The "green roof" really isn't going gangbusters as I had hoped, I think once the gourds take off and start sending out tendrils is when it will happen. "Mr. Mockers", my resident evil mockingbird has made a nest in the green roof's planter box, so that is interesting trying to go up there and tend to things without getting divebombed and squawked at.
The peanut boxes are growing! I have never grown peanuts before so when the kids planted them I was a little skeptical they would sprout in the regular soil from the yard we put in there, but apparently since they are a big cash crop here, they love the sandy soil.
Peanuts!
The kids have been helping with the overabundance of beans and they love harvesting the berries, which is really helpful when it's so hot outside you can only stand 10 minutes at a time and there is so much to do out there.
Beans, Blackberries, Raspberries
Finn sharing his blackberry harvest tonight after dinner.
Kind of funny, the neighborhood kids always ask where I got the berries and I always say "they fell from the sky!" since I won't show them or the little hoodlums will take all the unripe ones too and trash my bushes! Tonight the little girl next door yells over the fence, "hey Loch's mom, did any berries fall from the sky today?" I told her to cover her eyes and I will go find out, I came back about 20 seconds later with a handful for her LOL! I happened to be standing right in front of the raspberry bushes when she asked, some kids either aren't very observant, or really don't know berries come from a plant!
After using this on a dead tomato plant, I wiped it with Listerine to disinfect it and commented that I needed to wash it. I came back 2 hours later to unload the dishwasher and saw this! The kids said "we washed it!" They certainly did... so simple that a grownup would overlook this sanitizing solution LOL! This may become standard practice for me since I swore this year I was going to keep my tools clean but have yet to make good on this promise.
This was finally the last day of school for Loch! In keeping with my resolution to give handmade gifts and not spend money on stupid little things throughout the year, I headed out to the garden this morning to see what I could round up for Loch's teacher for a token of our appreciation. Once I laid it all out, I had to laugh because it reminded me of a CSA Share! A little of this, a little of that. I actually had some jalapenos ready to harvest so it looks like she can actually make a little fresh salsa from what I was able to get today. Loch told me his teacher lives in an apartment and she probably doesn't have a garden so I hope she likes it! It was pretty cute watching all the kids crowd around smelling everything when I brought it into the classroom, I honestly think most of them are pretty unaware that all this stuff exists or even that it grows from the ground!
Dragon's Tongue & Golden Wax Beans, Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Cucumbers, Garlic, Red & Yellow Onions, Shallots, Cilantro, Parsley, Basil, Dill, Chives and a loaf of Banana Bread!
Finn even found me a recycled box to carry it in!
So that's the update on the kid's side of things around here, check out The Inadvertent Farmer's Week 10 Post for the link party & updates from the other participants. Get your kids out into the garden!
Oh very,very cool!!! I love the idea of teacher gifts from the garden. Y'all stay in school so late that it's actually possible for you. THen again, I bet you don't go back until after Labor Day. We were out before Memorial Day, but we'll go back the first of August.
ReplyDeleteWell, what the heck is the matter with me tonight? I almost teared up when I saw the box of garden goodies you made up for Loch's teacher. The ultimate gift showing real thought and honest effort! (A big gold star to Loch's mom for her ingenuity!) I'm betting the teacher will remember that (and Loch!) for a long, long time.
ReplyDeleteHey, Erin! In my next life, can I come back as one of your kids? What a great mom you are! If I can't come back as one of your kids, I'll settle for being one of their teachers ;-)
ReplyDeleteRibbit, yep, my kids go back the day after Labor Day. Still, the end of June seems so long.... we used to be off from Memorial Day to Labor Day when I was a kid but I also think our school days were longer. That's probably since been proven "cruel" or something LOL!
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, it's becoming not so much ingenuity as financial necessity to do gifts this way, but it is so much more fun also for me to pick and arrange a harvest as a gift than it is to go shopping for yet another "candle" or "gift card"! I hope she thinks it's thoughtful the way you all do, and not just "redneck poor girl" LOL!
Gran, YES! You as one of my kids - just think of all the garden chores I could get out of you, and wouldn't have to show you the difference between a weed and anything else! Although, I will say those days are done for me finally, my kids know the difference, Yay!
What a great garden is all I can think of, every time. I would have never have thought to tell the neighbors the berries fell from the sky. Then I would have wondered why my berries were all gone! LOL. A great post.
ReplyDeleteROFL...fell from the sky!
ReplyDeleteI am so envious of your hot summer weather, its still in the 40's here at night...grrrr.
I have never seen peanut plants before, they remind me of clover! Great post, Kim
The author, thanks! I don't even know where the sky thing came from, it just popped out of my mouth!
ReplyDeleteKim, I am learning along with you on those peanuts! Huge cash crop here, but I admit I never paid attention to the fields. I thought they didn't sprout at first and that it was seeds sprouting from the unfinished compost in the planter because they really don't look like anything I have seen before!