Until today, the weather has been a string of beautiful warm, sunny days. The grass is growing non-stop and requires mowing every three days.
The trees are in various stages of getting their leaves, our flowering trees are bursting with fragrant blossoms, and the lilac bush is covered with sweet smelling purple flowers.
Lots of things have had to take a back seat, like the rush seat on my rocker, the sweater I was trying to finish knitting, most sewing, and my punch needle project. Spring cleaning is moving along slowly, but happily a major job was checked off the to-do list. The living room and dining room floor has been freshly painted gray, its third color to date--though I liked the green, it was a little dark for these north facing rooms.
Last weekend I planted radishes and more lettuces since my seeds never came up. I also planted some Early Girl tomato plants, {though we are not yet past the last frost date}, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and lots of onions.
Most of the week was spent weeding, weeding, and weeding some more in the flower beds...and painting the picnic table and benches--just two more benches to go. This weekend is looking cool and rainy, but I hope to do some more planting. With the cost of groceries ever on the rise, I am hoping to depend more upon food we can grow ourselves
and freeze, can, and dehydrate more than I have been.
What is your favorite garden crop for stretching the food budget?
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Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day!
I grow tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic - so I can freeze tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, salsa - all things my three teen boys love. And fresh peas -because you cannot buy them fresh anywhere - and lettuces - because homegrown lettuce is so easy.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why gray was too dark for your north facing rooms, then I remembered your north is my south facing. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a student vegetable gardener - and I've learned that if the soil (due to my compost) produces something unknown when its' s a seedling - let it grow until it's big before you "weed" it....for example: butternuts, baby marrows, sweet potatoes, gooseberries, nasturtiums, tomatoes. Rocket leaves are also easy to grow: I've more success with rocket leaves than with any other lettuce (due to some unknown hungry visitors at night). Peppadews, spinach, leeks and onions grow beautiful, and sometimes the celery joins them. I'm still learning how to plant and grow beans and peas successfully...supposedly some of the easiest veggies to grow.....Then, my herb garden plays a vital part in my kitchen: basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, mint, tarragon....anything that will grow in your area.....and lastly, don't forget the gardening task of "sprouting" in the kitchen.
ReplyDeletethis essay reminded me of the ones I still want and need to plant: ginger, lemon grass..
...your interior decorating skills (photos) inspire me! Have you got any favourite books that inspire you?
Lovely photos of your home - I really like the gray floors. I love to grow herbs, as they can be quite expensive to buy and most are deer proof. I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day! xx
ReplyDeleteThe weeding is endless isn't it. This year I'm determined to do more mulching. I've used newspapers and grass clippings between my peas, lettuce and spinach. I'm a little behind on my planting, though. Hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love your home style, its elegant and comfy. We are heading into winter now so there's less to plant. Work gets busy and I neglect my garden which makes me sad
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that anything my Hubby gets out of the garden helps stretch the food budget.
ReplyDeleteWe are just starting to get the gardens in, believe it or not we had frost last night.
God bless.
I too adore your "home style", so calm, relaxing, bright and cheery. Love how you incorporate the wicker baskets and the woods of furniture with your all white slipcovers. Thanks for sharing. I miss seeing your "cup of tea"...if you don't mind my asking, what kind of mug is it? Probably something you found at a flea market, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa! I almost always have my tea out of a Homer Laughlin china cup, which is from a set of four cups and saucers I found at a yard sale or flea market...don't remember where exactly. Deb
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ReplyDeleteI love your floors! Wondering how gray would look with my creamy walls. Would you mind sharing paint brand and name of color? Do you use acrylic or oil base?
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry I couldn’t reply sooner—we’ve been away for a bit of vacation. The floor paint we used is Benjamin Moore latex floor and patio paint—the color is platinum gray. I love this paint for the floor! It has a satin finish, cleans up well, and is super durable—we have two dogs that have put it to the test.
DeleteOur walls are Benjamin Moore Navajo White—kind of dark as creams go. If I were to paint the walls again, I think I would use a whiter shade, though I am not unhappy with the cream and the gray.
Deb
Clarice, thank you for the kind words. Also, I hope to try growing kale...I have several good recipes for it, and it's a great source of calcium which I need.
ReplyDeleteDeb
Just stumbled across your blog and it is lovely. Looking forward to spending some more time here xo
ReplyDeleteI'm happy you found your way here and look forward to your visits :)
DeleteDeb