Spring Garden 2009

This year I wanted to get an early start on my garden. Last year our garden got cooked by the summer sun before we got much out of it. I carefully started everything I could in-doors planning to plant everything outside around the second week of March.

From my experience last year I knew I needed to work on the layout of the garden and Improve the type of mulch. I tilled in about a ton of rotted manure after shoveling it into the garden by hand. Then through inspiration I decided to pile the tilled dirt from the isles onto the rows where it would actually be used forming raised rows. These were covered with plastic and dirt on top of that.

The miracle came when I could not find the time to get this fancy design done until after Easter. Work and church callings kept me just busy enough to keep my plants out of the garden. Then came a nasty hail storm that would have pulverized everything in my garden. So that which was so frustrating was a blessing. I even had my garden plants in the flats laid out in the garden, but moved them the night before so I could spray bug killer. My garden was spared because of faithfully fulfilling my calling.

Now my garden is in and growing thanks to the help of the in-laws. The list of garden plants this year is quite long. But for fun I will include it anyway: Peppers, okra, pinto beans, green beans, beets, blackberries, potatoes, sunflowers, cabbage, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, corn.

Note: The cantaloupes are supposed to get to 10 lbs. Watermelons and pumpkins over 100lbs.

Raining hail... Ah hail

The end of March we had a severe thunderstorm warning that turned into a tornado watch along with an expected hailstorm. We just got the hailstorm.
It downpoured rain and then it suddenly began throwing down small ice chunks which within minutes turned into marble sized hail. You could hear it hitting the roof and the windows and I became rather worried that it might break a window. Fortunately, it didn't.
Many places around reported golf ball and softball size hail! We were very blessed not to have our windshields damaged or any dents put in our cars. Many cars around had smashed windshields and we saw many "mobile" places or stands where you could file your insurance claim if you were one of the unlucky ones. A co-worker of Jared's had a "totaled" car due to all the hail.
It looks like it snowed here and we are so glad that we had been so busy that our garden was NOT in! We would have nothing to show for all of our hard work.

April showers bring May flowers...

...Well, not quite so here. It warms up all too fast before May. We had a high of 92 the beginning of the month (April 9th) but it has been relatively mild since. I think some of the much needed showers have helped keep temps down but humidity up.
I said I would post a picture once the tulips came up but they did not turn out as spectacular as I had hoped. Apart from that though, I have been wanting a hibiscus plant for some time now (since we moved to Texas actually) so Jared got me one that I had picked out.
I think it is so great that we can grow so many amazing things here. If it were a bit warmer during the winter we could grow my mango and his citrus trees but for now we will settle for peaches, figs, and whatever else will bloom for us.