::spring outdoor: plantings, decks, and fun::

I'm not getting my big garden this year.  Too many other projects.  DEEP SIGH...  Major sad face.  But, I am squeezing in plants everywhere I can think of.  This also gives me time to keep planning and dreaming exactly what I want.  What are these big projects, and smaller projects, killing my garden?

A HUGE deck.   That is going to be amazing.  Hot tub area with cover, dinning table with chairs, area for a grill, firepit relaxing area.  It's going to be a centerpiece of the place.  

A great hose storage area on the side of the house.  With custom hose hook made by Josh.  We added a storage basket for tools and equipment.

A bird house that my father made with a license plate from my parents minivan in the 80's that says "Eye Van".

Against my greenhouse I have an area that is going to be a cold frame someday, but this year it is a tomato bed.  I was just about in tears thinking about not growing tomatoes again this year (last year was all renovations and no garden).  I just can't live with out a tomato fresh off the vine and still warm from the sun.  So seven little babies are out there growing up strong. 

We bought a bunch of saplings from Arbor Day Society and the kids and I planted them all.  I love how much open sun we have on this farm, but we need to bring more trees into this world.  I'm so glad to have added these trees.  Especially the six peach trees.  I can't wait to see these babies grow.

     

Right now I have two little side beds that are growing zinnia's (one of my favorites) and wildflowers to encourage butterflies and hummingbirds.  Both of which I have not seen once since we moved here.  This place was so stripped down and unloved with plants and flowers.  Wildlife had no reason to be here, but I'm going to give them a reason.

We planted pasture grass on our back few acres.  It look HUGE but most of this in the farmers field.  Our total property in 5 acres.  See the little hill with a white target on it?  Josh used the tractor to make a shooting backstop.

While I was planted the pastures I wanted the kids to get out and get some activity.  I offered them 25 cents per rock that was bigger than a baseball.  They got excited and ended up bringing me over 250!!!!  It was amazing and so cute to see them use teamwork to gather all those rocks, but I about had to sell a kidney to pay them.  

I have BIG plans for the front landscaping of our little cottage.  Budget is always a limiting factor.  For right now I used field rocks to make a little bed, added some compost and acidic fertilizer, and planted two stunning blue hydrangeas.  They are coming in lovely and someday they will be a real show stopper.