Harvest Day

It's really happening!  Lettuce is in great supply!  The turnips are beautiful!  And the strawberries .... well, let's just say that both Jen and I used a lot of self control in order to collect them for freezing instead of eating them all!  Thank you God for the Harvest!

Growth!

I apologize for not updating for so long!  The excuse?  My camera was out of batteries.It's just not the same without photos!

So I thought I'd show you how much things have grown.  The top picture  is of our beautiful potatoes.  I was off island a few weeks ago and ours look so much better and bigger than the professional growers in Skagit County!  (A little pride here, but not the bad kind)






The garlic is huge!  But not ready to harvest yet.  We've been kicking ourselves a bit because we planted it before we planned this year's garden.  This was a lesson crop.   It's a beautiful crop and smells so good.  We are looking forward to salsa!




Here's a shot of our lettuce bed.  WOW!  I didn't believe greens could taste so good!  We have had a little bit of a problem with bolting of the spinach and the arugula, but we continue to replant as we pull the others out.  What satisfaction it is to bring home dinner.  Salads are first and foremost in our lives right now!



Here's our own Vanah Jen showing our lovely tomato hot bed.  Farmer Steve built a beautiful structure that should hold up for a number of years.  We found the row cover at the local Thrift Shop for a dollar!  (A really good deal).  All our "babies" are planted and stay warm and cozy in their little box..  We have one plant in blossom.  The little marigolds surrounding the bed will keep out the bad bugs that love tomatoes.  They are so perky and happy - brightening the garden.

There's Farmer Steve!

He's got a new hat which helps him fulfill his Farmer role.  But take a look at this:  Compost!  Steve has become the compost expert!  He has read tons, tried various things and now each time he turns the pile, a beautiful haze of steam rises.  (That means everything is composting at it's proper rate!)  This compost will be used in the garden beds add nutrients for the years to come.  Sorry, Brownes, but we won't need to purchase anymore from now on, but we appreciate you guys getting us started!

Peas! We Have Peas!

 

If you look at our older posts, you'll see the saga of the peas - so we thought it only fair to give you an up date!  Today we discovered our first pea!  What satisfaction to do this - to plant, water, pray and then realize that the harvest is coming!  Of course we've began to harvest other things, but somehow, for me anyway, seeing this precious pea in real life brought it all together and made all the hard labor worth it.  Jen's discovery squeal put a smile on my face!

Before Our Very Eyes!

Amazing!  Awe Inspiring! Amazing! 

Today we spent a few hours working in the garden.  All was so beautiful - the sunshine, the birds singing, the dogs playing.  Steve built a beautiful structure for the tomatoes soon to be transplanted.  It was just a lovely day.

AND THEN....  Jen and I found a few bean sprouts that were not above ground when we first arrived in the morning.  We were jumping up and down (ok, not really, but in our hearts!) and could hardly believe what was happening!  Then a squash plant poked its head up through the earth.  Back to the beans - and yes - there were more.  We were watching the miracle of growth right before our very eyes! 

Sometimes we walk through the day and, at least in my experience, don't see much going on - growth, change, healing, newness, etc.  And then when we least expect it - Ta Da!  We see the evidence of things not before seen!  How amazing our God is to continuously work in us to grow, create and birth newness of life in to our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

History of the Friendship Garden

Steve & Jen purchased property and built a beautiful raised bed garden and began an orchard about three years ago.

 

Here they are with a beautiful little apple tree that 

looks to be very fruitful.

I came along in the summer last year and just sat soaking up the sunshine, Jen's irreplaceable love and friendship and began sharing little bits of knowledge I'd picked up from a Master Gardener I had worked for years ago.

After discovering we worked together so well, Jen and I talked over tea one wintry afternoon.  

We had come to the table with the same proposal - Could we share the work and harvest of the garden for 2010?  We laughed as once again, we found something we had in common.  Our minds continue to think alike. 

So we agreed and began planning.

 Steve has expanded the orchard to include so many wonderful and new things like this pomegranate.  Apple, nectarine, pear and cherry trees are looking very healthy and happy. Also introduced this year are blueberries, raspberries, Marion berries and blackberries.

It's kind of a mystery how people who cross our paths walk with us on roads we could never imagine taking beforehand.  Sometimes they are short brief strolls - and others they are hikes which take us to new heights as we discover new things about our strengths, weaknesses and the love of friendships.

As you sow, so shall you reap...

Sowing - it sounds so easy and so fun. But the reality is it is plain hard work! Already we have worked amendments into the soil - Farmer Steve was great! He got a tiller and tilled all the beds so we didn't have to do it by hand - like Jen is doing in this picture. We're too old for that!



But oh, how amazing it is once the tiny seeds are planted and show up! It brings a personal satisfaction that not much else can match. (Ok - well there are all those things you are thinking of right now - but just go with me on this one :)




Of course then there is the satisfaction of the harvest. Bella found this as she plucked her first radish out of the ground with pride.



We work to be faithful in what we have been given - that does not mean perfection. It means trial and error and doing the best we can at the moment. Seems like a great way to learn those life lessons every one needs. I think that is why I love gardening so much. Nothing is ever wasted. At the very least I learn something new. It's ok to try something and fail. And succeed. There are always surprises. It's ok to get dirty and have fun and laugh. It's a precious gift.

