Quote of the Week

As I think about the victims of the stabbing at the synagogue and the church shooting, I found this Good Morning Quote, don't know who said it, but it's something more people need to practice.

"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead."

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Quote of the Week

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

                                -Vincent Van Gogh

Quick Update: Backyard Broccoli

The broccoli in the backyard is finally coming along. Can't wait to see their growth over time and have some roasted broccoli!

#atlantagardener, #broccoli

First Day of Paint Project

Doing a little painting, today...pretty busy the rest of the week, so I paint some of these rocks when I can.

#paintproject, #atlantagardener 

Ready for a Paint Project

Picked up some Apple Barrel, acrylic paint the other day for $.50 each at Wal-Mart for my little rock project. My idea is to paint some rocks in my yard/garden to bring a bit more color to my environment, I really wanted some bright colors, but when I got to the store I became a little indecisive---I didn't know if I wanted bright pastel colors or just some colors that would compliment the house and make the yard---POP!

So my daughters thought I should go with the latter, since it would also work with a fall or winter look,and I could save the brighter colors for a spring/summer look.

I think I can rock with this setup, what do you think? Should I go ahead and add the pastels or should I stick with fall/winter idea? 

Also there were no affiliate links in this post.

#atlantagardener,#paintproject,

#acrylic, #applebarrel, #agreenhaven

Quote of the Week

"Gardening is learning, learning, learning.That's the fun of them. You're always learning."


                                                                                         Helen Mirren

Back from my Break

Sorry for my absence, I've been away doing some mom/band parent duties. Went out of town to New Orleans for the Bayou Classic, my daughter and her band mates marched in the parade(it's my daughter's senior year, so I'm trying to capture a lot of moments, too). When we got back home we had to prepare for her last hair show of her high school career, and she also had a musical concert with the Atlanta Music Project to prepare and Master classes to attend and not to mention two other parades to prepare for in our community: a lantern/Christmas parade in our local community and the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Parade. So....I really haven't had time to post anything----not even my quote of the week, my phone has been going off with messages and reminders and I've just been trying to get the basics done in our household, now that things have settled down a bit, I can get back on my gardening grind. So, let's go!

A Place to Compost

The excitement is real over here...I almost have two completely full compost bins and I can't contain myself. 

As someone used to composting in the open, I've learned so much about composting in a container over the past two years(maybe that'll be a post in the future), and believe me I really didn't want to use the bins, but the home we live in now doesn't have the right amount of sunlight in the  backyard where I wanted to put the compost pile. 

So, the front yard was the better place to create compost....and I would be able to create it fast with the abundance of light, and it could be turned with a little work from my family and me turning the bins manually, weekly(sometimes twice a week), and everything can stay nice and tidy, even though, my husband thinks those bins are an eyesore in the driveway, I think they're awesome and great conversation starters! Maybe I could paint them or add some pizzazz to them, but that wasn't  my first goal when I went with the bins...

I just wanted a place to make compost.....

...mission accomplished! 

Quote of the Week

Don't judge each day by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.

                        -Robert L. Stevenson

#gardenquotes, #agreenhaven, #atlantagardener

Red Sails Lettuce

Picked a little lettuce, yesterday. Can't get any fresher than this! 

#atlantagardener, #growfood

A Taste Test

Okay, so last night I cut open the watermelon(Orange Tendersweet)that I picked a few days ago, and just as I expected... it wasn't ready. Already the fruit was picked at a small size--this watermelon can weight up to 35 pounds, and mine was clearly a lot smaller with light Orange flesh and filled with tan seeds with a few black speckles--can we say--underdeveloped seeds? Even though the watermelon wasn't really ready...there was some sweetness and with that taste, I can only imagine how sweet this melon would've been if it was ripe--oh my, I can't wait to grow Orange Tendersweet in next year's garden! 

November Watermelon

Decided to pick the last watermelon in my garden, the other day because of continuous temps in the 30's.  Don't know if it is going to be ripe--probably not since the Orange Tendersweet is suppose to get up to 35 pounds and this is nowhere near that. I'll still keep my fingers crossed and hope this November watermelon is sweet with flavor and lots of seeds that I can save for next year's garden.

#atlantagardener, #growfood, #watermelon, #agreenhaven 

Quote of The Week

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view.

                                  -H. Fred Dale

                                   (Thanks, Anne)

#gardenquotes, #quoteoftheweek, #agreenhaven

Growth

Seeing a lot of growth with this broccoli cluster in my front yard. With the cooler temps and the rain, these brassica vegetables are blossoming very well. 

