We are home from our trip and I have to admit, I really do love home.
My garden went totally crazy while I was gone. I know it’s nuts, but there is something about a garden jungle that just lifts my soul. I look at it and think OMG all of this came from tiny seeds, water and sunshine. It always amazes me and although it’s necessary, I have a little bit of a hard time cutting back all that lush green life
But, I do it. Each day that I prune, I get a little bit more aggressive until it’s back under control.
Here in Hill Country, I still have at least 75 days of growing before the first killing frost. The first rush of veggies is over and many of my plants are starting to show stress from the heat and stress from the insects. Inevitably, things have to come out to make room for the next wave but it’s always slightly sad until I start planting again.
I’ve figured out that I like baby plants, almost as much as baby animals 😊
We’re working on adjustments to our beds in what is now being called the “Kitchen Garden” and clearing the spot for the “Big Garden”. My husband is truly amazing!
We’ve learned so much in the last two seasons and we’ve decided that growing for the kitchen is very different than growing for preserving and gifting. The kitchen garden will have things that are mainly used fresh for cooking and things that are great to snack on right out of the garden. And of course lots of flowers for our little pollinators. The kitchen garden will have our asparagus, strawberries, various cane and bush berries, herbs, cherry tomatoes, peas, lettuces and other greens.
Most everything else will go in the Big Garden. I’m planning on planting 100 tomato plants next year. Yes, I know it’s kind of nuts. The big garden is a huge undertaking and will grow each year. Because of all the large limestone rocks in our soil, we will be building raised beds. The plan is to build a few each year. Each bed will be 3 feet wide and 60 feet long. We use the Hugelkultur, (pronounced Hoo-gul-culture) method and fill the bottom half with logs, sticks and leaves from our property and then compost for the top half.
We also have lots of fence to build to keep the deer out. I don’t mind sharing a little, but they don’t necessarily stop at a little. As you might imagine, building fences is challenging in our soil. We literally must drill the holes for the posts with a rock drill.
So as I shift from the spring/summer garden to the fall garden, I’m replanting many things to get a second wave and starting the true fall crop seedlings indoors since it’s still way too hot for them. They will go out as soon as the nighttime temperatures start dropping.
I’ve also been working on lots of custom two letter intertwined vintage monograms this month. Check them out on my Etsy site.
This month’s free design is a minimalist monogram frame in 4x4 and 5x7 hoop sizes.
Have a Super September,
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