Garden 2014 - Ideas

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If you're from around here, or follow California news at all, you'll know our part of the nation is having an extreme drought. Really extreme. And unfortunately, that means that the price of food will be going up soon to account for it. So in an effort to keep that part of our budget in check, and to be more prepared for things in general, I'm trying to plan our garden again.

I would like to try providing a lot of our food from our garden this year. (Ok, I say this every year and it never works, but good intentions...). I'm going to write it all down here so you all can hold me accountable. If you run into me on the street, ask me something like "Have you been weeding and keeping your garden alive?" That way I can be guilted into keeping it going and maybe that will work.

We already have:
a cherry tree
an apple tree
4 blueberry bushes (although I think only two are still alive)
a lime tree that has yet to produce anything
7 Boysenberry bushes that produce more than we ever wanted, and make for crazy good jam
and strawberry plants I planted last year that have continually bloomed all winter despite my trying to dead head them.

So that's what we're starting with. I'm hoping we'll get at least something from any of those this year.

The first attempt at green bean trellis

What I'd like to plant for the year:
Tomatoes
Squash
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Tomatillos
Green Beans
Butter Beans
Peas
Melons
Chard
Various herbs including basil, cilantro, chives, rosemary, and anything else I can squeeze in. And good insect attracting flowers.
And probably some other things that I'm forgetting.

What I learned from last year:
 - Due to our rear neighbor's trees getting larger and creating shade and the height of the fence, the two very back beds of the official garden don't grow much at all.  I will have to stick to the very front of the beds, or maybe not at all. The back flower bed won't grow much either, but I might be able to trick some shade tolerant plants into growing back there.

- Tying the middle trunk of tomatoes to a stake as they grow and  cutting out the little "crotch" shoots will really give a large tomato crop. This practice made my tomatoes the best producing crop out of the whole garden. More on this little trick in a later post.

- Cattle/hog panel zip tied to posts driven into the ground works great as a bean trellis. I'll be doing that again for beans and peas this year.

- I need to get on a feeding schedule. Because our dirt quality is so poor, and we've only been doing this for a few years, I really need to work on fertilizing our plants during the season. We've budgeted for manure/compost and will be doing that in the next few weeks. You know, after we get all the weeds out...

- We definitely need a weed barrier of some sort, because I get very discouraged and give up when the weeds take over. And the heat we get during the summer makes the weeds grow very quickly.

- Double digging the beds last year made a big difference in not only quality (because I dug in compost) but made planting and pulling plants so much easier because the soil was much looser. 

- I think getting some shade cloth will come in handy in keeping our poor plants going when the heat rises during the summer.

I am going to try my best to keep it going and have something to show for it this year. And I want to share how we're doing it to help anyone else that might be on a small parcel (or just wants to garden small). I'll be sharing in the future our official layout for the year, what I'm doing with certain plants, things I'm learning and anything else I can think of.

One thing I am really enjoying already is a little app I purchased for my iPhone. It is called "WhenToPlant", it was $2.00 and it is put out by Mother Earth News. I have tried many times in the past to find information about when to plant in our specific area. And while I've found things that go off our USDA zoning, it never seemed quiet right. It's always warmer here and I think we can plant earlier than the little guides say I can. This particular app goes off of the averages from your nearest weather station, and it seems to be a much closer planting guide. So I am excited to try it out and I'll let you know how it goes.

Are you planting anything this year? I'm curious to know what your plans are and any tips and tricks you might have.

Happy Wednesday,
Meg

A List

I am crazy busy. And my brain doesn't work enough these days to form coherent paragraphs, but I wanted to check in. So here's a list of what's going on around here:

1. We are (sort of) getting the garden ready for the year. We have been talking, and making plans. We finally got around to tearing out/down all of last year's garden... Now we just need to add manure and compost and such and plant when it's time. I should be starting seeds, I just haven't gotten that far yet.

2. Bumblewood has moved from Etsy to it's own online shop! You can find it at www.bumblewoodhandmade.com. I'm very, very excited about this little step for the business. There are a lot of new features that I am loving - like all of our products being listed even when out of stock, a "notify me" option for things you want to know about coming back in stock, and the chance to leave reviews on individual products. You can still find a selection of our products on Etsy if you prefer to shop there, but I'm now offering a greater selection (like our new body butters!) on the main shop.

3. I am trying to redo my Household Planner. I want to get all of my important information, blank menu calenders and grocery lists, garden planners, etc. all into one place. I also want to write up a list of chores that need to be done at certain times of year, or reminders to purchase things for the house (like refrigerator filters). Anything to make life smoother and easier and get back in control.

4. Some of you who have been following along for awhile might remember that a few years ago we worked really hard to become debt free. We got rid of all of our commercial debt (cars, credit cards, etc) within 2 years, and since then have been working on paying down our mortgage. Eventually we'd like to buy a piece of land for larger gardens, animals, and for the kids to have lots of running around space. We bought our house in 2009 and as of this month we now owe under 50k. I can't tell you how excited this makes me feel. I dream of space and quiet and feeding ourselves from our property (and chickens. I will get my freaking chickens some day!) and this is just one step closer to that.