#atlantagardener, #broccoli, #agreenhaven, #growfood 

A Little Clean-up

Last Thursday, I decided to clean up my driveway area, aka...my growing /planting area...

it felt good to clean up the area a bit and to plant some more lettuce and broccoli into the garden. 

Quote of the Week

The homegardener is part scientist, part artist, part philosopher, part ploughman.

                                  -John R. Whiting

#atlantagardener, #gardenquote

Quote of the Week

"Use plants to bring life."

                             --Douglas Wilson

#gardenquotes, #atlantagardener

A Little Piece of Summer

Woke up this morning to some pretty cool weather---temps in the 40's and I welcome it, but I was still a bit concerned about a few plants outside, but they're still hanging in there. 

The tomatoes are still holding on, albeit with a lean, but they're still here! 

The bell peppers were doing awesome, too!

Neither of tomatoes or peppers were plants that I planned to grow in the garden this year, but conditions in the compost pile said otherwise..

and here we are with peppers and a tomato plant. Sure hope I can harvest at least a handful of tomatoes before it gets too cold.

#atlantagardener, #growfood, #tomatoes, #bellpeppers, #alittlepieceofsummer

Untitled

Up early this morning washing my son's chef jacket and to my surprise it's still raining outside----yes! Rain has been pretty sparse in my area for awhile....all I have to say is....soak it up!

Quote of the Week

and all at once, summer collapsed into fall.

                         -Oscar Wilde

#gardenquotes

Fall is in the Air

Well someone finally made their presence known and I soaked up every gentle breeze that was sent by you, yesterday---Fall. Actually the whole weekend was nice, but Sunday was the only day I spent outside, and it was so wonderful, I decided to transplant more broccoli into the garden. All in all I transplanted 8 plants, to my surprise I had a total of 14 plants growing in this silver pan. 

Yes, yesterday was a nice gardening day, how was your day or weekend, and has fall shown up in your area, yet?

#atlantagardener, #growfood, #broccoli, #fallgarden, #agreenhaven

October is Here

Felt bad that I didn't post anything last week, even though, I took pictures around the garden, I really didn't feel like posting and I just wanted to spend time in my garden without worrying about posting and uploading stories and pictures. 

Now that October is here, I'm ready to get back in the flow of things in the blogging world. This doesn't mean I'm participating in Blogtober or anything--- couldn't see myself writing a blog post everyday this month, if you can do it, more power to you---you're awesome!

So yeah, I'm back, y'all....let's get growing!

Not bad

Here's my third harvest of tomatillos for the season. Not bad when you lost all nine seedlings except one, and had to purchase another plant at the last minute to ensure pollination. 

Yeah, not bad at all. 

#atlantagardener, #tomatillos, #agreenhaven, #growfood 

The Joy of Gardening is Real

Was still feeling a bit under the weather, Sunday, but planting these beauties--that I started from seed, out into the garden really gave me a boost.  

They look pretty healthy in their planters, and they also transplanted very well, too. The picture of the broccoli planted in the garden was taken on Tuesday morning after getting some rain.

Since I wasn't feeling my best on this day, I wasn't out in the garden early enough to beat the afternoon sun which can cause major shock to plants being transplanted. 

Fortunately none of my broccoli plants succumbed to transplant shock, and I seriously believe the generous morning watering of the plants helped the plants to transition to their new home. 

I'm happy they're in their new home and seem to be thriving!

#atlantagardener, #growfood, #transplanting, #broccoli #agreenhaven

😊

Almost went outside to water my plants, and when going to get my boots to head out, I suddenly remembered that it rained yesterday, lol. 

#atlantagardener, #agreenhaven

Quote of the Week

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."

            

                         -Frank Lloyd Wright

#gardenquotes, #atlantagardener, #agreenhaven, #FrankLloydWright

On the Hunt

Up early and on the hunt for some planters. Found some great items to plant greens in and maybe even some root plants can withstand being grown in some. 

Untitled 😊

Yesterday, I bought some carrot seeds. I've been spending so much time planting seeds for chard, broccoli, lettuce and a few brussel sprouts, so I can have a nice fall garden. 

Hope to get some of the seeds in the ground by tomorrow....well, maybe not tomorrow, I'm trying to attend a concert event tomorrow, so I'll probably shot for the end of this week. 

Quote of the Week

"Gardening is the work of a lifetime: You never finish."


