2013 Garden Update 1

Okay, okay. I know. It's been two months, and no update!

Well, I had a slight setback about a month after planting... There decided to be a freeze! So, most of what was planted was lost. BUT if you know me and my gardens, you know I wasn't about to let that stop me. ;) I replanted. And everything looks great now! They are still mostly sprouts, but with real leaves on some of them. Either way, it's all growing very well and healthy. On with the pictures!

In the Garden:

Grapes!

Grapes!

Grapes!

Blueberry bush, and another behind it. So big!

Blueberries! Both bushes are covered in them.

Baby blueberry. We have two of these, they should grow all year and produce next spring!

Sunflowers! They're doing really well, there's an entire row of them, just like last year. They aren't all quite this big, but varying sizes from newly risen sprouts to some a foot tall.

Someone asked me the other day why I planted sunflowers at all; they aren't a vegetable and it's not like you can really eat them, right?

Well I love sunflower seeds. The ones that come from my sunflowers might be smaller than the store-bought ones, but they taste amazing, and I can flavor them however I want!

Besides, it's a gorgeous view from the gate as I walk into my garden to see all these wonderful veggies growing with a backdrop of large bright yellow sunflowers!




Corn! Just like last year, I planted two columns of corn side by side down a full row. Now, last year I noticed that although all the corn grew wonderfully and produced a lot (and I do mean a LOT; my deep freezer still has some from harvesting last year) I saw that some of the ears weren't filled out properly. Some kernels didn't form, leaving spaces in the corn (It doesn't actually affect the taste or ability to eat it, it just isn't as pretty). I looked it up online and apparently, according to the all-knowing Internet, corn will fill out better if planted in large patches, so that the pollination can properly take place (or something to that effect) so for best results I really should have planted 4 columns close together. Oh well, maybe next year. =)

Peas! One of the tallest out there.

More peas! Most of them are still tiny like these.

Green Beans!

More Green Beans! Looking good!

Peas! I have two columns of them, but they only go halfway down the row.













Green Beans! I have two columns of them as well, completing the other half of the Pea row.

Squash. Only 1/3 of a row this year... had to cut back after last year's overdose of Squash!

Tomatoes! The ones on the left are Roma Tomatoes, and the ones on the right are your typical hybrids. I have 1/3 row of hybrids and 1/3 row of Romas. They're all doing great, let's hope we're actually HOME this year when they produce!

Beets! I have never attempted to grow beets, but WOW they are doing fantastic.

Beets! Don't they look great? Wish I could see what was going on below the surface!

The beets! They easily survived the frost and are now thriving.











 Beets! I planted one column of beets and one column of carrots, side by side. They take up 1/3 of a row.

My little carrots... The entire column is popping up. The one on the right there survived the frost from the first planting.

Broccoli and Cauliflower! The large picture to the left is broccoli. I only have about three of them that size so far, ones that survived the frost. The small one above and to the right is a tiny little cauliflower sprout, as most of them are. And the one in the middle just happens to be right where the broccoli ends and the cauliflower begins, so it could be either one. We'll just have to wait and see which it turns out to be!

Cucumbers! Everyone is mostly excited for these, because they will grow up to get pickled and canned. PICKLE SPROUTS. That's what they are. =D Half a row of them.

Watermelon! I have big plans for these this year. They are going to take a lot of extra love and attention if I want to actually harvest any watermelons from them. Every year we have issues with the melons rotting on the vine; but this year I am going to monitor closely for every melon that starts to form and lift it off the ground to *hopefully* prevent that from happening. We are long overdue for some home-grown watermelon! Half a row of them.

Cantaloupe. These things grew SO well last year. I just know they are going to do well this year, too. I had to plant them on the last row of the garden, because I remembered how much they tried to take over. This way, they can take over the hill beside the garden. Half a row of them.

Pumpkins! I still need to weed through these and the cantaloupe, so I'm not sure just how many pumpkins I have that are actually growing. These are also planted in the last row of the garden, because they really DID take over everything else. Just pie pumpkins this year, no mini ones. Half a row of these, too.

 

 

 

 So, I have weeded down most of my rows. The garden has erupted with weeds left and right, and that's no different from last year, really. But this year I took too long to remove some of those weeds, and now... Well, embarrassingly enough, I lost my pepper row.

 That isn't to say the peppers didn't grow. They very well may have. Unfortunately, I don't remember *exactly* where that row is. I know it's somewhere in front of the camera here. Until they get a little bigger, I really won't know for sure where they are, if they are even growing. Hopefully in the next week I can get out there and at least do some light weeding in the area. If I'm lucky, I'll stumble across a pepper plant.

