thequiltedgardener's Blog

While walking on the treadmill last night I thought about my blog and realized that this time of year I miss out on the wonder of the winter landscape and decided to make a point of paying attention when I am outside. 

 Even though it is 20degrees out and we are preparing for more snow tomorrow there are some things happening outside that do show that spring IS coming!  The Sedum have been showing themselves for some time now and even with the cold, rain, sleet and snow--there they are  :)  happy, green and patiently waiting for spring.  There are small, somewhat brown little bee balm babies and in another spot there are lemon balm seedlings that are the same but show a bit of green.  There are Iris whose leaves have begun-and must have for a while now [un-noticed] to grow toward the sun. 

Scattered around the back are the columbine babies that brought me such joy last spring.  In the fall I had shaken the seed heads all around the back area to see what would happen and to my amazement, literally hundreds of babies showed up.  If all goes well with the transplanting these are some of the things I will be able to share with my gardening friends.

With the snow that fell over the weekend and the subsequent melt, the yard is a muddy mess.  The weatherman believe that we are due for more snow on Friday and if he is correct it will be another week before the lovely tumbler makes its debut out back.  I have had all I can do to keep from loading her up in the garage and start cranking!  DH would SO not appreciate that!

My gardening today consisted of coming here and reading blogs, viewing photos and tossing my two cents in.  I so wish that we lived somewhere that I could already be outside playing in the dirt.  I am putting a note in my gardners journal to find an activity to keep busy with next year at this time so I don't go crazy with anticipation.  The other note is for myself this spring and summer to spend every waking moment outside soaking in the beauty and fresh air.  Usually this is not a problem for me.  On weekdays I take my coffee outside and stroll around the yard to see what has popped up since the day before, or check the flower buds, pick vegetables or cut some flowers......and then there is rinsing and filling the birdbath and making sure the feathered friends have food.  We tend to get stormed by the red winged blackbirds sometime.  If they have visited your birdfeeder then you know the appetite they have!

I was talking to my sister tonight telling her about my  seedling plans and she was getting excited and sharing her experience from years ago when she and her young daughters had a large garden.  Theirs was out of necessity, but nonetheless that is how she began gardening.  Due to many physical restrictions, she no longer gardens but each spring we spend the day together and we weed out her flower beds and plant a few new spring bulbs.  Last year she had a few pots with herbs and one with a cherry tomato.

Last night I received an email questionaire from an old friend.  She isn't old, we have been friends a long time.  In the shower  I was thinking about this email and wondered if there were a gardening one- what I might learn about my gardening friends. I wondered...............and thought.........to the outside world [those who don't really know me] I am a traditionalist.  I dress conservatively, our house is furnished in a traditional furniture, paint colors are traditional, jewerly is traditional,  I drive a non-descript mommy mobile, I love to cook, sew, garden and my family is the most  important aspect of my life, I spend my days processing other peoples work while I type some of my own, and while I am not a cookie-cutter person, again to those who don't know  we might see me as a ..........conservative type person. 

I have a freak flag [From the movie Family Stone] and apparently I let it fly in the garden!! While I read all kinds of books and magazines about gardening.........do I follow "the rules"?  The answer is no.  I dig things up and move them in the heat of the summer because I think they would look better........."over there".  My favorite flower colors are blues, reds and white with some pink.  In fact, I had been given yellow flowers and made a special place for them because they weren't my favorite color and you know what happened?  By making a special place for them I found myself buying more and before I knew it the small garden had become the centerpiece of the back yard!  Just by allowing myself to step outside my box.  Another space was to be red and white.........three years later I am yet again, planning to make more moves.  There will be the blue garden of my dreams but I have learned to be more flexible with my plans,after all they were just drawings to get me started.

Having said all that, I wonder  Do all gardeners allow themselves the same freedom of experimentation with color and the "rules".  Does everyone move thier plants around or do they plant and leave them alone?  What are other gardeners favorite color combinations or do they just plant things where the mood strikes them?  Do they plant in straight lines because they like them or curved because the landscaping books said that looks better?  If they compared their gardens to the rest of their lives............do they say the same thing?

What was that new body wash I used this morning??  :)  :) 

Having taken and pasted the test, I write.

It is amazing how attached one becomes to a favorite website.  This weekend I came on and attempted to post comments to others blogs and log my progress, but when I went to post there was nothing to click on. 

