Spring beckons me to dig in the dirt.
I have been perusing the seed catalogs all winter and planning, dreaming and scheming about my summer vegetable and herb gardens.
I am not a fancy gardener or one that likes to spend my days weeding and fussing. What I do love is watching my garden grow!
lettuce
I like to spend time in the early morning hours,sometimes in my pajama's with a cup of coffee in hand, walking through the veggie garden getting my bare feet wet with morning dew. Pulling a weed here and there but mostly keeping track of the daily changes and growth in the garden. Armed with my camera, I am like a proud mother at a child's recital... busy documenting the achievement of my vegetables and flowers!
eggplant blossom
Early morning is also the time for cutting and caring for flowers. I take a humble bushel basket with me to fill with flowers. I tend to personify everything... flowers included. They feel so honored to be picked, knowing that they will become a part of a simple arrangements indoors!
zinneas
You will find me out in my garden again in the evening... spending the best part of a summer day, that hour before dark, in my garden. It is like therapy. I might do a little more digging and weeding. I like to carry an old worn watering can and splash liquid joy on my plants!
GARDEN PLANS 2012
Here are my garden plans for the herb garden. I have a raised round bed that has a big Marten house on a pole in the middle. The space is not very large, but I like to pack my herbs and flowers closely together... not giving weeds a chance to grow.
herbs and marigolds
You can see that I use salvia, marigolds and nasturtiums along with my herbs. They give this garden beautiful color!
(Garden's are not to scale!)
Because mint does not play nicely with other plants ... it will crowd out everything else... it is an only child! I plant my mints in their own separate pots and sink them in the ground. To see a post on the planting and growing of mint click HERE.
Here is my veggie garden plan. My rhubarb is already up and looking so happy!
Bobby put in raised beds a few years ago. I love to plant them intensly and full!
We have 2 long beds and 4 smaller beds with a path all around. This year I am adding an oak barrel planted with flowers and a big terracotta pot filled with extra herbs.
last spring~ eggplants and marigolds (foreground), zucchini (background)
Every year I plant so many tomatoes and then can't keep up with them! This year I am only planting 6 plants.
We (the veggies and I) would like to give a hearty welcome to leeks! They are new to the garden this year!
May you all... LIVE LONG AND PROSPER (Vulcan salute)!
10 THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY GARDEN: Part 1
1. Given the right condition... everything grows!
Lesson: When things (people, too) are planted with a little care and nurture, they grow and thrive! We should always be growing!
2. It takes time for vegetables to reach their potential.
Lesson: Tomatoes and other veggies need time to become there very best! It doesn't happen overnight. Same with people! We really do get better as we get older. Too bad, much of our society values a perfectly ripe tomato, but not the wrinkles and grey hair that is often the sign of human maturity!
3.Some vegetable varieties have been engineered over many years to be resistant to disease and pests that can stress and harm them. They are the happiest plants in the garden!
Lesson: There are many garden pests that spell doom for garden plants. Aphids, cucumber bugs and potato beetles are just a few! But some plants are resistant to them!
We should acknowledge that there will always be pests in our lives too... and just move on! Don't let other steal your joy for life! We need to steal ourselves against the aphids, cucumber bugs and potato beetles in our lives! Be like our happy resistant veggies... unaffected even though those pests are all around! Be kind, but don't give them a host! Don't worry... be happy!
4. Pruning gives things room to grow!
Lesson: OUCH! It is almost painful to cut off a pretty trailing vine filled with buds... but sometimes too much of a good things is not really good for the overall well being of the plant! Pruning back vines and branches gives the plant more energy and room to grow.
Same with people. When we get so busy and involved with too many activities and projects they suck the life out of our main purposes for living! They drag us down, make us tired and even sick. Lighten your load... prune and edit often!
5. Tomato seeds produce tomato plants... ALWAYS!
Lesson: A tomato seed will always produce a tomato plant. The potential of the plant is always found in the seed!
We should not plant tomato seeds in our lives if we want to harvest corn! We need to look very carefully at the seeds we plant in our lives because we will ALWAYS reap what we sow... good or bad! ALWAYS!
Look for an upcoming garden post later this summer with the rest of the THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY GARDEN!
Remember to
Hi, Your garden has made me smile-especially all the bright flowers. I do have a question for you, last year I planted some peppermint near where I had basil and cilantro. This year it is already coming up and I've been told we should only plant mint in containers so it doesn't take over. I've got a lilac bush and flowering cherry in the same bed and concerned it might do them harm by taking over. Any suggestions as to how to stop it from encroaching my other plants?
