Garden 2014 - Starting Seeds!!

I have very ambitious plans for a home garden this year. Maybe too ambitious, because the truth is. I don't have much experience and am not 100% sure of what I'm doing. But I'm doing some research, and experimentations and hoping I'll be at least a little successful this year.

Yesterday I got some seeds started.

 I reused toilet paper tubes, plastic lettuce containers, and some wooden skewers.

Placed cardboard tubes in plastic containers and filled with organic potting soil.
Then placed seeds in each one, wrapped washi tape around the end of a wooden skewer and stuck into the dirt as a "label".
Each plant got it's own washi tape color/design.

I have a master list with the tape, which plant it labels, how many plants, and the date I planted seeds. 

Hoping to see some sprouts in the coming days and weeks!! 

Spring is Here!

Finally after a brutally cold winter we now are having sunny days, 60 degree weather, and seeing some green!!

Here's what we've been working on around the yard.

Garden boxes! We still need to get dirt. But we got the boxes built, so hopefully soon we'll get dirt and I can start planting.

Cleaned out the flower beds. Have iris plants coming up. And tulips blooming!

(notice the weeds coming up, too?) Ugh!

Really enjoying the nice spring weather.

Autumn labors..... bring Spring blossoms

This past summer was my first time growing a garden! I had fun. Before getting married I'd grown flower beds at my parents house. This year I didn't bother with flowers, other than a few potted ones. It was kind of hard to grow both flowers and vegetables in the same place. And since my garden spot is behind our house, I'd probably be the only one to enjoy it.

Since our landlord moved the shed that was in the yard, I have a nice corner that looked very empty! So I decided to put in a flower bed! I'm thrilled my landlord is okay with me making changes like that to the property. Having Christian friends as a landlord is a blessing that words cannot express!

My man and I and some friends took a the morning last week to go get dirt! The dirt available where we live is full of arsenic and alkali and sorely lacking in nutrient. Needs furtilized often, and lots of care. So, in order to find enough, good soil for growing for fill a flower bed we had to go up in a hills a ways!

Was a beautiful, and dusty drive up the canyon! We found some nice, black soil, backed up the pick up's and started digging!

It was a very nice day for working outdoors! And I was surprised how fast we filled up the trucks, especially with help!

Once we had the pick ups full, we headed back down the canyon to unload and fill up the flower bed.

I'm excited to have a flower bed this next spring/summer. I've already got 50 tulip bulbs planted. And look forward to accumulating more varieties of flowers and plants this coming year!

...but only God who gives the growth.

I'm having so much fun with my first garden this summer. It's so fascinating planting, watering, and watching things grow. Seeing how the begin as a tiny blossom and within days/weeks are a fully ripe fruit or vegetable! I find it amazing!  

This was taken awhile ago. Everything is much more mature now, and my garden appears as a "jungle".

  I have so far harvested a lot of zucchini and green bell peppers. Some tomatoes, (lots more on the way) and a little bit of garlic.

I spent the afternoon shredding and bagging zucchini that had been sitting on my kitchen counter. Just today got around to freezing it.

I used some of it to bake Zucchini Chocolate Cake with Orange Glaze. Found a recipe on Taste of Home's website that was some-what "healthy", for being a chocolate cake ;) Has applesauce, zucchini, walnuts, and I cut down on the sugar and used half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose.

This evening as my cake was baking I went back out to my garden. Found 3 more ripe bell peppers (btw, other than making and freezing spaghetti sauce I'm not sure what to do with all these peppers. Any suggestions??) And dug up some of my potatoes. Obviously some are very tiny! I think they're kinda cute! Planning on making beef stew here soon, so I'll just throw the ity-bity potatoes in there.


Also found a little toad while digging up potatoes!

Another great thing about my garden is all the plants that are there that I didn't plant! Previous renters or last people who planted a garden probably planted them. These things include lots of gorgeous sunflowers scattered randomly throughout. And a pumpkin plant! While I am thankful for these surprise additions, I wasn't planning on them being there when I planted everything else. So they are somewhat in the way, and taking over other plants. Not sure how to deal with this. Tonight, a very large, beautiful sunflower plant was making it difficult to get to my potatoes. So I decided to cut down the flowers and get rid of the plant! So I will be enjoying these lovely sunflowers for a few days! :)

As I was harvesting, weeding, watering, digging, and plucking tonight. As well as filling my freezer with fresh zucchini this afternoon. And in light of the my post earlier today, I couldn't help but think of our dependence on God. While I can till, cultivate, plant, water, weed, tend and labor over my small little garden. I really can't cause anything to grow! My awesome God is who makes my zucchini, peppers, potatoes, and sunflowers grow!
I thought of Paul's analogy in 1 Corinthians 3:7 speaking of souls being saved through the ministry of apostles: "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."

I am very thankful for my God's provision of food by blessing my work and causing it to grow!