It's That Time

Seeds, seeds, and more seeds! The best thing about winter is that you have time to prepare both yourself and your land for the new season ahead. Of course, it also happens to be the time when most gardeners begin to feel that tell tale itch. The one that you can't really scratch until your garden is fully going. So far this year, I have started stratifying some lavender seeds in the refrigerator and will start the whole asparagus process at the end of the month. I also have plans for carrots, beets, and parsley. That's the list that God has given to me for the year so far.

I have also begun to start thinking about 2nd year care for all of the 100 plus trees that I planted last year. Yeah, I'm crazy like that. At the top of my priority list is getting them fully protected. Granny brought in some really nice fence netting and I'm hoping that there will be enough to cover up all of my plants. I really want to get them off to a strong start. For the ones up on the mountain, I just want to check on them and make sure that my pine trees are continuing to grow. I am not so worried about the wild cherries, oaks, hawthorns, chestnuts, ect. (But maybe I should be). 

I just want to talk briefly on the fact that I have really been inspired lately by Paul, the guy who really started the back to Eden gardening concept. His journey and the man himself are really impressive and both he and his garden are utterly enchanting. Check him out please! He is really enjoyable and a very easy way to get pumped about gardening if you are feeling a little low.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

So a lot of my life recently has been consumed by school. Big shock. Honestly, this kind of lifestyle is pretty typical for any high school student who aspires to go to college. Especially the ones in the latter half of their high school years. I'm a senior this year. Wow. That is an amazing thing to think. College is fast approaching, and I am soooo ready for it. I have surprised even myself with the amount of goals that I have both created and accomplished. I have definitely grown in the last two years and I am confident when I say that I think that I am ready for the college life experience. 

So yeah, school is my life, but I am focused on school with the intention of having a great future.  As a quote I read yesterday said "If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you." -Anonymous 

Talk with you again soon!

Happy New Year!

As usual, with every new year comes new goals. One of my goals this year is to really stretch my creative side(s). I'm hoping that I can remain accountable to myself on here. Not going to lie, I, for one, am definitely grateful that 2018 is over. It definitely ranks up there in the worst years of my life category. Anyways, I just wanted to get a fresh post up on the sight so that all of ya'll know that my heart's still ticking away. Here's to the new year and all the adventures that it holds. Cheers!

Project 2: The Banks

On the banks, I would like to preserve all my mint plants, but I want to start some descending beds that look something like a combination of these two pictures:

Does anyone have a website with step by step paper instructions???? I've been trying to find one, but no such luck. Except, that is in my Garden landscaping book, but it isn't quite the look I'm going for.

My biggest challenge with this project is going to be cost. 😩 I don't even want to think about it. I'm hoping I can make it out of pallets but...yeah. 

I think I would probably do a herb garden in the raised beds since the mint is alread preexisting. Pretty much the herbs that you cook with day to day:
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/essential-ingredients/all-about-herbs-slideshow

I might put a few sacrifical strawberry plants in there to. Gotta keep the birdies away from my larger patch!

Project 1: Driveway Wildflower Bed

Okay, so my plan is that I'm going to trim down the overgrown bank at the end of the driveway and till it up into a usuable flower bed. One part of me wants to use some old tires because it's right next to the road and I feel like it would be a cool statement. There are so many amazing ideas, but the biggest problem for me is that I dont have anything to cut the firewalls out of the tires. 😢. But some websites say you don't have to...*sigh*.

This is a great article that I found. Very step by step, though not the design I'm looking for. http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Raised-Bed-Garden-From-Tires/

These were eye opening and highly creative. And they pretty much convinced me to use tires. The second one has me thinking of even more uses:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/a-new-use-for-old-tires-a-garden-using-tires/
http://balconygardenweb.com/8-tire-garden-ideas-you-must-look-on/ 

And this one told me that I could do what I was envisioning. Survey pictures 2-7 essentially. the ones where they kind of look like walls.
http://www.akitasmexico.com/flowerbed-of-tires-with-your-own-hands-photo-beds-of-the-wheel-tires-and-walkthroughs-for-its-creation/

But we shall see. There are a lot of varying opinions on whether or not it's okay to plant edibles in the tires, but I'm gonna try it out. But for the area next to the road I'm probably gonna grab some nice wildflowers. Gotta attract those pollinators! 

I think I'm going to buy both of these from Clyde Robin:
http://clyderobin.com/wildflower_mixes/wildflower_collections/hummingbird_butterfly_mix.htm 
http://clyderobin.com/wildflower_mixes/wildflower_collections/hardy_wildflowers.html 

And this is just the first project!

SPRING!!! (Ish)

Spring is coming, in fact it feels like it's already here! I have done so much outside recently, getting the lndscaping into shape before things start to emerge from their winter slumber.

Word to the wise, don't try to pull a two-hundred-plus-pound log off of a mountain for your garden decor. The tree will, eventually, win. I foolishly pulled it off of the mountain and dragged it quite a way, but I would not recommend it to anyone. And it still hasn't gotten all the way to the garden so...yeah. I'm going to make a few more posts about the projects that I'm planning...I'm being pretty ambitious.

APRIL showers bring May flowers...

So why in the world is it raining so much? It's February. Pretty flowers...

I really love the yellow in the last ones, it makes them look creamy.