ReplyDeleteLove your garden. Great inspiration.
Noreen
You have a wise garden friend! Mint is a wonderful plant, but it does not play well with others in the garden! It WILL take over everything! You will need to be vigilant and dig it all out. Look for it throughout the year and dig it out when you see it. Here is a post about how to plant mint in your garden so it does not take over...http://stonegable.blogspot.com/2010/06/growing-and-taming-mint.html
DeleteI hope this helps.
My best from StoneGable, Yvonne
Really fun Yvonne! Great tips and I wish you the best with this year's garden:@)
ReplyDeleteSplendid herb and veggie garden. I have three herbs on my deck and I am thrilled with them. Deer eat every thing here. Your images are stunning.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lovely and I can appreciate wanting to walk barefoot in the morning dew. We plant a small garden every year.
ReplyDeleteI'm inspired! I've got to get myself out there this weekend. :) good to see you back.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great garden, love all the tips, thanks for sharing. Happy growing season! xo
ReplyDeleteHi lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is Beautiful!!! I would love to mix my Tomatos with some Garilic in my garden can I do this ?? Texas is so HOT in the summer as you know. I would like to thank yous o much for your sweet comments on my new Easter tablescape. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Happy Easter.
XXOO Diane
Love the photos and your garden plan. Beautiful and very inspirational.
ReplyDeleteI SOOOO need to get busy outdoors. I have to dig up the whole bed in front of our downstairs office/bathroom and move it to the side fence. I am dreading doing it...but it is just too wild and has outgrown its "spot". Your gardens are always so beautiful. I can just see you out there in your pjs with your coffee and dew-drenched feet smiling to yourself! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteGreat Inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYvonne, what a great post. I loved the analogies of gardens to people. So true my friend.
ReplyDeleteHello Yvonne! I just found your blog from Wow Us Wednesdays! I LOVE to garden as well! And I had to laugh when you stated that you like to walk through your garden (sometimes in your pjs with coffee) to see what is growing as I do that as well!! :) Spring is just arriving here in northern Michigan so my garden is just barely coming to life but I am loving every minute of it!
ReplyDeleteI am a new follower and look forward to reading more from your lovely blog!
Maria
www.rustyhinge.blogspot.com
I wish I had a garden. I thought we would get to do some raised beds this year, but guess not since hubby's hurt his back. Maybe next year. I love how you have yours all figured out.
ReplyDeleteYour garden plans are incredible - and already things are starting to grow, that's GREAT!
ReplyDeleteWe have gardens but nothing very "tidy." I would like "tidy." Heh heh.
I am so excited about these new plans of yours!
Hugs!
Yes, tis too true. We reap what we sow. And, in your case, Yvonne, you should be living in a castle built of solid gold, surrounded by family & friends & pets with a beautiful veggie garden, blossoming nasturtiums everywhere. What a beautiful heartfelt post with a garden tutorial added for good measure. I sure do love YOU !!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your wisdom! Really means the world to me. I hope to plant something this year. I have to start somewhere!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is truly a happy place. I am totally inspired. Thank you for this wonderful post! I would love it if you would share this at our What’s It Wednesday blog party. Hope to see you there.
ReplyDeletePaula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
What a wonderful and inspirational post. I love playing in our garden, especially in the morning with my coffee in hand. Every visit to the garden brings a fun new surprise ... a fresh leaf unfolding, a new bloom revealing its pretty face ... I love it and can't wait until I can dig in!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
{my simple messterpiece}
Hi Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you.
I can tell with this post that we have much in common! Except that I suspect you are more organized in the garden than I am. I pretty much have only 1 rule- if it can live through our northern Ohio winter while still in a pot, then it deserves a permanent home in our garden!
It's so nice to see your very well organized garden plans. I hope we get to see a lot of your garden as it grows!
ReplyDeleteYvonne thank you for stopping by earlier and your sweet comments. I appreciate it so much for taking the time out to v is it with me! I love your garden! It is just beautiful. I need to go and look at your Bunny Bread next. I am following now too! So much to see!
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne,
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful image and so appropriate for our BIO subject this month. I'm a bit of a fair weather gardener and don't show my face or use a trowel until at least the middle of April !!!! But, once I'm out there I really get stuck in !
Thanks so much for your lovely comment today & have a great week. XXXX
What a great post Yvonne! I love all your pretty diagrams!
