A mother's adventures in fitness and food while living on a budget.
This week, the harvest switched to less beans and snow peas to many cherry tomatoes. We have three kinds of tomatoes in the garden — yellow cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and big ones whose name escapes me at the moment. Roma tomatoes Roma tomatoes start out a little misshapen but eventually transform to the normal … Continue reading Garden update: Tomaters
I haven't done a garden update in a while. So you'll have to excuse the length of this one. Today, I'd like to talk to you about expecting the unexpected in your garden.If you look at a map of our town from the 1700s, you’ll notice a creek that runs through what is now my … Continue reading Garden update
The spinach has gone to seed. The pea “vines” are starting to yellow. In their place, tomatoes of various sizes are making their debut. Sunflowers are super tall and are starting to form flowers. Other plants have flowers, but we haven’t seen any baby veggies yet. The garden may not be producing as much as … Continue reading Garden update: Spring cycle ending
Whenever a fruit or vegetable is thrown into a garden, compost pile, etc., and its seeds start to sprout on their own, they are considered volunteers. Most of our garden’s squash, pumpkin, decorative gourds and watermelons are volunteers. We also have other volunteers — squirrels. Cucumber and squash plants sprouting from spots where squirrels hid … Continue reading Garden update: The volunteers
It has been raining for almost two weeks straight. I’m afraid it may be too much water and the plants’ roots will rot. Only time will tell I guess. We’re still dealing with powdery mildew. I also found what has been eating my cauliflower and broccoli — caterpillars. We have more flowers and even some … Continue reading Garden update
Today, I noticed some white powdery spots on my squash/pumpkin/gourd plants, while finding a bud on one of the plants. Not sure what they are since they sprouted after I threw the fall decorations in the garden to decompose. After sending a panicked message to my gardening Facebook group, I learned that the white stuff … Continue reading Garden update: Thinning the herd
On a recent evening, I washed dished and stared out the window. A cute grey squirrel climbed up a nearby tree limb, close enough that I could have touched it if not for the glass separating us. It sat on the branch and proceeded to eat something. As I looked at the green thing it … Continue reading Garden update, weeks 3-4
Note: As the stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, I'm attempting to put my feelings down somewhere. This isn't usually what I would put in this blog, but it's important to chronicle how it changes my parenting and fitness journey. The last day of the academic year for my kids is supposed to … Continue reading Grieving: The real last day of school
The week after our first garden post, we had two storms with high-speed wind gusts and a frost warning. The plants survived everything. Some of our posts and sticks we set up for the pea shoots got knocked out of the ground or were slanted. But it’s all good. A few weeks ago, I transplanted … Continue reading Garden update — April 23, 2020
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.Author and explorer Ernest Hemingway “I feel like a fraud just waiting for someone to find me out.” “That explains a lot ... let’s go get some wine and shop local!” I open up my soul and am asked to buy alcohol at … Continue reading Breaking away from the lies