5. I told you back in December that my sister is having twin baby girls. There will be knitting. Stay tuned. ;)

6. Ok maybe I can make full paragraphs.

Happy Tuesday,
Meg

Oh Hey Look It's The End of the Year

Here's to looking forward.

To say I haven't really paid much attention to the calendar this year is a bit of an understatement.

I woke up this morning and my first thought was "Eww. Monday." My second thought was "Oh hey Ben's still on vacation!" My third thought was "And the garage is torn up, so I don't have to do laundry today! Score!"

And then I realized that today it's the eve of New Year's eve.

I don't know about you, but I'm a so very much ready for this stupid horrible year to be over.

2013 has been full of stress, and pain, and depression, and irritation. There have been times this year that I really wasn't sure I could keep going, times I didn't even want to, and I'm just ready for it to be done and over with and move on.

Usually by this time of year I've got everything in order. I've usually reflected on the year, gotten my new goals and resolutions listed, I've gotten the year's files and things organized and ready to put away, etc.

This year?


Pffffffffffffffftttttttt.

I got up and I got dressed this morning. That makes it a good day.

One of the hardest things about this past year was watching myself slip away. My "I can handle everything, everything is in it's place, I know what we're having for dinner, what the kids are wearing, all my chores are handled. I'm freaking June Cleaver." attitude just up and disappeared somewhere around the beginning of the year.

I can't seem to keep anything together anymore. I'm lucky if I can plan for one meal in a week.

I'm so ready for this to be over. I'm really hoping that 2014 brings the return of my mojo.

I am attempting to get my house moderately clean today and tomorrow so that the New Year doesn't start off with a messy house. We'll see how well that goes.

One good and exciting thing from the past week - My sister announced what she's having on Christmas day.

She's having TWIN baby girls!! Apparently having twins our first time around is a new family tradition. I am SUPER excited about that, so 2014 is already looking a bit brighter.

I don't have a list of goals to share with you. I haven't even thought of anything.

Sure, there are things I'd like to do, or am hoping to do, but nothing that I feel I should really write down.

I feel I might rename the blog again.

Bumblewood will be growing. I'm very busy on that front. There will be new goodies, new scents, lots of fun things going on.

Knitting has almost stopped all together, so I don't see much on that front aside from finishing some requested stockings.

I'm sure the garden will be up and down this year.

But as for me, and home, I think my goals are to just:

- Not be as stressed.
- Not be as depressed.
- Be more patient.

Ok. That sounds like a good list.

I hope you all have a wonderful, blessed, amazing 2014.

Happy New Year!!
Meg

Thankful

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have a moment at the computer to write a post, I wanted to make a list of the things I am thankful for this year.

I am Thankful...

... For my husband, who works so hard to provide for us, and for my boys who are a constant source of entertainment and joy.

... For the fact that those boys might fight and scream and yell at each other, but I always find them together playing or reading. They love each other deeply, and I am so thankful for that.

... For the two distinctly different, but wonderful families that are a part of my life. To me there is no "his family" and "my family". It is all family, and I love them all dearly.

... For the new life that will be coming in May next year. My sister is pregnant! I am so excited I can hardly breathe sometimes.

... For the freedom we still have, no matter how frustrating it may seem sometimes. We still have a lot of freedoms and choices that many others do not have.

... For the wind storm we are having today. Hopefully it will turn into rain soon. :)

... For the blessing of friends past, present and future. I was greatly blessed the other day by someone who I haven't seen or talked to in years. I am so thankful for all the people who have come into my life, who are in it now, and who will come into it in the future.

... For always having food on the table, clothes on our backs, and always being provided for. God is good, and has always given us exactly what we needed.

... For the hard times we have gone through and made it out the other side alive and intact. Of course, I'm not usually thankful in the midst of them. But hindsight is 20/20 and I am thankful to see the strength and blessings that come from those trials.

... For our little home, with our little lot, and our little garden.

... For all of you who visit this little space on the internet, who encourage, who laugh and cry with me, who say "I've been there, it's ok", or who just stop in to say hi. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. 

Happy Thanksgiving friends! May your day (and weekend... and year!) be wonderful and filled with love and laughter.

Meg

From Under Cover

Guys...

Guys...

Guess what!!

We got RAIN!!

Sweet, glorious, beautiful, wonderful, soul healing RAIN!!

It started with a cloud burst around 6pm last night, trickled a little the rest of the evening, woke me up a few times early this morning, and then steadily lasted until about 11 this morning.

My entire being is happy beyond description!

I love rain so much, and it has been much too long since we've had a good rain (being as we live in a desert). We have a chance for more tomorrow and I desperately hope that it happens.

The boys spent the day playing in their rooms with blocks and things, and drawing pictures. I spent a good portion of the afternoon knitting a Christmas stocking and reading library books. Absolutely glorious!

I am trying to get everything ready this week for the Women's Dinner I will be vending on the 2nd. Since next week is for eating turkey. :) I am mixing up deodorants, lotions and lip balms tonight. And then the eternal quest to get everything labeled.

I just can't tell you how refreshed and happy I feel after getting so much wonderful rain!

Happy Friday!!
Meg