                                                                       --Oscar De La Renta

A Beautiful View

A few pictures around my garden and yard. Here’s a lovely picture 

of Vinca plants that were given to me by one of my kids’ friends,

they really add a nice pop of pretty around the mailbox area.

Thanks again, Izzy for the beautiful gift! 

In another area of my yard, we’ll find some late season growth 

of some other summer favorites.  

Here we have Thai Purple Eggplant. 

This is my

first time growing this variety, I usually grow Black Beauty 

or Slim Jim Variety. Love the taste of both of these varieties,

 however, as an impatient gardener, I prefer growing Slim 

Jim simply because harvest time is a lot faster and longer than 

Black Beauty. Since this is my first time growing Thai Purple, I 

can’t really give an honest review of this variety, yet. 

It was such a struggle just to keep the plants alive---I started a 

numerous amount of seeds indoors 8 weeks before frost, under

 a heating lamp and eventually started hardening them off 

(the process of moving plants outside for portions of the day 

to familiarize plants with outdoor temperatures and weather).

 Everything was working out greatly for three weeks and by 

this time, I was starting to leave the plants outside for overnight,

 and then----it happens. An unusual cold front comes through 

and damaged several plants. It took lots of time and effort to save 

what was left---it probably took two months.As you can see there’s

a flower on the plant, so fruit is not far behind.

This last picture has to be my favorite of the three pictured. 

Yeah, homie that’s a watermelon and I’m so excited! 

This is my first year growing the larger variety of 

watermelon…..oh no, that’s a lie! I almost forgot, I did grow

 the Moon and Stars variety last year, along with my

 usual planting of a smaller variety called Sugar Baby

(they usually weigh between 8 to 10 pounds). 

Moon and Stars grew very well last year, however, I never

 got to bring any to the table because they became a 

feast for the animal kingdom. Never found out what was 

eating the melons, but hey----it must have been delicious,

 just too bad my family and I didn’t get a chance to taste 

the sweetness of the Moon and Stars melon, but I hope to  

experience a few slices of Orange Tendersweet this year. 

So Ready for a Fall Garden

Working hard to get the fall garden together. Been planting loads of lettuce and broccoli seeds for the past week and a bit of chard. 

Have you started your fall garden yet, and if so, what are you planting? 

#fallgarden, #atlgardener, #growfood, #agreenhaven, #broccoli, #lettuce

A Small Harvest

I forgot to post about this two days ago, but here I am.

I finally harvested some tomatillos, I probably should've waited, but I was antsy.

Here's my little harvest. 

Was able to make an 8 oz jar of  

salsa verde, next time I'll try to post the recipe.

And just like that, it's a taco salad type of night!

Quote of the Week

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.

                            --Unknown 

Hey Avocado

You probably can't tell this is a photo of an avocado seed that has split. I absolutely forgot about it, even though it's sitting on my kitchen windowsill--you were almost tossed, buddy. 

I've grown an avocado plant in the past and have never had to wait so long to see any progress/growth. Shoot its been so long, I don't exactly remember when I started on this project....I want to say it was late April/early May--I'm going to run with that. 

For probably two months I never saw any progress with the seed, so I thought maybe I was doing something wrong or maybe a change of location was needed. 

Even though I suspected the seed might need a change of location, I never moved the plant, more so out of my frustration with the nonprogression of growth.

I needed some time away from my little indoor experiment. So, I stopped adding fresh water to the jar and just let the seed be...until I was ready to move an olive jar containing water and the top half of a water bottle (top half turned upside down) sitting inside of said, jar. 

Seriously, not a good look to have in a kitchen, but it can still be a great conversation starter. 

Now that the development is so obvious, I think it can stay.

#agreenhaven 

Before and After

Had to do a bit of sprucing up, the weeds were getting out of hand. So, here's the before picture, and.....

here's the after. I still have more work to do, and I hope to clean up a lot more, but this heat is brutal in the Atlanta area right now. I mean seriously, the heat has been brutal in the early morning hours into the evening, so cleaning up the garden will definitely be a series of small steps. 

Quote of the Week

A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them.

                           --Liberty Hyde Bailey

#gardenquotes, #agreenhaven,#growfood,#LibertyHydeBailey

Beautiful Flowers

The flowers on the potato plants are in bloom. They look so beautiful.

#atlantagardener, #growfood #potatoflowers

Untitled

Here's the wood that I spoke about in my previous post, ' A Whirlwind of a Day.'  I'm so happy we found it, now I have to decide which mushrooms to grow. 

#atlantagardener, #growfood, #backyardgardener

Quote of the Week

"I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation."