My Lemon Tree ♥ Going to transplant it to a larger pot sometime in the next few months.

Lemons! Tiny little lemons. There are at least a dozen growing on the tree right now, and quite a few dozen beautiful white flowers. Super excited for the lemons!





In the Greenhouse:

 What kind of Italian would I be if I didn't have three different types of Basil? Haha. Sweet basil, Spicy Basil, and Lemon Basil. They really make the greenhouse smell fantastic.

 Parsley, Cilantro, and Chives. The Parsley started to die, I think the exact spot I had them in originally was just way too much direct light and heat. But as you can see, new sprouts are emerging! Nature reminding us once again to never give up. The Cilantro is fighting for it's life right now, I think it was also in one of those spots. It's stable for now, since I've moved it. The Chives are doing great.

 

My sage. Just one little Sage plant decided to grow, but it's doing good. I still have two full bundles of dried sage that I got from Fort Parker this year, so I'm not as worried if the sage doesn't grow much. But I'd love to dry some of my own, I think it's more meaningful that way.

 The strawberries. I have 16 strawberry plants, and I know I need to transplant them to larger pots. They are doing amazing. They've already produced a few strawberries, though I can't show you pictures of them because I let the kids eat them. =) You can see there are new ones just starting to grow though. Hopefully in the next few months these plants will really blossom out and produce enough to make some jam!

I had some leftover Roma Tomato seeds, and some Picante Pepper and Bell Pepper seeds, too. I had planted them in the greenhouse and they are doing amazing! Which is good, because these in the greenhouse might be the only peppers we get.





And this here was a Crape Myrtle we bought at the same time as the grapes. It was one of those ones that was just a leafless twig sticking out of a white plastic bag. I had faith in the little guy though, and replanted him in one of the pots the grapes came in. Look at it now! It's got beautiful leaves and it's doing great. Once it's about double this size I'll move it outside so we can plant it with the other Crape Myrtles in the yard. =)

Letting Go

It hurts when someone can't keep you in their life anymore, and you aren't ready to let go. But you have to, because it's what they want, and when you love someone, you do what makes them happy even if it hurts you.

I will always love you, and I hope you find the peace you are searching for in your new life. You taught me SO much; I was so thankful to have you in my life while it lasted. I understand your reasons, and while I don't agree with them (because it excludes me) I want to see you have everything you need and anything you could want.

I feel cheated, because I never really got to say good-bye. Circumstances arose too quickly, and I was too far away. I wish I could have had one last hug, seen one last smile, and heard one last "I love you." I am grateful for what I did get though. Life lessons... happy memories... the feeling of being loved and supported...

I'm going to miss that.

Kids grow up, but they never really leave. That's another reason this is so hard for me. I have easily let go of many people to whom I promised I would always be there. I have walked away from those I have loved, those who have loved me, from those I have hated, and those who have hated me. I never thought it would be this hard to walk away from one more... but I also never thought it would be you I'd have to walk away from.

I think it will take a very long time before I am truly ready to let you go, before enough time passes and enough change takes place in my life for it to seem more natural. Though I hope you will always know just how much I cared--and still care--and cherish the memories we shared. Because the years we had, tied together as family, made us who we are. It would be a shame to forget the past.

This is what you want, and I will respect your wishes.
That being said... Farewell.
Be happy. I love you.
♥

Fears of Writing

I am afraid. 

I just had to start with that, because it's liberating and relieving to admit your fears.

And it's the first step in overcoming them. 

Ever since I was a child, I've wanted to be a writer. When I was about twelve or so, I started writing a book. I had this 70-page Tweety Bird spiral notebook, and I had an idea. That was all it took; I wrote fifteen pages front and back, about a story that I wanted to share with the world. Now, being twelve years old, that story was completely fictional, about a girl who meets a monster... haha, the things that go on inside a child's head... but still, it was a dream of mine--a hope--that one day I would go to the bookstore and see my own book sitting on the Bestseller rack. And then to see someone walk up, glance at it, maybe pick it up and read the back cover, then nod to themselves and take it to the counter to purchase it. I just wanted to know that somewhere out there, someone else is going on the adventure I went on inside my head. That they might be feeling what I felt as I took that journey, and that they might laugh... and cry... and love... the way I did.

But that dream was shattered when I lost that Tweety notebook. All that time and work... lost. I had written too much to rewrite it, and I was terrified that if I picked up a new notebook and started over, that I would lose that one too. So I gave up.