This morning I have sent an email to a resident expert for some assistance-or at least the request for some.  It is maddening to me because I had typed this whole thing and then couldn't post!  Ok, breathing in and out.....no big deal right?!

Silly, I was actually dissapointed when my favorite blogs hadn't been updated.  Surely everyone else is busy on the weekend also.  Maybe tonight there will be new progress to read about or photos to see.  With the snow on the ground here...........I will take any and all signs of spring and new growth to get me through till I too can play in the dirt.

Friday was a lovely day with my daughter.  Even though it was wet and snowy we had a great time shopping and laughing and just spending time together and then went to Panera, her choice. This daughter is not much of a shopper so this is always a challenge.  We found some basic spring clothes and even a sundress for her to where at graduation.  It is always hit or miss when we clothes shop.  Not everyone fits into a size 2 and that makes things challenging sometimes when we shop for her.  Not that a girl needs to be size 2.  Ok.  done with that.

My gardening has been affected by the on-going happenings in the house but I am sure that I am not alone.  This time the selection of college has to be more intense, more stressful and I find myself totally throwing myself into my gardening so as to give space instead of talking and/or preparing for this choice.  Ok, this makes me sound like a crazy person.  This daughter just has a different operating system than I do so my intensity is best set aside until she is ready to work, talk [whatever] on this.  Re-directoring my energy is a good thing for both of us.  Perhaps this is why my garden has grown from three to eight beds with succession planting planned and enough produce to feed the neighborhood.

The tumbler was put together yesterday and it is beautiful!  Bigger than I imagined.  Unfortunately because of the snow we couldn't take it outside and put it in place.  Apparently it needs to be placed on level ground, so for now we have to wait.  The compostable kitchen scraps have been collected and kept in bags outside for use.  Mantis said that it is ok to compost even in the winter so as soon as the snow melts I will be tumbling!  I can see it now, the lovely black gold!

The pots, didn't make anymore this weekend but am going to use the papercutter at work t[during lunch] to cut the newspaper into strips so my time can be spent making, not measuring and cutting.

Well, this has been somewhat theraputic and I will be most pleased if this actually posts.  Off to the working world.

Apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo about my outdoor weekend plans!  The snowflakes are huge and collecting-guess I should be happy because it is a beautiful sight, but instead it makes me want to hunker in under a fleece blanket , surf the site and watch movies all day.  I took the day off to spend with our youngest daughter [18].  Even though we knew it was going to snow we planned to go do some shopping and out to lunch-just hang out and have some fun.

Last night I made a couple seedling pots out of the newspaper and plan on making some more.  When we are out I need to pick up more ingredients for the seedling growing mix.  Other fun weekend activies include-but never limited to putting together the tumbler and work toward setting up the greenhouse.  According to the weather report it should be raining by tonight so we should be able to put it outside tomorrow.

If I run out of fun gardening things, I will go out to the garding shelf in the garage and straighten up, touch my tools, write up plant markers and dust off the trays for the seed pots.

Guess that is the end of the gardening stuff for now.

On Saturday I took photos of the back yard as it looks this time of year, mostly to use as a marker for progress but also to post as a way to show not only the progress of projects this spring and summer but also so that later when I am able to share pictures of plants and blooms that viewers get a bigger picture-if you will-of the overall yard.  That is one of the things I really liked viewing on others photo albums because I found it much easier to picture their yard.

The Lasagna beds are plain looking raised beds.  The fun and educational part was the layering and planting of those beds.  I thought it was great fun and a really good way for gardeners with earth like ours to have gardens without throwing out their backs.  One bed was doubled in depth because it will be planted with Asparagus roots in the spring and everything I read described requiring more depth than the bed currently offers because underneath is hard clay.  Of course the beds would have been more attractive if we had made one of the new beds double depth!  So much for my planning.

The views from the upper deck better show the yard as a whole instead of just individual beds. In my minds eye I can see the flowers!  Behind the tree roots is a huge rock ledge that looks like a molar-or it did before I filled the two cavities with soil and plants so it has been lovingly named Mr. Tooth-silly as it may be, there he is.  The pictures of the back side of the roots and the rocks and hole show that these roots aren't just roots.  They had grown thru and actually split large rocks underground as it grew.  When it came down in the ice/snow storm in 2005 the roots brought the rocks with it.  We tried to remove the roots in an effort to encourage the rocks to fall to the ground and fill the large hole left with the uprooting.  That didn't work.  DH wanted to pour flamible liquids on it and light it on fire-not me.  Unfortunately that fall many little plants had been placed around the tree and most were gone for good.  The old people say When life gives you lemons, make lemonaide.  I now have a lovely place to grow morning glories, sweet peas and vining squash.  Last year I grew birdhouse gourds alongside the flowers.