                   ---Phyllis Theroux

#gardenquotes, #PhyllisTheroux, #atlgardener,#quoteoftheweek

A Whirlwind of a Day

My daughter and I had our hearts set on getting one or two logs from a yard a few streets over. When we made it to the hose with the logs, I went up to the front door and rung the bell, a man came to the door and after I asked if the logs were available, he said, y'all can have them, y'all are helping me out. I told him thank you. While I was saying thank you, he was worried that the logs were to heavy for us, but I told him that, we'll figure something out. 

Since we were walking and only had a small cart with us, we could only pick up one or two logs. After spending a few minutes trying to maneuver the smallest log into our cart....we knew this wasn't going to work. The log was a tad too wide for transport, and the disappointment set in, but our brains were churning and all our contacts with a truck or SUV were coming to the surface as we headed back home---my daughter notices a dog not on a leash in a driveway(I never saw the dog), she told me to turn around, and I did. 

We took the other route home--my daughter looked back quickly and the dog was a bit closer to us, she wanted to look back again, but I told her not to, and just look straight ahead,and pick up the pace.  

As we were speed walking, I noticed a log on the ground as I was about to pass it, so I mention it to my daughter and she glances back--and no dog. 

We pick up the log and place it in the cart---perfect fit and we head home. 

Now we have at least one log to start mushrooms on. 

Today has been a real whirlwind,we started our day hyped about some other logs, and then hit a bit of disappointment when log(s) couldn't be moved, and then instant nervousness and slight fear with the dog situation and back to happiness and excitement when finding the other log. 

 Whew! What a day and shout out to that random dog, too, without you, we wouldn't have found that log! 

Quote of the Week

An optimistic gardener is one who believes that whatever goes down must come up.

                                 ---Leslie Hall

#gardeningquotes, #quoteoftheweek, #agreenhaven, 

I See Sprouts

So happy to see the broccoli sprouting. They were planted five days ago in this little planter using only compost. I also planted some lettuce(red sails) on the same day, but no lettuce, yet.  

After being a gardener for 12 years, I've never exclusively started any of my seeds in pots with compost, so this is experimental, and I'm ready for the ride.

No gardening stuff today, my T.V. is set to watch Mueller testify for the majority of the day.

Picture of the Week

Took a walk yesterday and noticed a little green growth emerging from a storm drain. As I looked closer, I realized a tomato plant was growing from it, and had to take this picture.  

Seeing this picture makes me wonder where did the seed come from? Did it come from someone's tomato sandwich, or just a seed that was dropped and washed away from a nearby house and finally nestled into an area to grow. 

#stormdraintomato #pictureoftheweek

#awalkandapicture

#agreenhavenpictures

Getting Ready for Fall

Getting ready for fall planting. Just picked up some seeds at the grocery store. Can't wait to plant these guys and get the fall planting started. Have you started planning or planting your fall garden?

#atlantagardener, #readyforfall, #growingforfall

Missing Moments

The coolest things always seem to happen in my garden when I don't have my phone. 

A few days ago, while turning the compost a huge butterfly almost landed on my shoulder...now, I know I was never going to capture that shot unless someone else took that picture, but the butterfly stayed around for a bit...flying from the hydrangeas to the sunflowers and swirling throughout the garden. 

So, that was one event, and another time was the other day when a dragonfly made a rest stop on a tomatillo plant. 

Guys, I love being in the garden without my phone and just being immersed in the smells, the sights, and the gardening chores, but I must admit....sometimes, it bothers me when I miss beautiful shots or moments. 

Maybe I should set aside one day a week or once a month only for taking pictures in the garden. Do you set aside photography only time/days for your garden? 

#atlantagardener  #missingmoments #picturesinthegarden

Tomatillos

First time growing tomatillos and I must say...it's going surprisingly well. Nothing much to say, just wanted to share a moment with you guys.

Is there anything that you're growing in your garden for the first time and how's it going?

#tomatillos #atlantagardener, #backyardgardener

Sunflower Power

Happy Monday!

This little beauty is the first sunflower in my yard to open up and its absolutely gorgeous! Every time I step outside and see it...I smile. So, today I want to share a little sunshine with you. Happy gardening and have a great week!

#sunflower power
#atlantagardener 

Finally

Just got the blogger app up and running on my phone again, and I'm so happy. Having the app makes it so easy to write and take pictures on the go, and not being able to use the app for the past week has been so frustrating. 

Quote of the Week

The plants have enough spirit to transform our limited vision.


