Garden 3.0 (Week 10)

On Memorial Day we had a long day working out in the yard. It started early in the morning so that we could get sprinklers in for a grass area that we are adding around the shed. I wore a cheap cowboy hat that I bought at a gas station, and that proved to be very helpful as it was in the upper 80's all day long. My goal was to have all of this done by Tuesday, the first day of the summer semester. I got very close to finishing it, I got all the trenches dug, the pipes laid, and now I just have 3 of the 6 sprinklers left to finish the project! 

This picture is of the three rows of corn that Julie planted. We decided to plant the corn a couple rows at a time so that we don't have so much corn all at once. Last year we were eating corn for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Julie planted four rows of Tendergreen Beans in this area. You will also notice that we have peppers and tomatoes to the left of the beans. Since we have been doing the sprinkler project, we haven't been stellar at watering, so they are looking a little wilted.

The peas are really starting to get heavy, as you can see they are pulling down the trellis. The interesting thing is that the row without the trellis is creeping over so that it can attach itself. It's weird how plants adapt to their environment.

Quilting Star

So this is what happens when your mom is kind of a big deal in the quilting world, you end up in quilting magazines and on quilting websites. Yep, my wife (Julie) and I were part of a marketing campaign for Handi Quilter, where my mom works. We could be found in quilting magazines all throughout the country, enjoying our new quilt that my mom made for our wedding. 

Garden 3.0 (Week 8)

I went on a walk in downtown Ogden this afternoon (amid some grumblings from my friends) and saw some really unique homes. One of those homes had a garden with onions. The onions were huge! (well, at least the green above ground part). I am doing something wrong with my onions. Does anyone have any advice?

The peas are really starting to weigh down the trellis. The netting is not holding very well, so I'll need to figure out another way to tighten it.

Also, note that there is a trace of snow on the ground...are you kidding me?! It's May 17th and we're still getting snow. Now I understand why these are called snow peas. Speaking of snow peas, here are some little known facts about them:

• Snow peas are thought to be an Asian vegetable. That’s because today they are essential to Chinese cooking. 
• Snow peas are the main pea eaten in China and Japan.
• Snow peas were first cultivated in Holland.
• The snow pea was developed by Dutch farmers in 1536. The Dutch love developing new tender, sweet peas.
• From Holland, snow peas—which were then known as Dutch peas—traveled to England and from England traders introduced snow peas to China. The Chinese name for snow pea is hoh laan dau—which means Holland pea.
• The Chinese snow pea did not get the name snow pea in China. Immigrant Cantonese farmers in San Francisco during the nineteenth century called the Chinese pea shii dau—snow pea. No one is sure why.

http://www.harvesttotable.com/2007/04/snow_peas_you_can/

Garden 3.0 (Week 7)

 The carrots and onions are finally showing some life, unlike the Jazz in the playoffs. One of the reasons they were so slow might be that I didn't put any fertilizer in the soil before planting them. So, for all of you looking for garden tips, this blog hasn't been ripe with them lately.

The peas are really starting to take off. I've been hand watering them every night and I think that's been key for the recent growth. The trellises seem to be holding pretty strong, but I worry about when the fruit comes that they won't be able to hold the weight. The next couple weeks are going to be telling. Stay tuned!

Garden 3.0 (Week 6)

I did it! It's the first time I've ever put up a trellis for my peas. It's hardly even noticeable, but the two closest rows have trellis nets in between the two posts. I left the far row without a trellis to see what the difference in yield will be.
The trellis netting is very fine and the posts are super slim. I hope they will be able to hold up the peas, especially since the netting is held on by twist ties I found in the pantry. Sophisticated, I know.

The onions and carrots are barely doing anything, nothing much to report.

On a side note: Once again it snowed on the peas, making them a true Snow Pea.