Saturday, September 26, 2015

How Does My Garden Grow ~ September

Welcome to my Spring garden, dear friends...
 
Coriander growing beautifully against the fence...with California poppies in the background...

Whilst there is not much to see above the ground at present, I know there is a fair amount of activity happening beneath the surface of the soil and oh!  That makes me so very happy!

Potatoes are poking their green leaves above the soil now...

The Septemeber days have been somewhat cool and often wet with all the rain we've enjoyed lately, but there have been some rather warm days too, which means the little lettuce, Swiss chard, squash and bean seeds are popping up wherever I happen to look!  Such joy!

Ah, this season is truly glorious!
I can work in the garden till teatime without getting sunburnt or too hot, but I know summertime will be upon us before we know it!

Butternut squash about to unfurl it's next set of leaves...

This year we moved our vegetable garden to another area to the side of our house...  This garden is much flatter than our previous one and thus, easier to maintain!
Thankfully, I had help to prepare the soil and put up fences...{{smiles}}

This is where we have planted all our big crops...squash (butternut, gem and courgette), bush beans for drying, potatoes and some lettuce and chard...

Bright pansies grace our flower garden...my sister, Nancy, has planted flowers in the various containers she finds..tin pails, tea cups, and even baskets...

There is another little patch to the bottom of our yard that has been fenced in to keep the pesky chickens out, and that is where I have planted all the cucumber plants, beetroot and soon to be tomato and pepper seedlings, once they're big enough...

Swiss chard...  I love having fresh chard in the garden to use whenever I need!  
Of course, I do share it with the chickens, snails and other critters than happen to get there before me...the joys of organic gardening, I'm afraid... 

My role in our family takes on many shapes and forms, and I just love that!
Sometimes I am the head chef, dishwasher...little girl dresser...this makes life interesting!  
But, my main ''job'' is the vegetable garden, and this is a task I love...

Of course it is a lot of work, and I usually devote my Mondays to tending my patch of earth...
We make our own compost and try to garden as organically as we can...
We also have a worm farm...it took me a while to come to terms with the keeping of earthworms as ''pets''...{{smiles}}

 
These California poppues seeded themselves after I planted one or two plabts last year...they add such colour and beauty to the garden!

Each year I have very high expectations of the variety of crops I want to grow...but this season, I am not setting unattainable goals...being very busy with my little business means I can't spend all my free time pulling weeds!

 Beetroot seedlings...

 Thus, I have chosen only a few crops so that I can keep a hand on them...
Do follow my gardening journey this season in How Does my Garden Grow, which I hope to share each month!

 
Albenga bush beans...  Last season I grew some beans and left them on the bushes to dry before harvesting...  
We all agreed that we had to plant more this season as the flavour and texture of homegrown beans is just so much better...one cannot compare...

  And do feel welcome to share how your garden is faring, as well as any helpful hints and tips!
I don't know how many of my sweet readers are green-fingered as well, but I look forward to taking you on a tour of my little garden each month in the hopes of inspring you...and inspiring me!  {{smiles}}

~
Now...  How does your garden grow, lovely friends...?

 
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

- Genesis 2:8

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17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kelley-Anne your garden is growing beautifully. I can not maintain a large garden but I do have flower beds and they do bring so much joy :0). Thank you for sharing.....here in the mountains our gardens are done for the season and we are preparing for the winter months. Blessings to you and yours , Mari

Lauren Emily said...

This was such a lovely post!
Your photos are beautiful, and your garden looks so pretty. <3

~Lauren x

~ My Blog ~

Margie said...

I wished that I had your green thumb, Kelly-Anne! I have some flowerbeds which are quite resilient, given the lack of care they receive from me. Ha! I had a juniper bush in my front yard which I thought looked a little rough around the edges...until I received a notice from my condo board requesting its removal because it was dead. Whoops!

Kim said...