                                                                              -Rosemary Gladstar

More Sweet Rain

There's nothing like heading out in the early morning to water plants, and mother nature has taken care of the job! 

#backyardgardener, #atlantagardener, #rain, #mothernature

Quote of the Week

I say, if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life. ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

Who Could It Be?

Finally I had to come to terms with the fact that this blueberry plant is dead and can't be saved. Probably held on a lot longer than I should have, but hey---I can believe, can't I? 

Well, last month while doing yard work I noticed that the blueberry plant was missing. Actually, my first thought was my mind was playing tricks on me, you know, maybe my blood sugar was low or something---ummmm, no....the freakin plant was actually dug up and laying on top of the area I planted it. 

Don't know what dug it up--but I'm seriously coming to the conclusion that a racoon probably did the deed. 

Last year, we had a whole family of raccoons living in our attic and earlier in the spring, one made rummaging through our garbage can a nightly affair. After securing our garbage lids to where the raccoon(s) couldn't open it--we chose to place a heavy container on top of the lid, however, you can use some rope to tie the lid shut, and keep them out of the can. 

Another simple way to keep raccoons out of your garbage cans is to spray the inside of the cans with peppermint oil--I personally would probably spray the outside, too, and the smell will keep them away. 

When I used to live at my other house, I used to grow peppermint all the time, it's a shame I haven't planted any since moving. But again, I don't know if a raccoon dug up the blueberry plant or not, but it is high on the suspect list. 

#backyardgarner, #atlantagardener, #growfood

Pretty

Took a picture of the hydrangeas this morning and they look so pretty! Happy Friday, y'all!

The Package

For the past two weeks, I’ve been searching for several seed packets, and I can’t seem to find them...I know they’re in this house somewhere and I’ve probably overlooked them at least a dozen times---because that’s what I do best---overlook stuff,lol.

The weather here in Atlanta has been stifling hot for weeks and I’ve been wanting to sow all the heat loving seeds that I have, i.e, watermelon, pumpkin, and cucumber seeds, and because I spent so much of my time trying to keep my home tidy; which means for me, no seed packets, my gardening journal and multiple pens and pencils that I use to write with,seed catalogs and bags of potting soil, and the array of growing containers had to be contained.    

No more hiding the gardening stuff on the lower shelves of the china cabinet or taking over the kitchen table, I had to get my stuff together and pull my home together because we had family coming in town for my daughter’s college graduation.

Y’all I promise, I’m not a slob, however, I’m not a super neat person, either. So, it isn’t hard to believe that I can’t find the seed packets right off the bat, however, it’s hard to believe that they still haven’t been found, after two weeks.For the past two weeks, I’ve been searching for several seed packets, and I can’t seem to find them...I know they’re in this house somewhere and I’ve probably overlooked them at least a dozen times---because that’s what I do best---overlook stuff,lol.

The weather here in Atlanta has been stifling hot for weeks and I’ve been wanting to sow all the heat loving seeds that I have, i.e, watermelon, pumpkin, and cucumber seeds, and because I spent so much of my time trying to keep my home tidy; which means for me, no seed packets, my gardening journal and multiple pens and pencils that I use to write with,seed catalogs and bags of potting soil, and the array of growing containers had to be contained.    

No more hiding the gardening stuff on the lower shelves of the china cabinet or taking over the kitchen table, I had to get my stuff together and pull my home together because we had family coming in town for my daughter’s college graduation.

Y’all I promise, I’m not a slob, however, I’m not a super neat person, either. So, it isn’t hard to believe that I can’t find the seed packets right off the bat, however, it’s hard to believe that they still haven’t been found, after two weeks.

Hopefully, I can find the packets real soon, but in between time my dad sent me a package of goods and these were included,too.

I just want to say, thank you, daddy! Now I can feel productive again.

Back in the Lab

Hey my fellow gardeners, I'm back and ready to blog! I really enjoyed my time away---I got to rest up and take sometime for me and my family.

Before I sign out , I would also like to thank my new subscribers to the blog and to my Pinterest page😊😚.......now, let's grow together!

Happy Gardening,

Shelly

Sorry, I've been away for a few days celebrating my daughter's college graduation last Thursday, and supporting my youngest daughter's back to back performances/shows with the Atlanta Music Project and participating at the Band Jamboree (shout out to The Marching Bulldogs).  

These events have been exciting proud moments for a mother, but these events and many of the other end of the year school events will/ have me a bit drained, so forgive me if I don't post on the regular in the next few weeks. 

