soaphouse's Blog

Rain, Rain, Rain
Mar 27, 2009 | 5:17 PM PST
Tags: deck , coral bark , maple , blue , red , rain , weeds , azalea , peonie

We have had SO much rain this week and we are forecasted for more. Of course we pick the week of national flood warnings to build the new deck - LOL! But, I must say, hubby is quite the trooper. He has worked through most of the rain...unless it has been just pouring. He has gotten a lot done and it is looking SO good!

Probably one of the hardest parts was making multiple trips to the stone yard and shoveling gravel to cover the bottom for drainage:

Then he got a majority of the framing done:

He is still out there as I type working by a shop light in the dark - God bless him!

Now that we have gotten both of our little ones on the same nap schedule, I am able to get back out in the garden for good chunks of time during the afternoon. SO, I have been taking advantage of the wet soil and getting lots of weeds pulled.I am also pleased to say that I do believe we will get to see the azaleas in full bloom this year. Usually, they start to bud out and our late freeze zaps them. But, the last freeze we had was early enough that they are doing well now:

And, all 3 of my peonies are peeking out:

Also, the hostas just started to show their little green tips :)

Here is a nice shot of the front. See the dark spot in the front lawn? Thats where I filled a dip in the ground with some soil:

And, the backyard:

See the coral bark maple in the foreground? When I cleaned up the driveway the other day, I took some clumps of the blue grass and put them in this bed. I think that will be so fun come 4th of july to have the red and blue together. I think I have settled on the idea to make this little berm an ornamental grass bed, with some creeping phlox on the edge by the path.

I just love the way everything looks in this rain...like its glowing...and our creek has turned into more of a river, which is neat. we can hear the sounds of the water from the house.

I still have yet to get all the mulch moved, so If we get enough dryness this weekend, I will try to finish that. Happy gardening weekend everyone!

Bed Clean Up
Sep 28, 2007 | 8:25 AM PST
Tags: veggie bed , clean , fall , leaves , eggplant , white , tomato , pepper , red , roasted

Started cleaning up my other raised veggie bed this morning. I was planning on pulling out everything but the peppers, but on closer inspection, I noticed that the tomatoes are still producing, so I picked some and trimmed the plants back. I pulled out the rest of the eggplants and the tomatillos.

Before:p>

and after:

I realize it doesn't look a whole lot different, but you should see how much i pulled out of there!

I suppose in the next couple of weeks, I will get the rest of it cleared and ammended to add in more fall crops.

The peppers are still going strong though:

so fun that they are turning red!

I think tonight, i will make hamburgers and top them with roasted red peppers and white eggplant:

YUM!

The colors of fall are abundant in my garden and I am loving every minute of it!

 

Good things...
Sep 21, 2007 | 4:57 AM PST
Tags: veggie , fall , tomatillo , red , bell , pepper , okra , flower , spinach , kale , carrot , beet , parsley , brussel sprout , mesculin , peas , broccoli

Good things are happening in the garden! The other day I pulled out the spent veggies in one of the raised beds and added some compost. This weekend, my hubby is going to make some frames to support the necessary chicken wire barrier. Hopefully, this will make it much more attractive. When he has them made, I will then put down my seeds. I plan to plant spinach, kale, garlic, onions, mesculin, brussel sprouts, parsley, raddishes, beets and carrots. I am so excited!

Some things in the other bed are still producing, so I haven't yet pulled them out.

An okra flower:

The peppers are looking good and some are even starting to turn red!

 

Once this bed is finished, I will clear it and make way for broccoli, peas and probably more greens :)

Here is a fun picture of what happens to a tomatillo when the ants find it....

 

Almost prettier than the fruit itself :)

Happy weekend everyone! 

My Weekend in the Garden...
Jul 22, 2007 | 2:56 PM PST
Tags: weekend , bed , compost , maple , red , creek , eggplant , kale , tomato , borer , squash , sunflower , veggie bed , back yard

I had a fairly productive weekend in the garden. Got more work done on my many ongoing projects. My hubby went to get me more compost for the new bed:

As you can see, Milo likes it :)

Just one more truckload and this bed will be ready to plant! I have a small red maple that will be the center. A pass along from my inlaws...

We also got some more work done on the creek clean out project. My husband cut down some of the BIG branches and trees. But, we had to stop when his saws all blade broke. But, it gave me plenty of stuff to work on getting to the curb for pickup!

Its amazing what we are uncovering back there...it makes all the work fun!

I really spent most of the weekend in the backyard and mostly did routine work in the front. I finally got around to weedeating with my new blade attachment and it is the best thing since sliced bread! no more string nonsense! Here are some picts I took along the way of the backyard and its progress:

Sunflowers
blooming among the veggies:

Inside the world of a tomatillo husk:

The first signs of a ripening tomato:

Baby eggplant! YEAH!!!

Kale seedlings coming up:

My attempt at a squash vine borer remedy... I slit the vine and covered the wound with compost...I do not have high hopes for this:

The veggie beds as of today:

The backyard as of today:

Hope you all had a great gardening weekend!