Raise The Ranchspacer
spacer
The Journal spacer The Plans spacer The Dreams spacer The Move spacer The Ranch spacer The Thanks spacer The Links
spacer
 | 
2014
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2011
spacer
spacer
Sept.
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2009
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
2010
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2008
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2007
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2006
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
2005
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
   
2004
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
 
 
May, 2011
 
 
 

11:59 p.m. — Thursday, May 5, 2011
It's On!

Slug to be Salted
 
(Any guesses what he's eating? Click pic to enlarge...)


 

12:04 p.m. — Friday, May 6, 2011
How Does Your Garden Grow?

This year's proposed veggie garden plan:

Garden Plan 2011
(Click sketch to enlarge)

Rotating what's planted in each bed as compared to last year. Not trying anything new in the raised beds, but going to try raspberries and corn for the first time elsewhere in the yard...don't ask me exactly where, because I haven't figured that part out yet ;) I just know I have to grow enough to cross-polinate and will probably try a "Three Sisters Garden" with corn + pole beans + yellow squash/pumpkin, while I'm at it. I think the kids will enjoy taking ownership of that idea.

Here's an overview of the entire side yard garden area:

Whole Garden Plan 2011
 
(Click sketch to enlarge)

Some of this is already in place, some is yet to come. For instance, that whole skinny bed left of the cucumber/zuke bed does not exist yet. A bunch of stuff has to be dug up, moved, or planted. My corn seeds came in the mail yesterday from Gardens Alive! (Lori and I split a big order from them last year and loved their stuff), but my asparagus is back-ordered...so sad. Looking forward to getting down my Escar-Go! and finally getting a handle on the awful slug population! (Trying to escape another summer of salting or intoxicating the slimy little suckers.)

So...thoughts on this whole plot? Ideas? Suggestions? As for me, I'm off to further investigate companion planting. And maybe scrounge up a little lunch for me and my own little slugs.



Lori from unspecified said the following on 05/06/2011 at 14:03:12:
Here's a good website with companion planting info: http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html And what about oregano or sage? I use those a lot in cooking...

Lori from unspecified said the following on 05/06/2011 at 19:55:41:
Oh, and have I mentioned how much I LOVE your daffodils along your picket fence? (Kirsten loves them too!!)

 

5:40 p.m. — Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Happy First Birthday, Red!

Samantha's 1st Birthday

(Sam's sitting in the backyard in this picture, so technically it's part of the house blog. Yup.)

It's a little unnerving that our baby girl is already 1 considering she was just born LAST WEEK.


 

2:52 p.m. — Thursday, May 12, 2011
Final Deck Pics

Last I posted about the deck, we were digging the footings, working on the framing, and acquiring the decking back in April, 2009. My goodness, what a tease! Without further ado, here are some final deck photos taken this morning...

From the yard:

Deck1

Deck2

deck3

From the kitchen:

Deck4

From on the deck:

Deck5

Deck6

Deck7

deck8

The gate:

Deck Gate

The steps:

Deck Steps

The decking:

Decking

The decking is a reddish-brown color, not captured well in this shaded picture. We still love LOVE the deck, and the minute it's not FREEZING outside post-winter, we find ourselves eating almost every meal out there.

(I have more in-progress photos, but if you waited for me to post all those first, you'd NEVER see the finished product! Maybe some day...)


 

4:12 p.m. — Friday, May 13, 2011
The Garden Breakdown: Oma's Garden

Mostly for my own reference, I'd really like to catalogue what plants I have in what parts of my yard, and I thought I'd start with the small 1' x 8' strip of dirt in front of our picket fence I'm affectionately calling, "Oma's Garden." All plants here are either from my Oma, the same as those in her garden, or are plants that she just really loves.

Here's what's on that part of the plan:

Oma's Garden
 
(Click sketch to enlarge...)

Everything but the Iris and the Peonies already exists in this spot. Hopefully in the fall, I'll have a chance to get those in here (they are from Oma's old house and currently in one of the shed beds). The sage will come out because that has nothing to do with Oma...I just stuck it here last fall because I liked it and there was an empty spot.

An overview of the area:

Oma's Heirloom Garden

(Too bad I didn't get a pic while the Daffodils and Grape Hyacinth were blooming — it was beautiful!)

With plant labels:

Oma's Labeled Garden

(Click to enlarge and read clearly.)

Now, from left to right...
Rose Campeon and Daffodils with Grape Hyacinth in front:

Rose Campeon

(Looking forward to this sending up its spikes with hot pink little flowers on top!)

Lily of the Valley (with more Daffodils with Grape Hyacinth in front):

Lily of the Valley

(Just starting to get little white bells of my Lily of the Valley!)

Here comes a UFO — an Unidentified Floral Object — between more Daffodils/Hyacinth:

UFO

Anyone care to identify that for me? I know I have planted Sage and a Delphinium along this fence somewhere, and can not locate either - but I don't think this is one of them. Is it? Or maybe just a WEED? Unless you can tell me otherwise, only time will tell...

UFO

Phlox, Sweet William, and Creeping Phlox (barely pictured, right) with more Daffodils/Hyacinth:

Phlox and Sweet William

(I forget what color Phlox that is, and I just purchased the Sweet William at K-Mart a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was never able to get any of Oma's before she moved.)

I'm really excited to be growing perennials that my Oma treasured or that made her happy. There's a wonderful nostalgia to heirloom plants!


 

Continue on to Four Months From Now...

 
 
Track RTR at Bloglines xml
 
 
 | 
2014
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2011
spacer
spacer
Sept.
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2009
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
2010
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2008
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2007
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
 
spacer
2006
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
 
spacer
2005
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
   
2004
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer
spacer

 
© 2004-2008 — Raise the Ranch | About Us | Contact Us | Sign Guestbook | View Guestbook