Meanwhile........the hydrangeas are blooming!

Keep Growing, y'all 😊

---Shelly

A Walk and an Idea

Went on a walk with my daughter, Kennedy on Tuesday and these two rocks caught my eye. I hope to paint them and use them as garden markers.

Oh Yeah, Come Through

Some of the sunflowers have sprouted. Last year,  I planted two sunflower plants and they brought so much beauty to the front yard. I usually plant the tall varieties and sometimes multicolored ones, and they are usually grown in the backyard,but I thought, why not bring a splash of color to the front. 

The azaleas and the tulips in my front yard have really been beautiful, now I need my hydrangeas to come through with the color, and eventually the sunflowers, too.

My Blueberry Plants

The top picture is the first blueberry plant growing in a full sun location and I can tell that it's growing exceptionally well. It has a little reddish tint to the leaves, as well.

This plant  is growing in an area of the yard that gets partial sunlight. The leaves are very vibrant green and the plant has definitely grown a lot. 

Wonder how differently these plants will grow being placed in different sunlight conditions. 

Which plant will grow better the top one or the bottom one?

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Quote of the Week

A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.

                                       --May Sarton

Time to Fertilize

Today has been a very rainy and storm filled, Good Friday. Woke up last night at midnight and the power was out in my neighborhood. Apparently half of the power in the city I live in was out. Several downed trees took out powerlines in my area. Power was finally restored around 9:30 a.m..

For me, as a gardener, Good Friday is the time I usually transplant my tomatoes outside---not this year, though, weather was really bad earlier in the day, and off and on showers throughout the day, and not to mention tomorrow we're suppose to have a big cold front come through.  So, instead of putting my tomatoes and tomatillos(I'm growing these for the first time)at risk of extreme weather conditions right off the bat, I decided when I saw another break in the clouds that I would fertilize my brussels sprouts. 

So, when that break came, I rushed to put on my shoes and hurriedly gathered the watering can and the fertilizer. I collected the rain water that filled my gardening cart into my watering can, making sure I filled the can more than halfway and adding at least two capfuls to the watering can, and then I made sure the Brussels sprouts got a good soaking with the fertilizer. The brussels sprouts haven't been fertilized at all since being planted, so this is much needed. I really can't wait to see how much they'll grow in the next few weeks. 

So, there you have it, my Good Friday gardening story for the day. What is yours? 

#atlantagardener,#backyardgardener, #growingfood,#goodfridaygardeningstory,#rain,#fertilize

Happy Good Friday 😊

A First Timer:Brussels Sprouts

Got a picture of the Brussels Sprouts growing in a pot. They really look like they're doing well, thank goodness for abundant rain showers, the Atlanta area has seemed to have at least one a week, and as a gardener, I'm truly grateful. There's nothing like water from the heavens, so nutrient rich that plants always seem a bit taller, vibrant in color and stronger after a rain shower.

This is my first time growing Brussels Sprouts and I'm already so giddy about their progression. I hope to move some of them as they get bigger into other pots, and plant in the ground. 

This variety is Long Island Improved, semi-dwarf heirloom that apparently produces good yields.

Has anyone grown this variety or brussel sprouts before, if so, do you have any tips on how to keep them healthy and producing a good yield?

As always, leave a comment down below and, keep growing!

-Shelly 

#atlantagardener,#backyardgardener,#growyourownfood, #brusselssprouts,

The Spot

I finally found a great spot for my grapevines. Finding this spot was truly difficult since some of my backyard doesn't get as much sunlight as other parts furing the spring and summer months. 

Another factor that I had to take into consideration is how large the vines will get, so I decided against planting the grape vines along the fence or building an arbor and decided that the perfect spot is along the deck. 

Here along the deck, the vines can stretch out and grow and climb along the deck. I also think this will bring some beauty to the deck. 

#atlgardener,#backyardgardener,#growinggrapes,

#growingfood

Quote of the Week

"When you increase the number of gardens, you increase the number of heavens, too!"

                                                            - Mehmet Murat Ildan

Creativity Time

My daughter, Kennedy, also my gardening buddy just bought these two concord grape plants for us to plant and also bring out our design creativity---because I have no idea where I want to put them. She has no idea either, but hey, we're up for the challenge! 

Time to put my thinking cap on and find a new home for these grapes.  

I'm a Bit Yellow

Did a little yard work on Saturday, came back inside and just happened to notice my boots. My grey boots and jeans have a splash of yellow added to them.  #atlgardener, #backyardgardener, #springhassprung