7-7-11 Visitors

Above is a picture taken by Sharri R. who is the interim preschool director at the church. I believe this is the doe that I encountered while watering the garden one quiet afternoon. She walked out of the woods near where the pastor parks and continued on into the back part of the garden that's right there. I happened to be standing about 15 feet away watering that same garden. She was wary of me but more interested in eating than running away. At first I was worried she would be after the flowers I had just planted. But, then I noticed that she was only eating the tender green vines that were creeping up the plants. It's a miracle! A deer that only eats the plants you want them to eat. She was eating the weeds I was going to have to labor in the heat and humidity to yank off of the plants anyway. I love this doe! And how could anyone resist those cute little fawns she has in tow? Thanks Sharri for this wonderful picture.

The rest of the garden is going strong. So far I have harvested half a dozen large cucumbers and a bunch of cherry tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. So we will have plenty of bell peppers and an eggplant or two. The sunflowers are in full bloom. Some of the flower heads are almost ready for harvesting and drying to get their seeds. We lost one cucumber plant. I don't know if it caught a disease or what happened. I realized too late that perhaps I should have planted the cucumbers in a different part of the garden than where I planted them last year. I know a little about crop rotation but it slipped my mind on planting day. Also, the snow peas shriveled up for the season and I pulled them up and planted a butterfly bush. I'm hoping that the blooms from the butterfly bush will attract pollinators. If nothing else, it will provide some color.

As for the rest of the garden beds, all is well. Besides a few weeds here and there, the garden has been low maintenance this year. When I started gardening at the church in 2009 I couldn't imagine a time when the gardens would be somewhat stable and mostly maintenance-free. It's a good feeling but one I don't expect will last too long. Soon enough it will be time to pull out the summer plants and put in the mums and winter pansies.

On a side note, I can't stop thinking about planters for the railings on the front entrance of the church. I want to buy them now but I've told myself that I should wait until next growing season. I don't want to introduce too many new elements at once. But the wait is killing me!

New Plants for a New Year

lavender and oregano

So a new growing year has started and everything is well under way. The vegetable garden has been planted. Two hanging baskets have been added to the big pine tree in front of the church. The tulips around the cross have come and gone. And there is still a ton of weeding to be done.

strawberries

brussels sprouts

bush tomatoes

mini and regular sunflowers

I'd like to say a sincere thank you to my friend Kyle for helping me plant the carrots and other leftover seedlings this past Saturday. It was a hot afternoon and I think it was a little more than he signed up for. So thanks again Kyle. Your help was greatly appreciated.

cherry tomatoes and basil

snow peas

thyme and rosemary

eggplant, sunflower, cucumbers

Speaking of the vegetable garden, I should probably tell you what is planted in there this year. I started a bunch of things from seed this Spring and didn't label them very well so some of them are a bit of a mystery. But we'll find out what they are for sure in a month or so when everything starts to mature and really produce the produce. Anyway, here's what I planted from left to right if you start closest to the tower entrance and follow the wall along the playground: 2 different kinds of lavender, oregano, strawberries, brussels sprouts, bush tomatoes, basil, mini sunflowers and 2 regular sunflowers, more tomatoes, snow peas, thyme, rosemary, yellow bell pepper, egg plant, cucumbers, carrots, jalapenos, and marigolds around everything to keep the pests away. I'm hoping for a decent crop of fruits and veggies this year. So far I've harvested a handful of strawberries and a small bowl full of snow peas which have all been delicious. I'm hoping that by the time the garden is in full swing that we'll have so much produce that we'll have enough to give to Rising Hope up the street which is a mission church where they feed the homeless. We will definitely have enough cucumbers and jalapenos to share. One would think that spicy jalapenos wouldn't be the first item on a homeless person's list of foods to crave. But, one of my friends who has fed the homeless a lot in the past said that she had quite a few of the guys asking for hot sauce and the like. Anyway, so we have a good veggie garden planted and growing.

jalapeno and bell peppers

The next step is to plant the annuals for the summer. I have a few flats of marigolds, impatiens, and petunias. Hopefully I can get those in this week if the rain will ever let up. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain. But, it has rained enough the past few weeks and I would like a good long, dry afternoon so I can pull weeds and get some plants in.

Winter Break

As you probably already imagined, I am taking a nice long break from the garden during the winter. We had a few warm days earlier in the month that I took advantage of. Two of the hose reels were still out in the open so I wheeled them up to the shed for safe keeping. I also got a lot of weeds pulled around the children's garden and I pulled up that black stuff that was put down to discourage weeds. I won't go into how much I dislike that stuff. It's gone out of that garden and the kitchen garden near the elevator entrance which makes me happy. I would rather keep the weeds down with mulch for right now. When I was finished, the flower beds looks clean and ready for planting in the spring.

Speaking of the spring, I can't wait for the first couple of warm days when the crocus I planted on the hill will bloom and welcome people to worship. I also planted some purple and white tulips around the cross in front of the church that should be in full bloom around Easter. Before the grass gets long enough to mow, I need to put a border up around the tulips and daffodils that I planted last year around the church sign. My other main focus is to get the brambles and vines out of the one patch of garden as people first turn in to the driveway. It has been the bane of my gardening since I started working the soil up there. Someone told me I might need to dig way down to get the roots of the vines. But, I would just be happy if the first foot deep of soil were vine-free.

I might have to rent a tiller at some point which kind of scares me. Those are powerful machines that are very capable of maiming and injuring a person. My friend's dad had one when I was growing up and we borrowed it once to till up the soil for a new kitchen garden. I remember it took a lot of strength to really work the soil with it. I also remember the tiller having problems with rocks. I have a healthy fear of rocks being shot out of the ground by a tiller. Maybe I'll get one of the men to help me if I go through with that idea.

Other than gardening I have been filling the winter months with other service work. I'm still helping out at adoption days with the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation . Holding kittens is good for the soul. I've also been crocheting up a storm making baby hats and granny squares for the American Indians on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. A lady collects the squares and stitches them together to make blankets. The hats go to the hospital and are used for the newborns. They also accept warm clothing items for people of all ages and sizes living on the rez. I've been to that reservation when I was working for the Center of Military History and I've met the people and seen the poverty firsthand. We attended one of their veteran's powwows and were welcomed by everyone in attendance which was really cool. I still have the pen that they gave me with the beaded band around it. Finally, I'm interviewing with the county to start visiting with older folks in the area. They also run the Meals on Wheels program and other services to help out seniors. As soon as I can catch my breath I want to start back stuffing care packages at the USO.

I hope everyone out there had a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year!