April already?!

How did it get to be April already? I've still got so much to get caught up on from winter--there's still wool to be spun and crocheted, there's a quilt started that needs work, even herbs dried last fall that need to be put into jars.

No matter! The days are getting longer, my porch has been cleaned (though it could use another rinse to get rid of the rest of the pollen), the hummingbird feeder is hung up and the new herbs are planted in the herb garden. The vegetable patch has been tilled (thanks, sweetie!) and there are container tomato plants already on the patio.

This week I plan to take a sample from the pool for testing. The water looks good, but I'm sure it needs something to keep it that way. The children are already asking when they can go swimming. We stalled them today by hooking up the sprinkler. April 1 and we're expecting 91 degrees tomorrow!

The strawberry farm is open for picking already and I have plans to go there this week with friends. We'll pick in the morning and then we'll head back to the house to make jelly and jam.

Whew. I'm tired already. Maybe I should sit on the porch for a while and watch for hummingbirds.

Update on the Sprouting Seeds

The pumpkins are up! The pumpkins are up! Most of the pumpkin seeds have sprouted and they are reaching for the sunlight (above). I'll need to transplant them to either larger containers or into the ground soon.

The red rubin basil (below) is looking interesting, though not very big yet. It really is a deep burgundy color. It should make some beautiful pesto, assuming it continues to grow.

The thyme (above) and chamomile (below) are looking pretty good. I'm not sure how long before I should transplant them. To be perfectly frank, I wasn't sure my experiment in seed sprouting would get this far.

Any experiments in progress at your place?

Seeds Are Sprouting!

Seeds are sprouting! I'm so excited that some of the seeds have already started to come up. I love gardening, but I'm really bad at it, so every little success is cause for celebration around here.
Here's a pumpkin seed thinking about coming up. Come on, little sprout, you can do it! The thyme is doing the best. Lots of tiny little leaves are showing up in the egg carton. I'm looking forward to having fresh herbs this winter, so I hope these plants continue to grow.

Any triumphs in your life lately?

Baked Pork Chops for Dinner

Last night, I baked pork chops for dinner. I put them in a baking dish, with pineapple juice, pineapple pieces and some fresh pineapple sage from my herb garden. The whole thing went into a 350 degree oven for a little over an hour, covered with foil.

The pork chops came out nicely browned and very tender.
We also had appetizers, sliced gouda (my family's new favorite cheese) and crackers, topped with Laughing Cow cheese, a fresh basil leaf and a slice of tomato. Yummy!

So, this was dinner: pork chops, broccoli, homemade pickles, fresh cucumber slices and a roll.
What did you have for dinner last night?

Wordless Wednesday--Herb Garden

Starting Seeds Indoors

My new mudroom has been turned into a greenhouse and I think I like it. After running some errands in town yesterday morning, the children and I started some seeds indoors. We used old egg cartons, seed starting medium (from Lowe's) and herb seeds as well as pumpkin.I filled the cartons with the seed starting mix and dampened it slightly. The children added the seeds. Then I topped off the seeds with a thin layer of the mix and we moved the egg cartons from the kitchen to the mudroom. I'm hoping to have some herbs growing in the house for the winter. The pumpkins will, if they sprout, go into the garden for the fall. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Our Day in the Herb Garden

My children helped in the herb garden today. They dug holes for planting the new plants and my son was in charge of cutting back the rosemary. He had a great time, saying that was his favorite job ever! Here's the basket full of rosemary, cut and bundled for drying: We took some time to research the herbs that are in our garden. We have several that are great for herbal "teas", like mint and lemon balm. We have lots that we'll use for seasoning, such as chives, oregano and sage. And one or two just because they smell nice, like lavender.

My son labeled jars for some herbs that were already dry. Hmmm, maybe we should work on spelling tomorrow.

The new plants are in the herb bed, and we've left about a quarter of the bed empty for now. I plan to add basil and dill in a few weeks. In looking around the yard today, I noticed that the wild blackberries are in bloom. We'll gather the berries later in the summer and turn them into jam and jelly.

And a quick update on the mudroom--the siding is almost done and the sheetrock is going on the walls.

The Hostas Survived! (and I went to Lowe's Garden Center)

It looks like all the hostas survived the cold night! Yay! I love hostas, the flowers are nice, but the foliage is spectacular, especially when you have a hosta collection. I admit it. I have a "collection" and I can't wait to go back to the hosta nursery not too far from my house.How cool is it to have a nursery, not too far from where I live (have I mentioned that I live pretty near the middle of nowhere?)! The place is called Shady Characters and they specialize in shade plants for this area--hostas, heucheras, tiarellas and other plants that do well in limited sun.I also had some time to kill this morning, since my son had his annual standardized testing for our homeschool association. So, I went to a Lowe's Garden Center and almost made it out without buying anything...until I saw the herbs. My herb garden is looking a bit neglected these days. The rosemary is taking over one corner and the oregano and chives are doing fine, as is the lavender, but it clearly needed some new plants. Here's what I bought:

There's bee balm (two of them), lemon balm, pineapple sage, potpourri lavender, variegated thyme, Texas tarragon and stevia. I'm hoping to get them in the ground today.