Whats Growing This Week?

This week at my house, the vegetables are ripening!  What an awesome time to have a garden.

This is what I collected from the garden this week

This green bean is as big as a banana.  I really don't think that it is legal for a green bean to be that large in the state of Ohio.  I'll have to check the charter.

A Backyard Stroll

This evening, I took a little stroll in my yard to see what I could see.  There were lots of flowers and buds of every kind popping up all over the place.

I have a huge lilac bush full of these beautiful little purple flowers in the front yard.  It smells so amazing, very sweet and floral.  I love when the wind blows the scent in through my front window.

This neat ivy is growing beside my flower bed.  I didn't plant it and I'm pretty sure it is just a weed, but it is pretty and I like it so I have just been trying to keep it contained to a small area instead of mowing it down.

I found these peonies growing right there in the grass by the fire pit. This part of the yard hasn't been mowed yet since my riding mower belt decided that it was tired of working and snapped the other day when we were cutting the grass.

This Azaela Bush is one of the prettiest spots in my front yard.  The feeder is empty, but usually it is full and there are all kinds of little chickadees and other small birds peeping and eating.  The cardinals also love to perch in this bush, it is about 8 feet tall!!!

Here are some more "weeds" that I think are just beautiful.  The little yello flowers are so cute and I always see a lot of honeybees flitting on them in the summer.

 I forgot what these pretty bulb plants are called, but this is the first year that they have flowers growing on them!  So exciting, I didn't kill something!

After my walk, I took a few of the pretty flowers that I picked up along the way, and made myself a pretty flower arrangement for my living room.  It smells so good and makes me happy everytime I look at it.  I love Spring!

~Mary

You can build a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

I have been thinking for a while about building a raised vegetable garden.  After last year, when my garden would hardly grow due to all the rocks and clayeyness (definitely not a word), I decided that I would elevate and use some bagged dirt.  I found out that it is really not so hard to build a raised bed.  The hardest part was fitting all the wood into our little Explorer Sport SUV.  But we managed, and after breaking the drivers side window (not related to the wood) and patching it up with some super fancy and ultra cool plastic sheeting that makes lots of noise in the wind, we were started on our garden.  Here is a tutorial-a-la-Mary, filled with non-technical terms and lots of thingies.

Supplies

A toolbox filled with all kinds of items, except the ones you actually need.
*A Drill

*8 2"x4"x8' pieces of lumber

*8 Fasteners (see picture of flat silver things with holes) 

* 2 packages of Corner Braces (4 in each)

* A box of long wood screws (3")

* The Sunday Paper

* Love

The first thing that we did was take the lumber 2x4's and lay them out on the picnic tabe to make sure they were all mostly straight. 

Next we took 2 boards and drilled pilot holes that matched the holes on the fasteners. 

Next we took 1 fastener and put 2 boards together so that the sides will be 8" high.

The picture below is how the boards will look when all the holes are drilled and the sides are fastened. 

Repeat that step with all of your boards.  Ta Daa!!! You have walls!  Give yourself a pat on the back and get a drink of lemonade.

 Next we fastened all of the boards together in a square using the Corner braces. Be sure to brace both the top and the bottom of the wood so that the box will not move.

Fasten all those sides together and you have a box!  Not just any ordinary box but a garden box.  One that you can fill with dirt and compost and plants and love. 

One last thing that I did tonight.  I filled the box with newspapers, after I removed all of the coupons of course (Sunday papers are so thick and awesome).  After I got the whole thing covered, I wet the newspaper with the hose to keep it in place.  I also had my cute little husband throw the bags of dirt still in the plastic on top of the papers to keep them from shifting.  The newspapers will kill the grass underneath and keep any new weeds from forming.  Also, you don't even have to remove the newspaper when you add the dirt.  I saw on a garden website (I have seen so many I can't remember which one) that newspaper makes great compost.  You just put your dirt right on top.

This really was an easy project as far a wooden things go.  I am not handy at all, but me and my husband were able to whip this up in just a hour or two.  I am excited about my new garden.  Rest assured, I will be blogging about the funness of this garden all season long.

Stay Tuned!!

~Mary

To grow or not to grow... That is the question.

OK I will admit it.  I just started Mary's Country Life blog recently.  Why did I start it recently you ask?  Well, After 4 years of "grudgingly" living in the country and "dealing with" the day to day grind of pulling weeds and mowing grass and trying to make things live in my icky rocky clayey (is that a word?) soil, I have decided to embrace country life. 
My first real endeavor into the life of a country girl came this week when I purchased my very first herb seeds.  I keep hearing about how easy it is to grow herbs, and I love love love to cook.  I thought I would share some of what I learned about herbs with you and hopefully you can help me out with any tips or tricks that you might have to grow super herbs!!!

Cool Herb Benefits
♥ Some herbs attract beneficial insects to the garden, reducing the need for insecticides.
♥ Most herbs can be grown from seed or by transplant and can be used fresh or dried.

♥ Herbs add variety, beauty and fragrance to your garden.

In some cute little terra cotta flowerpots that I found on clearance I planted:

    Cilantro

Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is an annual herb that grows in sun or partial shade from seed.  The entire plant can be eaten and is used in stews, sauces, meat dishes and soups.  The seeds, also known as coriander, are frequently used in Indian cooking.  I love love love Cilantro in Salsa.  Fresh garden salsa is one of my most favorite dishes of all time.  Do you have any good tips for growing cilantro?  I would love to know them.

     Chives         

         

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a perennial herb that grows in sun or partial shade to a height of 12 inches.  The plant has a grassy appearance and lavender flowers that can be eaten. The leaves are also edible and are used to flavor soups, salads, butters and dips.  They are a member of the onion family.  My favorite use for chives is a yummy sour cream and chive baked potato.  Anyone have a good chive recipe they would like to share?

      Parsley

Parsley is a member of the Umbelliferae family, which also includes celery, carrots,dill, cilantro, caraway, cumin, and the poisonous hemlock.  I love parsley in all kinds of italian dishes.  It adds a great flavor.  Do you have any dishes that you love parsley in?





So this is the start of my little herb garden.  I plan on expanding it and even building a raised bed to house some vegetables in later on in the spring.  Hopefully, this garden thing will work out OK.  Cross your fingers (better cross those toes too, I do NOT have a green thumb)!!!