Life went on. I went through a barrage of career ideas and aspirations... I wanted to be a veterinarian, a pastry chef, a marine biologist, a storm chaser, a Nuclear Engineer... none of which ever worked out. Of course, I can't say I ever really gave anything a fair shot. Then I got married, became a wife and a mother, and realized that I was already living out my most precious hope:

To love and be loved, unconditionally. To be and FEEL wanted. To feel needed and to need someone else. To be a part of something greater than myself. To be a wife, and a mother, and a friend.

That right there was enough for me, and I was happy with it. Of course, old habits (and dreams) die hard. I was still writing poems and songs, albeit few and far between. I was still imagining, and I was still creating. Then one night, a few months ago, I had a dream.

Dreams like this one don't happen every night. They are the muses who visit your subconscious and stay for tea. They are the inspiration that drives you mad with ideas. They are what fantasy is made of. They are hope.

This dream showed me a world--no, a universe--that exists out there somewhere, and people need to know about it. I have the power to inform hundreds of thousands of people about this existence... and I have only to write it down.

So, I got back on the horse, so to speak. I got myself re-accustomed to a typing program (Open Office, since I don't have Microsoft Word) and I began to type. At first it was just a recollection of the events of that amazing dream; before I knew it I had a baseline in my head for an entire trilogy! The spark was reignited, and I knew once again that my calling was to write. And now I had no other choice... how could I keep this incredible story to myself?!

But, alas, I am afraid.

I am afraid for many reasons; here are my top few:

• I am afraid that I am going to lose it again. After all the work I've already done, what if it gets lost somehow? I know I can't handle that happening again.
• I am afraid that I'm going to get Writer's Block. I'm scared at the idea of writing SO much, only to get stuck and have to set it to the side, praying for inspiration that may never come. I'm scared that it will go unfinished.
• I am afraid that I'm going to get sidetracked. Not from my writing itself, but from the storyline. I'm terrified that I'm going to get hooked on one aspect of the story and end up writing too much about that part and deviate from the baseline enough that the story becomes warped, that people will begin to question the main characters or the purpose behind the story... I don't want to get off-track. I want to keep the focus on the main characters, while telling of these adventures they take, spending just enough time describing the worlds and creatures that they become familiar. I'm afraid, because I'm not sure if I can do that. I know I can, really, but I also know I don't have the self-confidence to recognize when I've done something worthwhile. It's difficult to recognize potential and not have faith in it. Which is part of why this is so terrifying.
• Which leads into my next fear, actually. I'm afraid that I'm going to let people down. The story itself is incredible, I have no doubt in my mind that people will love it. But the medium through which they first experience it is going to be my writing... my words... my books. Can I deliver it to them in such a way as to grab their attention, keep them hooked, and leave them wanting more? And if I were to spend all this time and effort writing a book, and in the end not have it published... I would be letting down my family, who encouraged me and told me they believed in me, my husband, who supported my dream, and I'd be letting myself down as well.

Despite all these fears, however, I am going to write this story. My fantastic brilliant incredible husband, who stands behind my dream and my need to write, went online last week and bought me a brand new laptop, so I can write wherever I go! I have my current writings backed up both on this laptop and on my desktop, and as soon as I get a printer, I'd like to keep hard copies of my work as well.

I am just starting this journey. I am almost done with two chapters, though I have three chapters worth besides these already typed out, just waiting for me to perfect them. This is going to take a while. There is a very good chance that it will not be done this year. But I promise you all, as I have promised myself, that I am going to write this.

And who knows? Maybe one day you'll find yourself strolling the aisles of Barnes and Noble, and you'll see a section in the Bestseller column that says Aspect: The Dragon King. Then maybe below that you'll see my name, Crystal Burton. Maybe you won't even know who I am, maybe you'll just like the name or the cover image. Maybe you'll pick it up and read the summary, and maybe it will interest you. You never would have thought you'd be picking up your new obsession when you set that book down at the check out counter. But maybe... just maybe... it'll happen.

I'll let you know how things are coming on it as I go. It won't be very often. I'm not setting myself a time frame or deadline--that would just rush things. But don't worry... I have hope, a laptop, and a great idea that says this is going to get out there. =)

2013 Garden Season!

Let the Gardening Begin!

It's official: I have begun planting.

The season had it's kickstart last week when hubby took the tractor into the garden to plow it up. Then on Saturday, we went seed shopping! When we got back to the house my mother in law and her hubby were already there, tilling up the garden. SO much thanks go out to them for bringing over the tiller, I know they have their own garden that needed tilling as well, so I really appreciate them taking the time to do mine. So the garden is nice and freshly tilled, the ground looks great, and this huge garden is ready for planting!

