One thing about gardening, farming, and/or homesteading, is that you can always count on a few curveballs being thrown your way. Getting smacked with a horrid illness right during spring planting season was not the curveball I was expecting, but after nine days of misery, I am somewhat better and was actually able to do a bit of gardening today.
I am soooo behind!
Which to be honest is annoying, as I was actually a bit ahead or at the very least on top of things, which is something that never happens.
But, so is life, so I'm making pickled asparagus out of a bumper crop of spears😁 (And I mean that both literally and figuratively).
Something that has helped my recovery immensely has been the glorious blooms about the farm, the irises are blooming and they are just so distractingly beautiful.
The purple ones are my favorites, as purple is my favorite color, but I have to say, there is something so elegant and crisp about the hint of yellow blooms.
Another thing that has brought positive waves to my ailing form was the hubs getting the old fountain we made thirteen years ago when our kids were toddlers. They pressed their hands into the top part the water trickles off of and it makes me smile every time I catch a glimpse of their little hand prints.
And it's super lovely to sit on my porch convalescing while listening to the trickle of water over the fountain and down onto the various rocks, minerals, and gemstones that line the ground below.
So it's no surprise, that even though I was miserable for days, the sights, sounds, and smells around me have helped bring me out of the illness mire. Okay, that and a screaming awareness in the back of my brain that I have a ton of gardening to do.
Today, I felt well enough to get a couple hours of transplanting done. This year I am only growing twenty tomato plants. It's like the least I have done in over a decade, and I am not sad about it. Even in my lethargic state the job took no time at all. I can't wait to make up a batch of salsa with some of the Large Barred Boar tomatoes!
After the tomatoes I transplanted a bunch of cucumber plants. Years ago I intercropped my cucumbers with the sunflowers and they did so well. Plus, they were such good weed control. I'm excited to see that partnership yield awesomeness again.
The last transplanting job I did was the zucchini and pumpkins. Every year I start some squash plants and direct seed some. There's something therapeutic about being able to walk through the garden before everything is flourishing and spying some already good sized plants.
Speaking of good sized plants, our hops plants are already over my head. It's crazy how fast they are growing! Last year the hops produced really well, but I thinking this year they will double their yield. I'm sure the manure compost and fish emulsion has something to do with that.
I'm also getting ready to try my duck poo water fertilizing experiment. I have a big water barrel that is equipped with a spigot. I am going to empty the duck's poopy swimming pool water into the barrel, attach a hose to it, and emulsion water my plants with that duck goodness. Can't wait for that!
But now, now I need a nap. Because tomorrow, hopefully I will feel even better, because there's even more planting ahead of me.
Aren't Hops are just amazing bnines and a great addition to any garden that can handle their size and vigour.
Yes! I absolutely adore the hops bines! They are so vigorous! I kinda want an entire field of them to frolic in sometimes lol! You are so right about their space requirements though, I'm thankful I have a large enough chunk of space for them to do their thing.
Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!
!PIZZA
Gorgeous! Your purple and light yellow irises certainly are eye candy!
!LADY
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Aww, I am so glad you enjoyed them😊
Hope you are having a most excellent weekend awesome lady!
!PIZZA
Hello, sweetness!! I am more behind than you. I had no idea you were sick! How terrible a friend am I?
Life on the farm is just being set into overdrive, all the blooms are way ahead of you. So exciting to get those plants in and get all set to grow. You will have to let me know how the duck goodness goes!
You do so much, my friend. Try to do something for you to preserve yourself. xoxo
I miss the olden days when we both gave up sleep to put out a good post. Life got so busy for me. I sort of miss the old, but, that was too busy too. LOL
I hope the rest of your days ahead are looking up!
I HAVE MISSED YOU!!
Do you think they heard that on the moon? LOL!
I will so let you know how the duck goodness goes, I am pretty excited to try it, as I am for all the blooms, there's going to be flowers galore😊
It's so hard, but I really am trying to take care of this carcass of mine, boy did this illness knock me back a bit, but maybe that's what I need once in a while, a reminder of the fragile fleetingness of this life and how one should cherish it.
Speaking of cherishing life, it sounds like you have been doing a fair bit of it, and that makes me smile, even if we don't get to gab as much as we used to in the olden days lol.
Hope you are having the most fantastic Memorial Day Weekend my dear friend😊
!PIZZA
The iris are beautiful! If I ever get so far this year as renovating the poor iris bed, next year I might have lots of iris flowers too. This year the white ones planted everywhere are adding their beauty and scent to the gardens.
And I am glad you are on the upswing. :))
I am so glad you enjoyed them😊 And I so, so look forward to seeing all your future renovated iris beds. When I was kid we had some Siberian iris in our yard and I'm probably going to be adding some them too, I love their delicate little blooms.
Hmm. We both sound like a couple of gardeners lol!
Thanks a bunch for the mending wishes, I am doing a bit better each day, I just despise this cursed fatigue, which I know you totally understand.
Hope your Memorial Day Weekend is awesome!!!
!PIZZA
Dunno about awesome, but certainly busy!
I have blue flag iris, yellow flag iris and white Siberian iris. Those aren't over run with briars.
My dad also has those German irises, but only blue. Have seen yellow and red as well. Would be nice to have some, but don't know where from.
Anyway, things are looking good at your end. I hope you can fully recover soon.
Ooh, I bet the blue ones were so pretty! My grandma had an iris patch that took up the entire east side of her house when I was a kid, and I spent a ton of time there perusing the beautiful blooms. I think most bulb farms have iris rhizomes for sale that you could order😊
Thanks for the well wishes and for stopping by, I hope you are having a lovely weekend!
!PIZZA
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I used to have many colors of iris,complements of a generous neighbor. But I couldn't keep up with all the flower beds, so I gave nearly all of them away a few years ago. The short ones I kept have already bloomed, and the taller ones may or may not get around to it. I don't think they get enough sunshine where they are now.
Kitteh....