ReplyDeletePS- Can you come set my Easter table for me:)
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I try not to covet...but your garden plans are fabulous. Your vision and insight is so inspiring. XO, Mona
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne, I don't comment often but I visit a lot :) I just had to comment on your garden and the beautiful commentary you had with it. I so enjoyed reading this post and am in awe of your garden! I'm just starting out this year and planted a few things. I do the same thing every morning with my cup of joe and wish that I had tons more veges, but I just don't have the room :). Thanks for the great read, and I'm so glad that you are blogging again!
ReplyDeleteYvonne how wonderful to see your garden in all of its beauty and wisdom!!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
It seems I will need to take LESSONS from you! Having lived here in the woods for 28 years and not being able to plant a veggie garden I will need alot of pointers:) I am SO anxious to grow FLOWERS!!! I want a cutting garden in the new house. Hope to see you soon. This post is a tresure.....and so are you! XO
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, marigolds in with the herbs. I might give that a try this summer. My tomatoes were SUCH a bust last year, I'm pouting in my tent and refusing to plan any. I wonder what to plant instead. Your plans are great for ideas. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI read this post with great interest. My herb garden is already weedy, and I need to replace the rosemary. Your plans were helpful, and I will remember your garden lessons.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful, interesting and unique post, Yvonne! Love it!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your lovely comment....
Greetings from the Périgord,
karin
Yvonne, Yvonne, Yvonne! WOW!!! What a lovely and clever way to show your garden! I love it! We are in the process of putting in beds-well, I should say we are in the planning process. I was going to do a 4X4 but I love your ideas. May I ask what size are your raised bed frames and how do you keep those sweet, but hungry bunnies out?
ReplyDeleteLove the lesson comparing people to plants- and editing our lives. I printed that part for my office "cube" as a daily reminder on how to live better.
Thank you so much for this exceptional post.
Mary
From Virginia
Just love your garden plan, and the beautiful pictures of the plants growing. Great post, thank you
ReplyDeleteSharon
It's all wonderful, Yvonne. My husband would love a garden just like this. I look forward to updates on how your garden grows.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post...I am anxious to get out in my garden and dig around a little....no new plants here until the last threat of freezing has gone....soon I hope!!! Hope you have a great day!!
ReplyDeletePatti
Good morning, Yvonne. Your gardener's wisdom is so lovely. I can easily picture you walking among your friends in your pj's with coffee cup in hand. The dreamer side of me would love to have a garden, but the practical side of me knows that I wouldn't take the time to properly care for it - so my dreamer side shall live vicariously through you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great plan you have...I only wish I could grow a garden...we have way too many deer and not allowed to have a fence high enough to keep them out!..(golf course rules) So I will live vicariously through your beautiful garden...
ReplyDeleteAwwww, such wise words, Yvonne...about the plants as well as the "pests" in our life!! Very well written & especially thoughtful at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI KNEW there was a way for you to combine your love of home & family & all things domestic with your teachings about the Lord! Bravo! Well done!
Nobody & I mean NOBODY is more organized than you. I'm always so impressed with all you accomplish.
Have a Blessed Easter week...we'll be away but I'm going to try to set up a few posts prior.
Hugs,
Rett
Hi Yvonne.I can not believe that i have not stopped by since your return as your blogbutton has been sitting on my sidebare like you were never gone in the first place!!! What a lovely post and what great plans for that patch of yours. You are a wiz with that pc of yours!! Thank you so much for stopping by Tassels and your kind supportive comment! I will have to make a plan to rejoin On the Menu Monday as well! You and your blog is such an inspiration! Have a very blessed week of Easter!
ReplyDeletePS: That first pic with the cloches has me reaching for my smelling salts...what a delight!
Veronica
WOW! I love your garden. Makes me wanna dig in the dirt! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteI am glad I am not the only one that heads out to the garden with coffee cup in hand!! I get all giddy with my garden and you just gave me so many new ideas. Your garden in awesome and I love, love, love those cloches!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about gardening are the lessons learned...the garden is a great classroom. Thanks so much for inspiring!
ReplyDeleteSharon @ mrs. hines class
We are having our first veg garden in many years, this year. Hubby has been plotting and planning all winter. We are very much looking forward to all the aspects of it. Thank you for all the lessons!
ReplyDeleteThese garden plans look so wonderful, I love the mixture of flowers and plants. I'm so glad you decided to start blogging again. You are so creative and I take such inspiration from your tables, scriptures and ideas.
ReplyDeleteso inspiring me. thanks for sharing, this week it's time for me to plant the potatoes. love your garden so much.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne, What do you grow under the glass globes?
ReplyDeleteGlass globes are like little greenhouses for tender plants when the weather is cool. Basil does well under a cloche!
ReplyDelete