Friendship Participants

So much of gardening can be accomplished alone. Many find solace in the quiet of time spent outdoors taking time to commune with one self and God; to mull over things over that just need to be mulled. It is a great treasure to be found in these days of busyness and electronic din. Sometimes, however, it's a great place to have a visit that wouldn't happen otherwise. A garden can be a place of memory making with friends and, in our garden, dogs.

Here's Carol and Lilly who visited today.
Carol is Jen's mom. Can you believe it!
She doesn't look old enough!
And Lilly - this was her first visit to the garden.
And though she would like everyone to believe
she has a hearing problem, she did come back when called.

It was a beautiful visit.

Attack of the Cabbage Worms!

I think we both felt quite sad to have to bring some foreign substance into our garden in order to produce a bountiful harvest. We have discovered cabbage worms, grubs, flies, teeny tiny worms attacking the little tender seedlings (Jen refers to them as our Babies). So you can imagine that we HAD to do something. The stats are that if these beasts are left to their own devises, they consume 80% of the crops planted. That just can't happen. We topped two of the beds with BT. We will be watching over them closely as we continue to plant seeds and plant a few tester seedlings. We prayed for the blessings of God's hand as we continue to be faithful with what He has given us. We asked for wisdom to be guided and learn just what should be done. We gave thanks for the beautiful place and the wonderful opportunity to grow food for our families and others. There's the good and the bad - we see both to be opportunities for personal growth throughout this life.

For more information on BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) that we used to thwart these evil doers, see the following websites:
http://www.freeplants.com/bt-organic-insecticide.htm
http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/OrganicPesticid.htm
http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/pips/regofbtcrops.htm

Farmer Steve

Here's Farmer Steve in his gorgeous orchard. He's worked extra hard at planting due to the fact that it takes a pick axe to get through the hard ground and rocks. Fruit trees were planted last year, raspberries, blueberries and marion berries have been added this year. Just beyond the orchard, caught up in the clouds of the day is Mount Baker, which makes for an awesome background. This peaceful setting, amazing site and wonderful structures are all the work of Steve's vision and understanding of what is needed to do things well. He is a blessing to all who work at the Friendship Garden.

Oh, and by the way - the name of the garden and the sign are Steve's handy work as well. What a guy!

Kathy & Jen

It may not be our very best photo, however it is rare that we have a picture together! This is Kathy (on the left) and Jen (on the right). Our friendship has grown so beautifully over the past year or so. It amazes both of us how God gives us an understanding of one another ~ our hearts desires, our treasures, our love of family and God. Each day seems to bring a new lesson, a new kiss from our Lord, who is constantly providing us amazing love and grace as we walk through this life. And it is so much FUN to do the day with someone who "gets" you!

Bella's First Radish

Here's the very first radish of the Friendship Garden 2010 grown by our very own Bella!

Bella offered Grampy Steve the first one.


He wanted to share it,


but she was more interested in growing and harvesting than eating!
Grampy Steve said it tasted delicious!

Good going Farmer Bella!

Dirt Prep

Yesterday we spent time preparing another bed for planting. We are choosing to put our cabbage, broccoli, spinach and chard in this bed, as the one next to it is having a cabbage worm issue. We need to do a little more investigating and hold a few more discussions so we can come to a consensus on how we want to deal with this issue. For now, we'll plant the other bed up. The troubled bed will be dealt with just in time to plant tomatoes. Yippy! We have a wide variety of tomatoes we began from see this year. Our plan is to make and can salsa!

Jen did a wonderful job setting up the new spot for the squash. Here she planted the 8-Ball and the Pattypan that we began from seeds. Don't they look so healthy and happy? Jen too!

Here we have our own Vanna White showing off our lovely Lemon Cucumbers transplanted into the end of one of the beds. As they mature, they will train up onto the fencing and produce a wonderful crop without overtaking the entire bed.

Friends of the Gardeners

So there is never a dull moment with the Three Musketeers! Buddy, Cash and Grace all seem to love the garden - inside and out of the fence. However, they don't necessarily love each other! Cash is so big and loves to play, where King Buddy and Queen Grace would rather lay on the warm dirt beds and watch over the Kingdoms!
So much for the Dogs Life being hard!

First Potatoes Peek Out

Jen did such a great job burying the Golden Fingerling Potatoes. We chose to use an entire bed for them as they proved to be very popular from last year's harvest.

So discovering their sweet leaves reaching towards the sky
today was so very exciting! We just had to share this picture! Here's looking forward to yummy dinners!

Pea Planting Day!

The snap peas have been a little bit of a challenge. Once we planted the seeds, and they sprouted, field mice discovered how much of a delicacies they were and left a pile of the hulls for our offerings. Not Funny!!!

So, snap peas were sprouted and over 300 seedlings grew big enough to thwart the mice. What a blessing to remove all the pea starts from Kathy's house and settle them into their final resting place in the garden.

They sure looked happy.

She made the vow that if the mice eat these, that's it. We'll give up!