Sweet Potato Re-do

This was what our sweet potatoes looked like....  So, before we got to much further into the growing season, I decided to just scrap the whole thing, and start over!  I went to the local nursery, got three more slips, and talked for a while.  I discovered that sweet potatoes don't grow exactly like regular potatoes, and so the tire tower wasn't the best method, at least the way I was doing it.  They suggested that I stack all three tires, and plant on the top, so there is space for them to grow down.

The new sweet potato slips

We mixed a combination of peat moss, compost, humus, manure, and top soil.

We did it wheelbarrow by wheel barrow, tire by tire....

And in the end, we planted the three new plants!

Our tire tower !

We also decided to move the little Anaheim Pepper plant that was in the middle of all my tomato plants.  Being a first year gardener, I had NO idea how big the tomato plants would be, so I planted this little gem in the middle of them...  He is completely shaded where he was at.  I took the biggest shovel we had, and dug the dirt all the way around it. 

I tried to make sure I got as much dirt as deep as I could go!

I hope he's happy in his new pot... he's a couple weeks behind, but hopefully we'll still get some peppers off him still!

Garden 6-28

Father's Day Present

After the fail I wrote about here, I was eager to get the rest of the project done and hidden....

First I started with equal length 1x6's, I used the miter saw to cut equal angles on both sides.

I measured and found the middle of the top area.

I stacked both sides on top of each other, and drilled a hole in them.

I had a 3/4" dowel, so I used this funky 'drilling big holes' bit...

We spray painted the lids, three blue, and three green.

Put the bottles in for a 'test drive'.  I ended up using the two bigger bottles in the middle, and filled it with his VERY favorite candies, so he had a bit more of them, and the four smaller ones (that came in the 4 pack) on the four corners.

And painted it (on our kitchen table, that has been used for more crafts then dinners lately!).

We did a light white wash, and filled the jars with candy.  My husband is a certifiably chocoholic, so we did baking chocolate chips, M&M's, Dove Dark chocolate squares, York Drops, Andes Mints, and Rolo's.

 I was going to take better pictures of the final product, but Sunday seemed very busy for us, and apparently he really liked the gift, because he took it to work with him on Monday!  I suppose that means it's a 'winner'... since I sometimes suck at presents for him!  WHOOHOO!!!



Garden 6-18

Father's Day gift fail

I wanted to try to make something for my husband.  I've had ideas floating around for a while.  Then my love informed me that he didn't want anything, so not to do anything... to late.

I already had my plan.

So he was stuck with it- I was inspired!

My idea included bottles of some sort.  I thought maybe some sort of glass soda bottle, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get the lid back on...

Then I remembered the Frappuccino bottles.  At our last duty station, we were 50 minuets away from a Starbucks (it was a sad, sad time), so I had to get my fix through the gas station bottle.  Not the same.  Not.at.all.  But it was as close as I got for those four years (unless I had to go to 'the city' then it was game on!).

So, while grabbing stuff for dinner tonight, I grabbed a 4 pack threw it in my cart, then got the other shopping done, and got 2 other bottles at the front of the store in the cooler by the register.   I decided against getting two 4-packs, because I only wanted six...

When I was grabbing all the bags after I was checked out, I noticed they were two different sizes!  AUGH!!!

It was so not worth going through the line again, and I'm getting my step daughter tomorrow morning as soon as he leaves for work, so the plan will be altered!

More on that tomorrow!!!

Garden June 8th

As you can see, we added some trellises. 

My parents are in town, and my Dad helped me 'install' them.

Cucumbers

Green Beans

Sugar Snap Peas

First flower on the Sugar Snap Peas

Sweet Onions

New Onions

Bell Peppers

Bell Pepper Flower

Banana Peppers

Tomatoes

OUR FIRST TOMATO!!!

We planted an Anaheim pepper in the middle of our four tomato plants.  It was the same size as the bell and banana pepper plants.  It hasn't grown much at all.  My love dug down a bit with his fingers, and found out that the pot hadn't decomposed yet.  We're thinking that the roots were 'trapped' in the pot, and limiting growth.  We ripped the paper pot off, and replanted it, and watered it.  Hopefully it will catch up and give us some good peppers!

We planted the Anaheim pepper because it was the closest thing to green chile that we could get out here in the Midwest.  However... my amazing mother bought 2 extra plants when they got the plants for their garden, and brought them along.  We put them in planters that are currently on our back porch, though I don't know how long they will last there!