The hole became the first compost pile on one end and I lasagned the other side so that I could plant in it.  It will be a few years before the hole is completely full, but when it is I intend to plant clematis there.

I am really excited to have posted the photos and look forward to recording my progress.  Sure wish I had done that from the start.  In 2000 when we purchased the house the back yard was complely shaded as was the side and half of the front.  Yes, we took down trees....plants need light!!!  The funny thing about the pictures we had of that period was that DH dropped about 20 HUGE trees and it looked like our yard had been bombed-literally because the weight of the trees when they hit the ground.  The othes we had to have taken down professionially because of thier height and being so close to the house.

The Quilts.  I love to quilt, love fabric and get such great pleasure while making them.  I am self taught and a novice but that doesn't take away any of the pleasure.  I posted pictures-just because I wanted to share.

Time to go read blogs, view photos and maybe hit the forums.  It has been a geat day!

I just love this site.  I come home from work, make dinner-eat-participate in the clean up-get things ready for the next day-and can't wait to get to the computer  to read the blogs and look at all the photos.  It is interesting to see what kind of things others do with thier yards, the process they take to get there and the beautiful photos.  The only problem is there isn't enough time to read, view and participate- How do you choose?

I haven't started any seeds yet and based on our frost date next weekend I can plant a couple of things and then each week after something new.  Since we don't have a place that would work for the family, to start seeds in the house we bought a small temporary greenhouse that I used two years ago but last spring it was so wet and so warm that it was better to start the seeds outside.  Depending upon the weather and family activities this weekend will determine if we get it set up.

This year I am going to make the post out of newspaper and use a soiless mixture that I found in a book in an attempt to have successful seed sewing.  In the past I have had trouble with moss growing on the potting soil but it gets really hot in the greenhouse and I wasn't good about using the ventilation flaps.  Hopefully  the combination of changes will prove to be successful-if not it will be an expensive learning experience.

Does anyone else use a temporary greenhouse to start their seeds?  Any in zone 6 who would be willing to share thier experience?  Maybe there is a search tool I should locate.  Been to the forums, but love the blogs and with time so limited I find myself having to choose between reading and sharing or seeking informaiton.  ugh!

Unfortunately it is time to leave for work and set gardening aside for the next eight hours.

It has happened, it arrived!  Of course I am an the only one here doing a jig-  What you ask?

The twin compost tumbler!  For the last few years I have salivated over the tumblers.  You have to understand that our soil is clay-I know, hard to believe, but clay oh and ROCKS.  This area is full of rocks and ledge.  Not the best combo for gardening in the traditional sense.  When I was turned onto the concept of Lasagna Gardening last year I embraced is, tried it, loved it!  Living in a rural area many of the items are free for the taking once you make connections but the amount of compost that could be had from our kitchen scraps, grass clippings and leaves was like an untapped gold mine.

As much as I enjoy watching my seedlings grow, the life of the compost pile just didn't bring me the same joy and I find myself impatient.  Lasagna gardening is very rewarding and the three new beds will soon be layered and ready to plant.

Because my yard plans always include improving the soil in current beds in addition to creating more the concept of having compost galore on a routine basis............well it got me.  I squirreled away for such an extravagent item and fortunately this year,none of the cars needed tires when it was time to order.  It will be hard to keep my mind of putting it together as I make my way through the workday.

Saturday was a beautiful day to be outside.  The sun was shining and although the ground was wet from Friday's rain, DH and I braved the elements and created three more raised beds.  For all the planning on paper I did-what was I thinking?  After laying out the landscape fabric where the paths are between the bed and around the beds to separate them from the lawn the space looked awkward. 

Previously we had put in three beds lengthwise and two behind it sideways.  Silly me laid things out with two more to the right side and one behind.  On paper this looked good to me but in the yard it became obvious that maintaining the area behind it was going to be a challenge.  DH suggested that the new beds mimic the first three.  In addition  to being much more attractive set up this way, the layout brings the beds to the mulched area at the edge of the property making lawn maintence easy.  Good thing DH was there to help out!! 

