Monday, July 28, 2014

This Summer's Garden


 Our garden is one of my favorite places to be in the summer.  It's a little wild, completely imperfect, but it never fails to give us an abundance of fresh, delicious vegetables every day.  

 Each year I hesitate to post pictures of our garden... sometimes I feel like I do everything you shouldn't do in a garden.  None of my rows are perfectly straight, I always plant my tomatoes too close to each other, weeds and grass grow abundantly no matter how hard I try, but I think that's the beauty in vegetable gardening.  It's very forgiving, and really the only rule I adhere to is never plant your cucumbers next to your squash (a lesson learned the hard way). 

This year particularly has been one of my favorite years having a garden.  My girls are at an age now that they love the garden just as much as I do and love to help pick.  Jillian is a huge helper this year... in fact, she does all of the tomato picking every day.
 

Our fence has worked wonderfully in keeping the chickens out.  In fact, not one hen has made it in yet.  (Plus it helps my garden look pretty from the road... even when my cucumbers are dying and my lettuce is going to seed.) 
 

 

 I had a late start planting my pole beans, something I've ended up being thankful for.  I've been spending so much time picking the bush beans and our bumper crop of squash and cucumbers that I've been grateful the pole beans will come a little later!

 

 Pretty okra blooms...

 
 Our squash plants are huge... this is just five plants and actually since this picture they have grown even more, if that's possible.   However, that's been a nice thing since the dreaded squash borer is having to work hard to get rid of these plants. 

 

 My favorite pickling cucumbers... the girls and I snack on cucumbers with salt every single day.  So much so that I've only made a few batches of pickles.   

 

 Jillian hard at work on the tomatoes.  I'm especially grateful I have her help this year since the tomatoes are so large and planted so close together that it's much easier for her to climb through them than me (smile). 

 


 A day's bounty of vegetables.  Time to take them in the house, sort through the basket and figure out what to cook for dinner!


 P.S.  If you're wondering where Rosetta can be found, I often see her sitting with her favorite chicken (a Buff Orpington) on her lap, talking softly to her while petting her.  Such sweet summer days...   


27 comments:

  1. Your garden looks wonderful, I love the fence! Mine has been doing great this year too. Do you or your Mom have any canning recipes you would like to share? Thanks. marsha@tubbslanefarm.com

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    1. Thank you! I'll have to think about some recipes. For Mother's Day I received a cookbook called The Art of Preserving and I've been trying numerous recipes from it (all delicious).

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  2. Your garden should be in a magazine, Andrea! I love the picket fence and the old rusty gate. Such a sweet little helper you have in the garden while the other sweet helper is tending the chickens :) Funny she chose that chicken as her favorite, her hair matches the feathers ;)
    P.S. How do you like the flower book? Deni

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    1. Thank you, Deni! I love, love the flower book. The photos are so gorgeous and it's packed with inspiration - I love every arrangement. I even found some new flowers I want to plant! Thanks so much for the recommendation!

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    2. So glad you like it! Deni

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  3. We also have a Buff Orpington! They are the sweetest chickens. And, I love your garden!

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  4. Oh, Rosy is so cute with her baby in one arm and "Ella" on her lap. Darling picture of my favorite 3 year old! And Jillian picking her tomatoes. Oh I love these girls! - Mom -

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  5. Oh my stars! This garden is a huge garden. Unbelievable the size or your tomatoes. It is the prettiest I have seen. I don't think a garden should every be measured and lined, it should be natural and spontaneous. I love it.
    xoxo
    Lisa
    Leeshideaway

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  6. I think your garden is absolutely beautiful. So, I planted cucumbers next to my squash this year and now my squash is covered in tiny white bugs and not growing! Is that why? We usually have huge squash that produces an abundance. I think I may go pull my cucumbers out so my squash will grow. We eat a lot of zuchini. Your little girls are so sweet. A garden is so good for children. Mine always loved ours...still do and they are young adults now. xxo

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  7. What a sweet picture! She reminds me of one of my 3 yr old littles that spent 2 weeks here this summer!

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  8. Hurrah for beautiful, imperfect, bountiful gardens, Andrea! :) The picket fence and rusty gate are so lovely and picturesque. After not planting a summer garden last year, I'm truly enjoying having one this season. My son also delights in picking the tomatoes. As always, your photography is gorgeous but that last one of Rosetta with the hen (and doll) is my favorite of this post.

    Take care,
    Erin @ Carolina Country Living

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  9. That has to be one of the cutest pictures ever. Rosetta, her hen and her doll. So sweet.

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  10. What a wonderful garden you have! I just love that picket fence - my chickens would be jumping over that in no time. Such beautiful veggies to enjoy!

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  11. I had fresh eggs and tomatoes over the weekend. What a difference from the store. Taste like they should be. Love looking at the pictures and seeing your daughters enjoying life at the "farm"house. Kathleen in Az

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  12. Rosetta just melts my heard with her whispers to her chicken! You are lucky to have such a good garden helper with Jillian, too. Your garden is lovely and weeds a grass are all part of the process. It's what you take out to eat that counts!

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  13. Your garden is beautiful. How do you keep the deer out?

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  14. The garden has certainly grown so well with such a wonderful bounty of veggies...I so love the pics of the girls....great helpers and nurturers!!...

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  15. To me your garden can be summed up with one word. Perfection.

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  16. Your garden is wonderful, and overflowing with produce! I love the last photo of Rosetta with the chicken on her lap. What sweet girls you are raising. They will have an appreciation for the simple country life throughout their lifetime. What a gift.
    Claudia

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  17. Your garden looks wonderful!

    Kathy

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  18. Hi, Andrea. I love your garden and the fencing! My first ever attempt at gardeing this year is going okay. We have had a ton of zucchini, crookneck squash, spaghetti squash, some beans, and now pumpkins and mini-pumpkins. My tomatoes mostly died, as I planted too early and before we had a fence. The green peppers may still work, not sure. Carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower all died early on. With all the squash varieties the garden is completely grown over, it's basically square foot gardeing like you're talking about. It's been a hard summer personally, so I'm glad we did the garden the way we did without worring about perfect rows or weeds. Have a wonderful summer enjoying your family, home, and garden. ~ Jamie

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  19. Such a wonderful Keeping It Cozy blog and post . . .
    Love your little girl holding the chicken . . . precious . . .

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  20. An amazing garden! Wow! Going to pin for next year. So impressed. Our container garden is not doing well to say the least. One tomato on each plant...

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  21. What a cute little garden! It's amazing that you produce so many veggies from it! It's o nice to give a name to the chicken and treat it like a pet :)
    Steam Carpet cleaning Canary Wharf

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  22. Your garden is so adorable! The white wooden fence certainly added a lot of charm to it. I love your humble, but splendid views on your own gardening. I believe every plant sewn on the ground has its own charm and beauty, and that every effort in tilling the soil and weeding is a labor of love. My favorite among your plants are the cucumbers. They look so good. I could almost snatch them up from the screen and taste them. Hahaha! Thank you so much for sharing! All the best!

    Bethel Woodard @ Sollecito

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  23. Your picture of Rosetta holding her favorite chicken, is truly one of the sweetest pictures I have ever seen. Your family is beautiful.

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