Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Tuesday

 Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy last few days. Of course in the garden. I am so lucky to have neighbors that want to give me new wood. 
Terrible photo but there is a lot of wood here.
I have an old pallet for gardening, but it is too small so I didn't think I was going to use it. However, these 8' boards came in handy.
I forgot to take a photo before I started putting grow bags on. I put the pallet down then the boards that rest on cinder blocks. Perfect and 8' by 4' area. 
 
A better photo of how it is set up. 
I have five 5 gallon grow bags and the one in back is 10 gallon. So far. 
 
For me this is the best way to mix soil. Some of this is the last of what was saved from last year. Soil is a premium for me so I save every bit I can. Add some compost, bone meal, blood meal, 10-10-10- fertilizer and some peat and I have a good growing medium. I did good too, this filled all of the grow bags.
The one thing I have learned about grow bags is that a good mulch needs to go into the bottom before soil. If you have never used a grow bags the water seeps freely taking nutrients with it. I found if I put some bark on the bottom it helps retain moisture and nutrients.
Opps, my shadow got in the photo.
I will be planting more varieties of squash, pole beans, cucumbers, and I can't think what else.
Speaking of cucumbers, I got my first baby cuck up yesterday. These are planted in my big garden.
 
I harvested my first cabbage today too! Can't wait to eat this. Absolutely no looper holes. It pays to cover plants.
 
This squash blossom is from my 
Italian Zucchini. There are a few Zucs growing and I thought something was wrong with them. 
 I've not grown Italian Zucs before. They look quite different from Grey, or dark Zucs.
 
I brought in a few snippets of herbs.
There is nothing like cooking with fresh herbs. 
 
I have also been drawing this week and will have it finished for FFO. Hope to see you then.
 
Have a great evening
Nicole 

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Happy Saturday

 Hi Everyone!

Well it's a happy day! 

Yeah, I'm addicted to gardening.
This evening I was checking the garden when I came across 3 plants with.... are you ready? Cauliflower!!!! OMG!!! This is the best year for brassicas. I will stop complaining about the cold nights because the broccoli, cabbage, and cauli are giving me so much food. Seriously, how cute is this very baby cauli?
The garden is thriving, even through the cold nights and strong windy days. I take photos every week for my records and today I will show you the best of the best.
click on any photo to enlarge it. 

 This photo shows only the front of all the peas. This plant is loaded.

 


 All of the potato plants are doing great. This one is starting to wilt and fall so I say another month and I can harvest this one.



Cucumbers, onions, carrots 
 


 and the new beets are already coming up. Darn shadow.  


 

 Cabbage, brussels, onions, and carrots. 


 These are radicchio. I've never grown this before so we will see how it goes.  


 

 More onions in the brassica area.


 I'm so happy with my squash since I sprayed it with milk.


 

 Squash is coming. Plant 1


 This is the plant that I sprayed the milk on. Plant 2


 

Every year I try something new to see if plants grow better. This year, instead of planting all of the onions in one big onion patch, I have them growing in 6 different places with companion plants. They seem to be doing just fine. The other thing is I have staggered my growing. Since I have to grow mostly in containers, space is at a premium now. Plus, I don't want everything ready to pick at the same time. For the squash, I have the two big ones in the photos, behind them are 2 more plants that are much smaller and I have several seedlings in the art room. I'm hopping this will give me a better harvest.  
One not so fun thing is that something, raccoon I think, at some red cabbage.
2 to be exact.  

I've got it fixed with my special hot spray and a live trap, and a noise maker. Nothing has been eaten since. This is the first time any of my plants have been eaten on. However, I'm the only one with a garden this year. The other two that used to garden across the street from me have moved and so I am up for grabs I guess. LOL
 
A few of my flowers are starting to bloom too.
I love these fuchsia.
 
and these just keep on giving. 

 
Well, that's it for garden day. I would love to see what you are growing, leave a comment so I can check it out.
Nicole 


 

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Friday Face OFF 6/6/25

 

 Welcome To Friday Face OFF (FFO)

This is the place to show off your faces or your face. Post any type of face from any medium. You can create it, or find it in nature, or even that face in the design of the
woodwork in your house. 
Human, animal, alien, or monster. 
ANY KIND OF FACE!
 
I have pulled out my art paper and pencils and really want to find time to draw. Literally the last art of any kind I have done is when Mr. M. was in the hospital to remove his kidney. That was last October. It's time to get back into it. I've sketched some faces and hopefully will have them to show next week.
This week I have some AI.


Just some fun pieces. 
Then I switched to some cyborg ladies.
 


Well that's enough AI for today. The wind is blowing 40mph again. I have to check the poly on my garden. This is the first year that the wind has torn the poly to shreds. 
I started this post on Wednesday. Today, Thursday, I have no cell service. When I check for outages on my PC. It reads, "No outages in my area" Uhhhh wrong. So we have been without a phone for a few hours now. Have I told you lately how much I hate the phone? LOL
 
Let's get to some features.
 
 
Don't forget to link up with Gillena
  
That's it for me, 
now it's time to show me your face. 
 
Nicole