So the fabric is down and stapled to the lawn, the beds have been built and are inplace and even though we had brought out the items to start layering the lasagna beds our hands were cold, knees were wet and had had enough outside fun for one day.

The photos posted on this site are great!  It is interesting to see what others have to work with and what they do with it.  It is inspirational and interesting.  Off to check out some more of this community.

Saturday was a beautiful day to be outside.  The sun was shining and although the ground was wet from Friday's rain, DH and I braved the elements and created three more raised beds.  For all the planning on paper I did-what was I thinking?  After laying out the landscape fabric where the paths are between the bed and around the beds to separate them from the lawn the space looked awkward. 

Previously we had put in three beds lengthwise and two behind it sideways.  Silly me laid things out with two more to the right side and one behind.  On paper this looked good to me but in the yard it became obvious that maintaining the area behind it was going to be a challenge.  DH suggested that the new beds mimic the first three.  In addition  to being much more attractive set up this way, the layout brings the beds to the mulched area at the edge of the property making lawn maintence easy.  Good thing DH was there to help out!! 

So the fabric is down and stapled to the lawn, the beds have been built and are inplace and even though we had brought out the items to start layering the lasagna beds our hands were cold, knees were wet and had had enough outside fun for one day.

The photos posted on this site are great!  It is interesting to see what others have to work with and what they do with it.  It is inspirational and interesting.  Off to check out some more of this community.

On the way to work I was thinking about my blog and it occurred to me to check my email since I had sent photos to a few gardening friends over the last couple of years.  I was pleased to find some for 2005, 2006, and 2007.  It was alot of fun and somewhat rewarding to re-live the changes through the photos.  Tommorrow either before we get outside or in the afternoon I am going to come and upload and thhe photos, organize and lable.  While we are outside I hope to photograph where we are today.   I look forward to creating this garden journal..........Guess I should start the paper journal.

Time to dream of the gardens.......................
.......

After viewing many members photos-feeling of inadequecy and a desire to share set in.  Most of the photos I had from when we started our yard went with the laptop that passed away last year.  The few photos I uploaded are almost all I have.  Some of the other photos, looking at them now, don't do the yard justice because when I took them the concept was to track the progress, not really to share with others.  The woodpiles, tarp and other items take away from the plants.  Maybe I can spend some time cropping out those things and then post.  I will certainly be more aware of those things this year as I take photos.

I now have three friends on the community, yeah!  As a person new to the site I wasn't sure how to feel about the first two requests but after visiting profiles and looking at photos my mind was put at ease.  If there was only enough time to really dig into the site again.  Maybe over the weekend.

Gardening things planned for the weekend.  Weather permitting, build raised bed boxes and start layering.  Take out the pot maker and start making pots for seed starting and then set up the plastic greenhouse.  Oh, and take photos of now so I can track my progress.

I hope the weather is at least dry.

I haven't been blogging, but have been planning and dreaming and buying.  After reading some of the other blogs and looking at all the picture-I am green because I want to go outside and play in the dirt but it was snowing.  :(

One of my garden plans for the winter was to read more about compact gardening, companion planting, and pest control.  It was my intention to keep to a short list of favorites and then try a few new things.  So much for that plan! 

It was my hope to go outside this weekend, lay the landscape fabric for the walkways, build the raised bed frames and begin layering the items for the Lasagna beds.  When I sked DH to show me how to use the saw, he pointed out that since it was snowing, perhaps this was better for another day.  I have the SPRING FEVER- BAD!

In the last month I have read about square foot gardening, companion planting, succession and rotation of plantings.  Ordered and recieved enough vegetable seeds to feed the neighborhood all summer, purchased seeds for annual and perrenial flowers to add this year.  Ordered the double compost tumbler, scheduled seed starting times, plotted out all eight veggie beds using the square foot gardening method, purchased supplies to create the three beds and seed starting supplies.  There are still two more weeks before I start the first seeds and I am surely going to drive my family crazy with my excitement and anticipation.

I ordered a few more plants from my favorite mail order, bluestone perennials, and now am plotting out thier placement in the flower beds.  I feel really prepared for the growing season and look forward to all the experiements.