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Garden Gate:  digging in the dirt again  |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 02 2011 : 7:48:57 PM
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so happy to be digging in the dirt again! I hAve waited for this for 2 years. ( 6 months prior to putting our home on the market we converted our yard back into a "city" yard,then we had our home for sale for nearly a year, and then had to rent for 6 months while looking for a home)
I now have my own yard again (not just .33 of an acre, but now 1 and .35 of an acre!) This week has seen me planning and creating a rose garden. Laying a small brick pathway for the rose garden.Planting a climbing rose against a white trellis, planting cape honeysuckle near the large shepherd's hook in the rose garden that holds a huge set of chimes my father in law made. Planting some african daisies and a huge rosemary plant, and a firecracker plant. I'll continue adding to the rose garden real soon. I'm hoping to score a pomegranate bush to put in the rose garden tomorrow when I visit the next town over to go antiquing and nursery plant shopping(but mostly plant shopping). Hubby and I have started creating 4 ft x 8 ft. raised beds right off the back patio. We had 5 yards of a soil called "gardener's friend" delivered yesterday...it is made with cow and horse and chicken manures and mushroom compost..yep..I have to keep my windows closed for right now..ha. Hopefully my neighbors won't complain as it definitely is rich soil and a good bit smelly, but I expect that we'll have our best garden yet with the stuff.
We will be putting in 3 more raised beds with plans to add 4 more as soon as possible.And plan on creating 4 ft. gravel walks around the whole thing.
Yep..I'm loving digging in the dirt again!
This afternoon I pulled out my stash of garden seeds and sat on the kitchen floor sorting everything out,then hubby and I sorted out what we'll grow this year...Fun! Fun!
Yep..I'm really happy to have dirt under my nails again.:0)
~I Dream of a Better World..where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned!~
blogs:http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and http://thevictorygardener.blogspot.com
magazine: www.stliving.com
etsy shops: http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com
and http://myvictorygarden.etsy.com |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2011 : 10:11:09 PM
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Lucky you! It's almost zero degrees here and the ground is covered with snow and ice. But that's good, it'll mean less bugs in the summer. I'm ordering seeds for my garden and need to draw up my plans. hard to think of spring with all this snow, but that's what I'm dreaming of.
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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LadyInRed
True Blue Farmgirl
6740 Posts
PeggyAnn
Vancouver
WA
USA
6740 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2011 : 12:32:27 AM
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I was out digging in the dirt today also...
Our two Arctic cold days left us and today it was in the 50's and sunny! Such weird weather...but I won't complain because most of you are having horrid weather this winter! ~ This afternoon I actually went out and dug up some tubers and moved them. Dug up a rose bush and tossed it...it never did well for me since I planted it. And then I poked around in my vegetable garden for awhile. Put a Trellis in my Veggie Garden and will run peas or beans up it come planting time. Put an old strawberry pot that started deteriorating on it's side in the garden just for a little decoration since it is too early to grow anything. That way I still have color to look at out there with my white trellis, my red strawberry pot, two big green frogs and A Garden Shovel that says,Welcome to My Garden. When all else fails...I just grow ART! lol
blessings,
~peggy
Farmgirl #1326
http://ladyinredsite.blogspot.com
http://pegsmiles7.wordpress.com
"I'm only as strong as the caffeine I drink, the hair-spray I use and the Girlfriends that I have." |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2011 : 04:18:30 AM
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My dirt is so far down under the snow, it will be a month before I can see it again. We had about 18 inches of snow but the drifts are 3-4' deep. #1 son came out yesterday and opened the driveway. The drifts were so deep that he couldn't use the blade, had to use the bucket on the tractor and actually remove the snow and haul it off. But he did say that the ground under the snow is not frozen. Well it is below 0 out there now. Suppose to get more snow on Sunday.
In the mean time, my little seedlings are doing wonderful here in the kitchen under their grow light. My kitchen has become my potting shed.
Belle |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2011 : 07:23:28 AM
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Hi, Tina! You sold your house? That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! Your excitement is infectious. I only wish the weather here was as nice as where you are. We had so much drought and over 90 degree heat here last summer, I'm not sure how many if any of our daylilies survived. :( But I'd be happy to send you samples of whatever comes back(I was able to keep two small beds near the house watered) as a 'garden warming' present! Spring will eventually get to my old Kentucky home! :)
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
Posted - Feb 03 2011 : 1:56:18 PM
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Hi Janice!
Yes! We sold in April of last year and had such an adventure afterwards! In June my husband had a medical scare(femoral vein blood clot that measured 2 cm around and extended most of the way down the leg, plus pulmonary embolisms in both lungs) that was super frightening to us all and which landed him in hospital for a week, he is all better now, but oh gosh was it rather unnerving and scary. We wound up renting for 6 months while looking for a home with a bit of land,and finally found our home on an acre and a quarter and closed on it Dec.3rd and moved in Dec.14th, then on Dec.21st we all got sick right after some family members came to visit bringing a bad bad virus with them..that took about a month to run its course , so I wasn't able to really finish decorating the house like I'd have liked. (still am not done yet with all of the house decorating and sorting)
I so wanted to ask you about the daylilies as I am in the plant buying mood for the house now. In fact I have just gotten home (a few minutes ago as I type this), from an amazing plant nursery one town over (about a 20 mile drive at the most from my house) and I found a gorgeous large salmon colored shrimp plant, 2 lovely bright blue hydrangeas(they'll go in my front yard under the oaks), some small mini roses, brazilian firescracker plants,and some primrose jasmine (an old southern variety with yellow flowers that will go on our front fencing/all homes in the development have black board fencing that looks like horse farm fencing, so the jasmine will look pretty growing on that.), nandina, and a huge red geranium hanging pot (that will go on my front porch)...but the nursery has very reasonable prices and statuary too. Unfortunately they didn't have the pomegranate in stock that I was looking to find...but they hope to have a shipment in next week. I had a blast talking to one of the nursery owners and have been invited to the "Garden Groupies" group that they hostess every month.