Yay for Spring! I love this time of year when all the pretty flowers are slowly beginning to stir from a long Winter. Your garden is going to be a lovely patch of God's sweet earth. What a wonderful veggie patch you will have. That will keep you supplied with lovely produce for many months. There is nothing better than enjoying the produce that you have grown yourself. The pansies are lovely and those Californian Poppies will soon sprouting everywhere. Loved reading this enjoyable post......have a lovely Monday caring for those veggies of yours.

Faye Henry said...

Beautiful, dear.. We are putting our gardens away and you are planting ... isn't this a wonderful world God has given us.. xo

Alex said...

Oh, I did enjoy reading all about your gardening delights, Kelly-Anne!
There really is a little buzz of excitement and joy every time a new lot of seeds germinate and sprout.. Yours all look very healthy; I can see they are loving the rich organic compost . The Swiss chard looks wonderful, it is such a good vegetable. My favourite way of eating it is cheese and chard pancakes but I love it so much I would eat it any how!
The chickens will eat a few slugs, I guess that is the upside of their trespassing!

Blessings to you!
Xx





Linda Walker said...

Kelly-Anne,
What a beautiful garden you have! I do not have a green thumb I'm afraid, but my dad always had the most amazing vegetable and flower gardens!! I cant really think of a vegetable I don't like and boy I love swiss chard, one of my favorites! I do love fall here in NH but I can't help feel a little envious that you are enjoying spring weather! Enjoy snd I am looking forward to seeing your garden grow!
Xo
Linda

Stephanie said...

Oh Kelly-Anne, your garden is simply delightful! It's always a joy to see new growth springing forth from the ground and in a few months you will be able to enjoy your garden items in your recipes :)

My husband and I saw on the news that there was a lion attack on a Kudu right on the road in South Africa - I think it was at a wildlife preserve area. I thought of you, my friend. Here we have elk, moose, deer, and bears on the road, there you have entirely different animals {{smiles}}

Love and hugs to you!

Debby Ray said...

Wow...I am impressed with all of the wonderful yummy veggies that you are growing! I wish I could go back in time and appreciate the garden my father grew when I was a girl...I had no interest back then! Thankfully, my oldest son has his grandfather's love and talent for gardening and we are recipients of some of his lovely produce every year! I just love fresh produce :) Have a blessed Sunday and week ahead!

Shelby said...

Your garden is beautiful Kelly-Anne! <3 Sadly this year my family and I didn't get to plant a garden. The photos are beautiful!!

Sheryl said...

Your garden looks wonderful with so many different veg. planted. When we lived in our country house my DH would be planting, watering, weeding every day and attending the orchard. He would never eat tomatoes until he grew his own - what a great difference and satisfaction in attending and eating your own products. I shall look forward to watching how your garden grows :-))

Daniela said...

I do love this month not less than those belonging to Spring, I love the end of Summer and I love Fall, all the colours and the smells it presents us as a gift ... I love Nature so much !
This yours was truly a lovely post, thanks for sharing all the beauty surrounding you.

Have a blessed Sunday and new week ahead,
wholeheartedly

Dany

sweetbriardreams said...

Your garden is being very productive! I keep thinking of how much everything will grow and produce such bounty around you. Beautiful xx

JES said...

Your garden is coming along beautifully! Thank you for sharing this inspiration on the Art of Home-Making Mondays :)

Christine said...

Just wonderful, dear Kelly-Anne! So much variety and lots to enjoy in your garden! It will thrive for summer I'm sure!
Blessings!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely garden! I enjoyed doing some gardening while growing up. Thanks for sharing one of your joys with us!
God bless
+JMJ+
Marie Philomena

Hamlette (Rachel) said...

It's very cool watching your garden come to life just as mine is dying down. We've had a cold snap this weekend, which hasn't actually involved freezing temps, but my fall peas and lettuce are not pleased. Neither are some of my flowers. It's supposed to warm back up in a few days, so I hope they'll be okay for a while yet, but we shall see.