The contractor is busy inside the house, and we’re trying to keep busy outside, getting ready for this year’s garden. Having Owen around means we probably won’t be able to do hundreds of tomato plants like last year, but even still, we should be able to grow a good amount of plants. My goal this year is to grow some new plants, like kale, spinach and beets. My hope is to take some of these plants and make a “baby food garden,” so we can grow some of Owen’s first solid foods ourselves instead of having to buy them at the store.
Fortunately we were able to do some of last year’s gardening in advance. Last fall’s garlic crop has done very well – I think Sonya counted about 91 garlic plants in all. And all four of our fruit trees have flowered for the first time! So far at least one of them is always compromised by a late cold snap or a fungus. But with a little luck we might actually get an apple, or a cherry, or a plum in addition to peaches! Our blueberry bushes are doing well, and Sonya’s been cleaning up in the strawberry patch to make sure we’ll see plenty of berries again.
The new addition in the backyard is a gazebo for our patio. We built the patio two summers ago to have a spot for our hammocks. It’s a perfect spot to rest and watch birds and squirrels (and cats) roam through the yard, but it gets very buggy, especially during a rainy stretch like we’re having now. The netting should help keep the bugs out, which means we can stay out longer. That’s going to come in handy as the house renovation gets going!
