May 2015 Garden

      After exeriencing 90 degree day time temps and 70 for the low at night, I went outside to a very cool 60, this morning! Yes, it felt almost cold after all the heat and humidity we've had! I wanted to run back in the house and put on pants instead of shorts! But I found a nice, warm sunny spot to stand and watch the cheeps, as I call them. (Chicks) We just put them on the ground this week. I hope they adjust well to the cooler temps last night and this morning! They seem to be doing good. The warmer temps have affected the egg-laying, as I'm not getting as many eggs. So many factors in egg-laying!

      It hasn't rained in a couple of weeks. My garden really needs rain! I hope we get the rain predicted for the weekend, even though the girls will be here! Hopefully, the chicks will know what to do! They have a nice shelter and doghouse to get in. I've been hand watering the garden since there's been no rain. I've also added the compost tea to it. You would not believe how the veggies have grown! I wished I'd taken a before photo, but there are some now's below. 

      Since it's gotten hot and dry, now is the time to plant okra. Okra likes it that way! If it's too cool and wet, the okra won't come up. I'm going to plant some long okra a friend shared with me he grew last year. I hope the seeds are still viable. I'll know within a week if they are.

      After watching so many of John Kohler's videos, I've really been inspired about so many things! I'm so glad God led me to them! I have been composting daily; and now I'm adding the azomite. It came in yesterday. It's supposed to add minerals to the much depleted soil. I'm also adding alfalfa since kelp is not easily obtained in this area. Alfalfa is a good source of nitrogen and minerals. I plan on looking for kelp when we go to the beach. Maybe I'll be able to find a source there. Soon, I hope to obtain used coffee grounds from a local coffee shop. I'm also getting some worm castings from a gentleman who raises worms for a hobby. I hope to learn how to do that when I visit him. He and his wife seem so sweet!

      I planted spinach and swiss chard in a container yesterday. The reason I did that is so I can move the containers out of the blazing sun when it gets too hot. As you know, spinach will bolt. I think the chard can take it, but just to be on the safe side, I'll move it as well. A lot of the seeds I sowed in the ground have not come up. I looked at the packages and most of them are Ferry Morse seeds. That's what Walmart sells. Some are good, some are not. I decided I would order some seeds from this company: https://seedsnow.refersion.com/c/02f6a 
They should be here soon. Hopefully, you will check out this link and order some seeds! They are heirloom, non-gmo seeds! I can get 20 percent off my future orders when you order through this link. Then, you can do the same on your blog!

      Time has passed since I began writing this post and it has indeed warmed up outside and in! But the humidity is low! Whew, I'm thankful for that! The honeysuckle sure does smell good outside! I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather! How is your garden doing? Let me know in the comments! Have a great week! Blessings from Bama!

A fun way to blow lots of bubbles!

Cooking a chicken in the Sun Oven. It got cloudy so I had to finish it off inside.

My favorite yellow iris!

A beautiful, fragrant rose!

Love this purple iris!

Beautiful peony!

The wild rose is taking over!

Getting my 'boogie on' so my 'plants can dance'!

The okra I was telling you about.

Containers of swiss chard and spinach.

A nice row of squash.

I harvested spinach yesterday so it needs to grow back.

These are beets.

A row of green beans.

The tomatoes were small when I planted them, but after using boogie brew, they really took off!

They even have blooms!

I love how the potatoes are growing! I really need to cover them with more dirt!

A close-up of the potatoes.

Can you believe how they've grown? It's almost time to put them in with the big girls. I hope I can sell the three roosters that are lying on the ground!

These three are in with the previous ones and have grown tremendously as well. 

These are the babies. Some of them are turning out to be roosters even though the lady sold them to me as pullets. I'm ordering all pullets from a notable hatchery next time!

      

Hey Ya'll! Happy May Day!

      That goes to every day in May! I hope ya'll have been enjoying this beautiful day! It's been quite cool here this time of year! Mid-upper sixties, when the other day it was in the eighties! 'Blackberry winter' as they call it around here. The blackberries are indeed blooming and I hope to get enough to make some more delicious blackberry jelly this year! If you've never tried blackberry jelly, you are missing out! 