The garden, freshly tilled, and the hoses run back to the sprinklers.

While we were at the store though, we picked up a few other things besides just seeds. Things that are going to make THIS planting season better than ever!

First off, we got a greenhouse! It's a little walk-in greenhouse with a zippered door and 16 shelves.

We also got potting soil, seed starter trays, a watering can, and a spray bottle. Now I am all set, not only to plant my vegetable garden, but also to have herbs (and strawberries!) that will have a safe place to grow.

So... what am I planting this year, you ask? Well, I'll tell you! =)

For the Garden:
I'm doing much the same things I did last year, but in smaller quantities to allow space for new veggies as well. I'm doing sunflowers, corn, tomatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, bell peppers, a hot pepper mix (jalapeno, cayenne, and others), squash, watermelon, cucumber, cantaloupe, and pumpkin. I'm doing ONE packet of squash though; not the two full rows of overkill that I did last year. Last year, I had so much squash, I couldn't give it away fast enough and we ended up with cartloads that we were setting up as targets for shotguns. That is WAY too much squash! I was cutting it up to feed to the animals and even they were getting tired of it!
This year, I am also plotting it out a bit differently, so that my vines (cantaloupe, pumpkin, watermelon, and cucumber) don't grow into each other... or at least so they don't crowd each other out. I'd rather climb through separate patches of them than have to wade through a jungle of intertwined vines and fruits.

For the Greenhouse:
The greenhouse is mostly for my herbs, but also for things that we didn't think would be safe out in the garden by themselves. My herbs tend to grow very well at first, but midway through the season they don't get watered, or the wind knocks them over, or the animals tear them up... Well not this year! They are safe and sound and warm in my little greenhouse. It has only been set up for a day and a half so far but I went into it this morning and was happy to feel how warm it was in there, and even though the wind is howling outside, it doesn't penetrate the safety of the greenhouse plastic walls.
The herbs I am doing this year are: spicy basil, sweet basil, oregano, lavender, spearmint, chives, single leaf parsley, triple curled parsley, cilantro, sage, and catnip. That last one there is for my kitties, of course. =) I was looking for chamomile but couldn't find it anywhere. If I manage to get ahold of some seeds I'll grow that too, I'd like to make my own herbal tea this year. Also in the greenhouse I have a packet of habanero pepper seeds... we wanted to make sure they grew well and that we would know them 100% from the other peppers... they will be hot, and I don't want to pick one thinking "oh this is just a small bell pepper" then have some REALLY hot lasagna, hahaha!
We bought some small strawberry plants and a few bags of strawberry seeds, and I'm going to keep those in the greenhouse, too. I don't want any animals getting to them and I know how much squirrels and rabbits enjoy them. I have never been able to grow strawberries (though to be honest I haven't given it a serious try) so this will be the year.

There are a few other things we have going on this year. Mike bought me a lemon tree, that is to stay in a pot, and it is in the front yard. Also, last summer we visited my dad and his fiance in Utah. While we were there we got to meet her parents, who have multiple Apricot trees in their yard. I got to take home lots of bags full of of apricots (which I then made into jam) and I still have a bag full of apricot stones (the pits inside them). Well, I want to try to grow apricot trees.
 I am well aware that they do not produce fruit until their third or fourth years. But see, that's part of the wonder of gardening. You get to watch something grow, and if you treat it right, it will reward you! It also teaches you the virtue of Patience. Of course, I know nothing about growing apricots. So I did some research, and it turns out that it is going to be quite the test of patience just getting the stones to sprout! I have to put them through a sort of "false nature" trial, where I soak them over night, then wrap them and put them in the fridge for a full month! It is supposedly to mimic the act of the fruit falling to the ground then going through a cold winter. When I take them out of the fridge and plant them in the soil, it is like spring has come, and they should begin to grow. Well, we'll see.
I have taken 32 stones (about a quarter of what I have) and they are in the kitchen soaking right now. Tomorrow they will go in the fridge, and in a month we will put them in the greenhouse to get ourselves some Apricot plants going!

Okay well, that's the plan. As of this morning, I have planted the herbs in the greenhouse. It's a bit too windy today for my liking, so I'm going to wait on the garden planting until tomorrow. Once I get to the store and get a few more seed starter trays, I'll transplant my strawberries and plant the strawberry seeds. Good thing I won't need the trays for the apricots for another month! I'll get you an update just as soon as the rest of the garden has been planted. =)

Now get out there and grow things! ^_^