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Archive for March, 2014

As all Austin gardeners know, this has been a really rough spring.

Really cold winter, no rain, late freeze.

I was beginning to doubt whether anything was coming back this year. (I still have my doubts on quite a few plants) I walk around every day looking for some sign of spring, and here’s what’s blooming in my garden.

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet

Peach

Peach

Aromatic Sumac

Aromatic Sumac

Coreopsis?

Coreopsis?

Unknown Native WIldflower

Unknown Native WIldflower

Grape Hyacinth - Finally!

Grape Hyacinth – Finally!

Daffodils

Daffodils

Dewberries

Dewberries

False Garlic

False Garlic

Striped WInecup

Striped WInecup

Lady Jane Tulip

Lady Jane Tulip

Cameo Flowering Quince

Cameo Flowering Quince

Cemetary Iris - Probably the only type that will bloom this year

Cemetary Iris – Probably the only type that will bloom this year

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I love free! Last weekend my husband picked up these great finds out on the curb with a big sign marked “FREE”. He knows to grab anything metal, that I’ll gladly paint it and find a place for it.

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I was very excited by the arbor, but where to put it? I had been thinking about making a fairy garden on the side yard in front of the house. I have planted several small trees / large shrubs and was thinking of making a pathway with blue crushed glass (to look like a small creek). I thought this arbor would be the perfect entrance. This morning I added some black and blue sages as well.

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He also found this metalwork. I plan to paint it “Peacock Blue” to match the shutters and seating area.

What a great husband I have!

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Tomatoes In

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Most years I have already planted the tomatoes by now, but this spring has been very cold, and even this week is pushing it. The weather is predicted to be mid 30s and windy Wednesday night, but the veggies were getting too big, and had to go outside. I will be putting row cover over everything on Tuesday night.

This year I up-ed the tomatoes to 46. One major change, is that I decided to forgo Romas this year in favor of Juliets. I did a few of these last year, and found the production was much better, the flavor just as good, and they serve the same function as far as canning/sauces etc.

When starting seedlings I couldn’t find a sharpie, so told myself that I would mark the tomatoes later. Well later came and went and I forgot all about it. Needless to say, I have no idea which tomatoes are which, guess we’ll find out in a few months.

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I planted 13 squash, 5 tatume, 5 zucchini, 3 scallop.

I planted 4 lufffa.

I planted 10 cucs. 2 gerkins, 2 lemon, 2 white, 2 straight 8 and 2 parisian pickling.

Elsewhere in the garden I still have

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2 beds of greens

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1 bed of carrots

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1 bed of beets/kohlrabi/lettuce

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1 bed of onions (red and yellow)

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1 bed of garlic

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Potato bags, The green all froze, so I’m hoping they are still alive down there.

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1 bed that was snap-peas. I babied them all winter and they were finally starting to flower when we got another cold snap. I had them covered, but I think there was a hole in the row cover, since the next morning they looked like this.

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In all, I planted 8 new beds today. The cool thing, is that I didn’t have to buy compost for any of them. I was able to use compost from the pile I’ve been working on. This is the first spring I’ve been able to say that.

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As a family we have made huge steps in the past 3 years.

We have a large vegetable garden where we get the majority of our veggies. I have planted several fruit trees, so in a few years our fruit situation will be much better. This spring all of the compost for my beds came from my own pile, this is the first season I’ve had enough.

We raise chicken, turkey, quail, rabbit, lamb and pig for meat, along with venison from hunting.

We have rain water collection, however, I need more barrels.

We are working hard to become debt free. We were doing much better until that new car — oh well a work in progress.

We have improved in the amount of things we buy, but still have a long way to go.

I’ve been adding more blogs to my list that are dealing with being more self sustainable. One blog I recently found practicingresurrection had some words from Granny Miller, another big self-sustainable blogger. There is a list of things you need to do, the most important being giving up your television. Wow! I am really not ready to do this, but I can see why it is true.

There are so many things I’d like to do, but I don’t have enough time. My house is too messy, but I just don’t have time on the weekend. I just didn’t make it to the gym, or I really should get those seedlings started. I should go to the grocery store, make homemade bread … the list goes on.

I’m thinking if I just cut back on my TV til after 9pm, I could get a lot of things done. I am thinking of putting a list together of things I’d like to try.

Make venison jerky (The seasoning just arrived from amazon)
Learn to Knit (not counting the unfinished scarf in the tv room with a giant hole in it)
Try making cleaning supplies
Make candle melts, lip balm (once bees/beehive arrive in May)
Grow more flowers from seedling (so far I’ve only done veggies)
Fruit canning (aside from preserves)
Start making my own granola (this looks so easy and way better than store bought)
Start growing fodder for poultry/lambs
Make my own tea (really need to start using that dehydrator)

I hope to check things off the list and add more.

My husband suggested we do a project a week. First I’m thinking granola.
Here’s the one I’m thinking (minus the candied ginger)
From onehundreddollarsamonth

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