Such an awesomely fun day out today planning my gardens and yard and enjoying lunch out with my mom in law and 2 daughters. We stopped at the cutest little cafe called "Abigail's" it was such a charming, bustling little cafe with hand painted table tops with hummingbirds and flowers painted on the table and the decor was an eclectic, colorful bohemian- gypsy style with one room on the side decorated to look sort of like a 1930's theater type room (think almost burlesque meets the 1930's dance theater) it was actually rather neat looking/masks and feathers as decor and a huge 1930's theater dance poster on the wall. A fun place to dine with yummy panini sandwiches.
Anyhow..back to the daylilies... I am saddened that you lost quite a few of the plants as I do remember you had such a pretty selection.When you can determine what has survived do let me know as I'd absolutely love to add some of the daylilies to my yard. I am having to start from scratch again on a yard. This yard had absolutely no flowers here..it is just trees and a boxy green shrub along the front walkway. Huge oak trees in my front yard and oak and pine in the backyard.I think the only thing that actually flowers in the yard were 2 crepe myrtles in the back by the shed and one magnolia by the shed. Otherwise it is very bare. But a clear slate can be fun too...just a bit overwhelming to have to start totally afresh with planting, and it can be a challenge in an area 5 hours further South and a new planting zone with totally different plants here.
I did drag out my stash of seeds that I have gathered from swaps and farm girl gifts, some are probably still viable seed so I am looking forward to trying to grow those here as well.
I am so very much over the moon happy to have a yard again..and this time one that is over an acre in size. I thought my .33 yard was a good size..ha..I'm thrilled to pieces with an acre and .35 to have the children run and play on and to be able to have even more gardening areas. Hubby is building 4ft by 8ft raised beds for me this week too, and I'm hoping to score some handmade wrought iron fencing that was posted on craigslist..I'm really hoping to get my hands on that to be able to create the rose garden of my dreams.
Anyhow..I will stop yakking for now. Stay warm..and by the way..trust me..spring is right around the corner... I saw a tree full of a flock of robins eating berries right when we walked out of the cafe today!! So yes, it is right around the corner. It's what I look for to let me know that things will be warming up real soon and I can get busy planting real soon. I get a real thrill when I spot the first robin signalling springs return is soon approaching.
~I Dream of a Better World..where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned!~
blogs:http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and http://thevictorygardener.blogspot.com
magazine: www.stliving.com
etsy shops: http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com
and http://myvictorygarden.etsy.com |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2011 : 06:32:40 AM
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I quit my job last March 31, so I was off the forum and computers in general most of last summer. I'm so glad you dh is okay now. And I'm just thrilled for you and your new place. The clean slate thing is pretty overwhelming. But exciting, too. I'm so envious of your colorful planting opportunities right now. I love hydrangeas, too. It's wonderful to hear you so excited and happy. :) You waited so long for this. And I promise, as soon as daylilies start coming out of the ground, I'm packing up a big fat RAOK box and shipping them to you to celebrate your new 'digs'! Farmgirl hugs to you!
Farmgirl Sister #50
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?"
'Br.Dave Gardner' |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
Posted - Feb 04 2011 : 6:09:25 PM
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oh Janice..that is just too sweet of you...but I won't say no..LOL I can never turn away a lovely plant looking for a new home..hee hee. you are just too kind and I'm looking forward to adding some farmgirl friendship to my rose garden which I think I will call my garden "Jardina Paradisa" (garden of Paradise) I know it sounds fancy, but hey.. a gal can be a bit fancy sometimes too even though her manicure sometimes includes plenty of dirt under her nails...smiles.farmgirl hugs right back at ya.:0)
~I Dream of a Better World..where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned!~
blogs:http://gardengoose.blogspot.com/
and http://thevictorygardener.blogspot.com
magazine: www.stliving.com
etsy shops: http://GardenGooseGifts.etsy.com
and http://myvictorygarden.etsy.com |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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Ca-Reds
True Blue Farmgirl
124 Posts
kristy
Clearlake
Ca
USA
124 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2011 : 06:27:58 AM
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I just started digging in the dirt last week getting the soil ready! i am so excited. there is almost nothing better in the world than to get your hands dirty like that. I call it my therapy. This year i will get to have just a little more space to plant, not much, but will take what i can get. I have been out working with just a rake and shovel, we have no kind of motorized plowing available. So good ol manual labor, which i don't mind weither... Although the ground was so hard is some spots i bent my shovel head! But all in all i got the job done.
-Kristy
"Plan ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark!" |
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Tina Michelle
True Blue Farmgirl
6948 Posts
Tina
sunshine state
FL
USA
6948 Posts |
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desertwillow
True Blue Farmgirl
272 Posts
Betty
Inyokern
California
USA
272 Posts |
Posted - Feb 14 2011 : 6:52:36 PM
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| I'm new to this thread but wanted to say that I've been working in the garden this week. The high desert has had a peak at spring. I have daffodils in bud and my roses are leafing out. Wouldn't you know it, by the middle of the week it's back to winter with wind and rain and Friday we may get more snow. What a tease. I knew it was too early for spring. At least I didn't plant anything that would freeze. I had to repair some irrigation lines that got damaged but at least I got to dig in the dirt. |
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Garden Gate: digging in the dirt again |
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digging in the dirt again
