$4.11

That's how much my gas is today. I Filled up on Monday and it was $4.o5. Depressing. But what's cool is that I've noticed that since I started to be a little more aware of how much gas I use, my usage has gone down. Imagine that! I drive about 30 miles a day going to and from work and so far this week, I've only used a quarter of a tank. Gosh, at that rate if I only drive to work and back everyday then I shouldn't have to fill up again for 3 more weeks!

So I took some new pics. yesterday, take a gander...

The new Hostas, Caladiums and Big Silly Turtle





These Okras aren't doing squat!



Neither is the Spinach!



Aloe Blossoms


Cucumbers are doing pretty good!

Salmonella Tomatoes

I don't know about yall but I'm REALLY glad I know how to grow my own tomatoes! I bet I get a few poeple coming to me asking for some. :0)

Happy Hump Day!

Today marks the downside of the week and that alone makes it a happy hump day! Someone picked me as a fav on Blotanical! Thanks Wickedgardener!

Unfortunately The Garden looks like crap right now. The stroms have made an ugly mess, scattering limbs and sticks all over the place. I resolved not to mow the grass for 2 whole weeks as I'm giving the grass roots an opportunity to grow deeper. Luckily, tomorrow marks the end of the 2 week period. It has almost killed me to not mow. So today when I get home, I will clean everything up in preparation for one of my favorive gardening tasks, mowing!

I think I have finally decided where to plant the Allamanda Bush. I was so confused as to where to put it b/c the tag says it's a bush but the planting instructions describe it as a climbing vine. It doesn't look like a vine at all, it looks just like a bush! So after further research, I learn that it is indeed a bush and does not require a trellis. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna plant it right smack dab in the middle of the front yard. It will look very nice there and get plenty of sun.




I've decided where to start with a semi shade area that is in desperate need of plants. I'm gonna put fountain grass in the back. That's as far as I've gotten. Maybe knock-out roses in front of that and then maybe various lantanas. I can't wait to get started!
Uh-oh. I resolved to not buy anymore plants, didn't I? What if I got them at a really good deal? I don't have any of these items that I can propagate from. Well, I do have some lantanas but I just planted them, can you even propagate from lantana? This may not turn out well...stay tuned.

Oh, I forgot to mention something. I think my corn plants are in for. They grew fast, got about 4 feet tall and then started tasseling out. They haven't gotten any bigger in weeks and the tassels are turning brown, doesn't that generally mean that the corn is ready to be harvested? The corns are small, I don't think they should be ready yet. My B-I-L told me that I should have side dressed them with nitrogen a while back. Lesson learned. I guess I'll go ahead and see if anything is worth keeping and pull it all up. Wonder what I should plant in it's place???

Project Filled Weekend!

What a weekend! We got 3 whole projects completed, can you believe it? Remember how I said I was getting a gate and a walkway in The Garden? Well, both of those, done! Here are some in the process pics. I'll post completed pics tomorrow (I forgot to take them!).

Project Garden Gate - This provides entry into the back yard from The Garden.



Project Walkway





Guess what else I got? A new front door! Yea! Finally! Here's an in the process pic of that job...


I gotta say, Hubby has really worked hard on all these things he has done for me lately! The reward system seems to be working pretty well! ;0)

Ok so I made my way around the yards and snapped some shots of what's growing right now...

Green Bean!


Baby Cukes!


Creamy Rose


Fox Glove


Pretty Petunia


And I did get around to making my tomato sauce, Doesn't it look delicious!


Lastly, I had a surprise visit from my baby brother on Friday evening, It was so good to see him!

Growth Updates

I have new photos to share! The Garden is looking great right now. Tomatoes are popping out everywhere and are starting to turn red. I think I will pick green ones this weekend and pickle them. I have discovered 4 ears of corn developing. The cucumbers have flowered. The watermelons and cantaloupes have sprouted, it will be time to thin by the end of the week! I built my SFG on Sunday and put spinach, okra and squash in it. I cheated on the spinach and bought plants, only cuz I couldn't find any seeds. But the squash and okra are seeds. I hope to see seedlings by the weekend! I finally have a photo of my worm bin. I probably should have gotten more worms, I only bought 2 containers which I think is somewhere around 50 worms total. Nevertheless, they seem to be very happy in their new home. I just need to find out how often to feed them...
I managed to bring flowers and plants from the front area into The Garden to decorate the new fence. I intend to add more flowers and yard decorations little by little. All in all, I think The Garden looks great!

Watermelons


View From The East


The SFG



The New Fence



Cucumbers


Corn Cobs


Cantaloupes

New Pics of The Garden

Ok so yesterday I hurried home to pick some onions since I read that when the stalks fall over, they are mature. Evidentally some of my onion stalks had been forced over by a critter cuz, some of them were REALLY small. As for the rest, I'd say they are small to medium. Here are some photos...











I also snapped a pic of the watermelon & cantaloupe bed. I put the seeds in this past Sunday so they haven't popped up yet, but soon!




And finally, I snapped a few of The Garden in general so that you can see what it looks like before it's transformation into a real garden with more veggies, flowers, decorations, more plants, etc...