      I just came in from weeding in the garden. It's amazing how quickly the weeds grow! They actually outgrow the vegetables! I'm having a problem with my squash seeds. I've planted it twice from different packs of seeds. It just won't germinate! The zucchini either. I guess I'll have to get some more seeds. I just bought those last year, I think. I'll start dating the packages so I'll know for sure. Are your vegetables coming up? The okra and beans are coming up, but I had to re-plant the purple hull peas. I bought a new pack so they should germinate. What's growing in your garden?

      Since it's May, I have so many irises and roses blooming! They are so pretty! The photos do not do them justice, but I have quite a few to share with you! Oh, do ya'll watch Duck Dynasty? Skylar bought all the series and we are on season 2. I love it! Si is the funniest man! Booyah! Now I know where that phrase came from! If you are not a Southerner, you may be unfamiliar with some of their phrases. We sound just like them. I wasn't sure what people in Louisiana sounded like. I've heard people from New Orleans speak and they didn't sound like that. Like Jesse Duplantis speaks Cajun. Love that man! Well, ya'll have a good weekend! Blessings from Bama!

The wisteria is still blooming! It is so fragrant!

Love these color combinations!

Peonies are about to open!

These are pretty too!

I love these white irises!

The clematis is so heavy it pushed the trellis over!

Love the frilly little petals!

The Japanese maple sure is pretty!

Love this!

What about these colors!

These are lovely too!

Randy put a pole behind the trellis to give it support. What you can't see is a tiny bird nest at the top with a tiny blue egg in it.

I wished the camera could capture the real color! And the fragrance is intoxicating!

Such a pretty color!

Yummy banana nut bread!

The beds have been planted with tomato plants.

More tomato plants. Some of the green outside the beds are poison ivy. Yikes!

I've been harvesting mustard leaves to go in my green juice this week!

Strawberry plants are looking good! But what is that mound of dirt? An insect? They always have these.

Freshly hoed beans and cucumbers. I ran out of cardboard, so I get to use my muscles!

Absolutely gorgeous!

So pretty!

Nice view! The tree stump to the left, Randy moved all the logs last week! I helped and boy was it a job!

Oh, sweet!

Peonies opening!

The petals have dropped over but I love the colors!

Blue iris? In reality it's purple! Beautiful!

The rain has finally stopped!

      And the sun has come out again! The temps have warmed into the upper seventies, instead of the upper 40's! We were experiencing winter weather since I last blogged! At least for us it was! We had to wear jackets and long sleeves! Who would have thought that in May for Alabama? Our local river has passed flood stage and there's no telling what Nocallula Falls looks like!

      We went to Jemmison, Alabama Sunday, to a great garden center, Petals From the Past! I just knew it was going to rain, since it was very cloudy and raining in most areas. But we only experienced cold winds and clouds! It was cold, but I chose a couple of rosebushes  and muscadine vines anyway! We also got a beautiful yellow iris and some red verbena. I have gotten everything planted except the iris and the verbena. These were gifts to me for Mother's Day. Actually, Valentines as well since I wanted a rose bush instead of a bouquet of roses.

      Of course the girls were here this past weekend! They are so cute growing up! They never cease to amaze me with all the questions they ask! And some of the things they say are so cute! It's a whirlwind when they're here and I miss them when they're not here! I'm sure I'll get to see them a lot this weekend since it's Mother's Day and we all try to get together for that! Hope ya'll have a nice Mother's Day! Thanks for stopping by! Blessings from Bama!

Winterlynn trying to slide. Rubi is always around the children or me!

I like this photo of her!

We just finished breakfast and I think they'r watching Caillou. They love him! I won't let you see my bed-head!

Isn't this a beautiful peony? I just love the color!

Sir Thomas Tipton. This is one of the roses I got. Skylar is almost done with the mulch.

Ruth's Red, a climber. These roses are repeat bloomers. The red one has very full, beautiful red roses, when it blooms.

I'm not sure of the name of this yellow iris. It was given to me. These flowers are inside the chicken yard and are so full of blooms. The rose, in the middle, it's hard to tell, has lots of blooms about to open.

The wild, once-blooming rose bush has small flowers.

Concord grape. I hope it has grapes in less than three years!

The blackberries are so pretty in bloom!

One of the muscadines. Rubi likes the cool, wet dirt.

Another muscadine.

I can't get enough of this beautifully colored iris!

I believe this one is Black Beauty.

I also can't get enough of this beautiful peony!

I need to move this iris out of the weeds. It's a bit close to the woods, too.