California Gold" pepper emerges

The first zucchini bloom

First cucumber bloom! Each flower turns to a vegetable

Yellow Pear Tomatoes getting started

A few weeks in

These are male zucchini flowers, the female flowers have yet to bud

These flowers are edible. You pick them while they are closed and you can stuff them, fry them, or use in salads

Spring mix is starting to grow

As well as butter lettuce

I spy a ripe tomato

First veggies are ready! Learning lots of patience this summer

Painted rocks to trick the squirrels... Have yet to eat one strawberry!

Filling in nicely! Our garden owl keeps birds away

First "Salt and Pepper Cucumber"

Changes as the summer heat takes over. Cilantro died and everything needs extra water. The lettuce needs misting in the afternoon or it wilts and turns bitter

Added new basil plants, hoping to have some late summer pesto!

My petite "Red Robbin" tomato plant. These were stollen by squirrels...

Squirrels eat our first zucchini.... Cayenne pepper is now sprinkled all over our garden and it seems to be working

One very large pepper, just waiting for that "California Gold" color!

Salad mix

First lettuce greens harvest

Nothing like picking your salad greens 10 minutes before dinner! Yay!

Ripe

We love to garden! Happy about the zucchini harvest! 

After cultivating the soil

After cultivating the soil

Grow!

Been thinking about crafting a sign for my garden for a while...

Perfect! My first garden. I'm in love.

Landscaping and ladybugs

We practically live outside now! Summer is in full swing and I'm so stinking happy we decided to landscape our backyard! I won't get into all that was involved but let me just say, it was a partial nightmare do to an honest mistake the paver guy made. It had me stressing because it was a big financial investment for Geof and I to make on our home. It was one that was long overdue and that I had planned out myself, so there was a lot of emotional investment too. One day while I was outside checking on some of the problems, feeling buyers remorse and slightly heartbroken, a ladybug landed on me, the first I had seen in ages.

It was just the reminder I needed to start thinking more positively and to "stop watering the weeds and start watering the flowers". We had some problems with our pavers but there were so many other things that were perfect! I had to come to realize that it was just beyond my control and the project was mine to own and accept, imperfections and all.

Ever since then, I've been seeing my ladybug friends. A few weeks after the project was completed we set up a dining set that seats 6-8 with a rug and umbrella on the old flagstone patio. This really completed the landscaping project by incorporating the old space into the new. We sit there every day for at least one al fresco meal and if I sit there for more than 10-15 minutes my little ladybug friend shows up to say hello! 

I'm letting the garden grow in and doing a few touch ups here and there and then I'm going to do a full before and after photo comparison. It's SHOCKING! Here are a few pictures from  before and then when they first finished the job to give you an idea:

 

Pretty cool, right? I'm dreading the fact that winter will come, no matter how sweet the summer and this will one day be covered in snow! EEK! Say it ain't so! Until then, we're enjoying ourselves SO MUCH in our new backyard! 

Pajamas in the pool? Why not!

One Love 

~N~

Strawberry Rocks - I did a pin!

You read that right, folks. I actually did a pin that I found on pinterest! How many of us go on Pinterest and pin all kinds of fun and fascinating things, ultimately creating a HUGE to-do list for ourselves that's delusionally optimistic at best? Pinning is addicting but actually implementing some of the tips and to-do's in real life may be even more addicting! Dare I say... I even challenged myself to doing one pin per day? Haha, it was more of a fleeting thought. Let's not kid ourselves.

I started a garden this year! It was a late start due to the landscaping project we had in the works for May-June. All in all I believe we planted about a month late. Our neighbors have gardens and have given us some samples of their zucchini, chard, chives, basil, cayenne peppers, and tomatoes. Can I just say... I'm jealous! Still, we have things growing slowly and one thing that's growing for sure is a pest problem! Currently we have some kind of black mite that is eating our lettuce and several squirrels that steal and bite on everything else. Naturally I called upon the plethora of knowledge found on Pinterest and here is the result:

Rocks painted to look like strawberries! And what do you know? It works! Mostly... 

Squirrel bites! Those sneaky little pests couldn't help but chomp down! As far as the process, I busted out some acrylic paints and found a few strawberry-shaped-rocks. It took a few coats and some drying time but overall, it worked! I will say that these pretty and juicy looking painted rocks attracted the squirrels instead of deterring them. Therefore, I move them around each morning and do not place them right in the strawberry plant, where it would naturally grow, but more dispersed around them. I found that if placed right by the plant, they give the rocks a nibble and then move right onto the blooms and buds.

I also ordered a garden owl on Amazon to scare squirrels and birds away. Look at his face, it makes me laugh! He gets a new perch every morning to keep the pests on their toes ;)

I don't see any birds around but I do know the squirrels are merely amused by the garden owl. Today I sprayed a solution of biodegradable dish soap and water to get rid of mites on the lettuces. Then I sprinkled cayenne pepper around the plants that the squirrels seem to enjoy most: zucchini (flowers only, as we have yet to get any fruits going before they are stollen), tomatoes, and strawberries (or strawberry rocks) because I have heard they won't go sniffing around near it. We shall see! I don't really know what I'm doing but I'm having fun! Here's hoping some sun, water, and love brings a harvest.

Day 5 - 30 day challenge

I think I should start out with something fun - don't you agree? It sounds fun...

Something Fun:

I love surfers.

It's hot. I can't really think. It's hot and it's Monday. 

Bleck! :p

Highlight of the day:

Leaving work - sitting in front of the fan - watching the Next Food Network Star 

Low-light of the day:

Taking Geoffrey to the airport - It's 80 in my house right now

Plugging right along with the 30 day challenge, I'm really enjoying it actually!

{ click "30 day challenge" tag below for more }

Day 2 - 30 day challenge

It's Friday! These are images from my backyard before the rain came but after the clouds had rolled in. We put in this patio a few years ago and my vision was to have all of the cracks filled with green moss. Geof's was more of - clean and no green. All of this July rain has started to promote the moss growth and I couldn't be happier! I love it! It helps with water run off on the patio and erosion as well as keeping the stones in place. { and I just loooove green green wet moss }

Highlight:

Throwing together an amazing dinner - using organic and local produce. Hubby is happy :)

Low-light:

Someone giving work 5 minutes before I was supposed to get out for the weekend....

Something Fun:

This guy!