Not only have I been blessed with falling head over heels for a young lady that I met some years ago, still caring for each other so deeply is the real blessing. Those of us who have been lucky enough to find love and have that relationship grow through the years are so very fortunate. In today's world, many relationships are cast aside when the road gets a little bumpy. @farm-mom and I are no different than most, we have had our share of hard times, but we've always been able to see our way through difficult situations, with the end result being a stronger relationship.
As the years have passed, so have the hard times. Throwing in the towel was never an option, the grass never seemed greener on the other side for either of us.
Working as a team and sharing the never-ending responsibilities that come along with having a family has always been our M.O.
As those everyday responsibilities wained as our children started their own families, leisure time became more abundant, and finding activities that we enjoy doing as a couple continues to fosters a greater bond.
One such activity that we fancy doing in the company of each other is gardening. Jackie O' Silver has always had a green thumb and her passion for gardening has now become a passion of mine as well.
This #Garden #Journal is the result of hobbitizing side by side in harmony. Much of this time is spent in silence, just being in the presence of each other is comforting, as our senses come alive, being tickled by #mother #nature.
The vegetable and herd plants that were all started in this window box, have finally all been planted in our gardens. The weather has been a little shaky over the past three weeks, with some cold temps at night and frequent rain showers, but for the past five or six days, the weather has been spectacular.
The good weather couldn't have come at a better time. The plants were screaming for a home, and we were getting a little tired of stepping up the size of the containers as one plant after another outgrew its pot.
For about two weeks, the plants were moved outside on good days and then back inside when #mothernature decided to send some chilly air our way.
With every last plant in place and ready to soak up the sun, @farm-mom and I are all smiles.
If you care to join in, I'll take you on a little tour of what we've got going on here at the FARM
Here are a few pictures of our gardens, viewing them from different places.
This series of raised beds hold an assortment of different veggies.
Three different types of tomatoes were planted in two of the six boxes, Beef Steak, Big Boy, and Early Girl, with 24 tomato plants in all.
One box holds some of our broccoli plants.
One box is filled with some cabbage.
Two of the boxes are chock full of Detroit Dark Red Beets, one of my favorite vegetables.
The beet seeds were sown directly into the raised bed. Being that beets like the cold, they were one of the first veggies we planted.
Potatoes are also resistant to cold weather, just as long as the temperatures don't drop below freezing.
We did purchase our organic seed potatoes this year. We will be growing German Butterball, Kennebec, and Red Pontiac spuds.
Some of the larger seed potatoes we cut in half before planting. To avoid a possible problem with potato scab, the cut potatoes are dipped in wood ash before planting.
Because we wanted to change the box we were going to grow our carrots in, this ten-foot planter had to be reworked.
The soil in this box was amended with compost after the existing soil was screened.
The carrot seeds were also directly sown into the dirt. Carrots are another veggie that can tolerate cold temperatures and getting the seeds in the ground early pays dividends come harvest time.
One of the biggest garden projects this spring was getting the hops under control.
Tending to the three new hop beds is now a cakewalk. Every year I'm amazed by just how fast these things grow. Some of the vines have already grown 12 feet or more.
The vegetable garden to the left was planted with yellow squash, green squash, and acorn squash.
The raised beds hold some more cabbage, bell peppers, and eggplant.
The garden with the stone behind it is where we hope to grow loads of pickling cucumbers.
At the top left corner of this photo are the white and red onions that we also planted in early spring. With the green stalks growing a foot already, I think they like their new location.
What's a Garlic Dill Pickel without lots of garlic. Last fall we planted three different types of garlic, both soft neck garlic and hard neck garlic. The young tender stalks of garlic were breaking through the snow that still blanked the ground in early spring.
The bottom two pictures are of our sweet potatoes. This will be our second year planting these. Last year was a bust, but this time around we've done a few different things with the potato slips before planting them.
Moving the location of the peas required building another new bed. This should work out real well, being that it's right off of the side of our front deck, harvesting those sweet little jewels will be a snap. I've got a feeling that not too many of these sugary pods will ever see the kitchen.
Experience life together and sticking it out through thick and thin has brought about a life filled with treasures, with many jewels still to realize.
