Two posts in one day! But a lot has been going on.
For starters, I planted two blueberry bushes recently. Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, and as many fruits as we are growing here, we aren’t growing those. So I figured I might as well.
On Monday, I noticed that something snapped off the top of one of them.
I put fencing around both of them after this.
I planted a cucamelon. Never grew them before. I’ve never even eaten them before. I’m pretty sure it’s dead now. I just had a peek at it when I was out in the yard and it looks dead. It was an experiment in the first place, and now it’s a failed experiment. It happens.
I also keep finding more potato plants. Everywhere I look, potatoes. Most of them came up on their own accord, but I did plant some Yukon Golds before I even realized there were already potatoes.
Three heads of lettuce came up on their own. I also planted two heads, so I am good whenever I want salad.
Also, someone planted asparagus some time ago, in the same bed where I planted the blueberries. I like the taste of asparagus just fine, but I don’t like growing it. But I can’t do anything about it, so I just keep harvesting the spears each day. But my hands now smell like asparagus.
I also have mint coming up. Dill, too. I didn’t plant those either.
I am excited to have strawberries soon. (Two beds full of them … already established when we got here.) I’ve already harvested some rhubarb and put it in the freezer. (Again … didn’t plant.) What I did plant: broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, decorative gourds, onions, chives, basil — those are all in progress and looking good so far.
I discovered a nearby farm market today — literally a 3-minute drive from our house. They have their own apiary and sell their own honey, as well as other Ohio-made goods. The farm market isn’t open yet for the season, but they are currently having a barn sale with a lot of rustic farmhouse décor, kitchen appliances, and other goods for sale. So, I drove over there to see what they had and bought some stuff, including some lemon creamed honey from their bees and some local jam.
I’ll definitely be back often once they are open. They will have produce, of course, but they also sell baked goods from Der Dutchman. The family who runs it is super nice, and so is their dog.
As for what I purchased — I needed décor for our fireplace mantel. It was bare except for the giant wall clock mounted above it. Birdhouses sort of became the theme in that room, so I shopped accordingly.
Anyway, the blue birdhouse above has a chain on it for hanging. And what better way to hang it than to bring in a branch from our yard? So I went outside to find the perfect branch, placed it in a mason jar, filled the mason jar with pebbles, and wrapped twine around the top of the jar.
Voila! Pretty pleased with how it turned out. But now I really need to paint that wall soonish. It’s just way too white/beige.
Karyn Johnson 