Smallest garden ever…

We are moving but not sure just when so I only planted a few items this year. Our best gardens ever were when Cliff would hoe up a 4’ X 20’ space in our back yard and I’d mix in lime and 10-10-10 fertilizer and water away. Sunflowers 🌻with yellow gold finches flying all around to get those seeds, corn 🌽, tomatoes 🍅, eggplant 🍆, peppers🫑, and “ colored “ butter beans as we call them in the South but many call them speckled butter beans and are my favorite. Lots of herbs, zinnias and gladiolus.

This year I planned two heirloom tomatoes, cayenne peppers, one cherry tomato, dill, camomile, basil, and parsley. Everything in my raised bed on legs but the two tomatoes  and scattered sunflowers… one little area of zinnias and 8 Dollar Tree “glads”, as my grandmother called them.

I’ve already had to start daily watering as it was 90 here today in Eastern NC. 

Saw the first snake 🐍yesterday but it was on the small side and I think it was a garden/good snake. Beside Cliff is our snake killer and he’s not up to doing that right now so I had to just let it go on its way. I do plan on going to Lowes and getting some “ Snake Begone” next week to sprinkle around the edge of the carport. That will make me feel safer getting in the car. I know we need them so I really do not like killing them if they just move on…

So, how’s your gardening going? 

I am still working on my hand quilting but I will be for some time. I kinda enjoy spreading it out and picking it up most days. 

Blessings all,

Kathy

A Few of My Favorite.....blooms !!!

Garden beauties from our God.

Blessings all,

Kathy

Sewing...Gardening..Sewing...

I have really enjoyed the rain here in Eastern North Carolina. We are located about 56 miles from the coast where afternoon showers are frequent. But we have been getting them inland for about two weeks now.

So, I have enjoyed sewing (inside)

and 

gardening (outside)

and I am in love with my first carrots!

LOVE, love, LoVe !!!!!! our summers..

Blessings all,

Kathy

Your Advice Needed....Growing Dill.....and Pickles

I have some lovely dill in my little garden up close to the house that is ready to use but I am NOT ready to make pickles.

 Here in Eastern North Carolina our weather has been getting pretty hot so my vines are blooming but no cucumbers as of yet.

So what do I do with the dill????

I do not want to cut it unless I have to and do not know how long it will stay fresh and pretty.

What is your advice?

How can I preserve it with it drying out to use in my pickles?

Blessings all,

Kathy

This and That...

Have been trying to SUCCESSFULLY grow our favorite cabbage, pointed head. Well, that is what we call them...early Spring and late Fall are their best growing times. But the bugs are getting ahead of me...

They looked great at first and no bugs were around. But then the heat set in for a few days and there they are...green small worms!! I am really trying NOT to powder them as my farmer friend said I would have to do and have been using my magic spray.

Hot pepper and garlic.

But I have to go out and look for green worms about three times a day and I usually find at least one.

Here is a perfect head...

and this one is right beside of it.   No rhyme or reason??????

Pulled up a lovely radish and some turnip tops too.

And look at at the treasure that I found in the border while cleaning them out...

yes, an Indian arrow head.  My first ever!!

And last...a look at my Saturday night auction find.

Yellow speckled ware.

All for $3.00!!! Love a bargain.

Have a good week and

blessings all,

Kathy

Our little garden and some quilting...for me/us!!!

Our small lasagna garden up close to the house ( not that our yard is that big,,hahahahha) is coming along.

For those who do not remember my original "lasagna" post it it here Spring Gardening 2012...

Just last week I asked a "farmer" friend when my pointed head cabbage would start to head up and he said....soon....and yes, he was right!!Pretty little heads are coming along. BUT, so are the bugs. So, I gave in and gave them some quick dusting...which I was NOT going to do, but I did not have any hot pepper/garlic mixed up and had to act quickly and I knew it was going to rain so it would really wash off...ewwwwww.

Onions are growing nicely, radish too....some turnips and only a few beets came up, so far...lettuce too

Squash and cucumbers have baby leaves...

Carrots are behind the onions and taking their "sweet" time...this is a first for carrots in our garden.

And here are some zinnia volunteers, I hope!!

Our neighbor is working on cutting the crepe myrtles and got slowed down with poison oak...hope he finishes up and moves the limbs soon so we can get to the garden in the back border..planting sunflowers, eggplant and peppers here.

    This (above) should be my compost..but, I am going to burn it to get it our of my way...for my vision, you know!!

Now on to the quilting.             @#$%^&*()_)(*&^%%$#@

Decided that we needed a bed quilt since I HAVE NEVER MADE ONE FOR OUR BED. Can you believe it??? One for Cliff for our wedding, one for our 10th anniversary, and still working on the sunflower one for our den...but never one for our bed.

So, here it goes....6" blocks

Pretty butterfly backing...

Hope to get to sewing TODAY!!! will keep you posted.

Blessings all,

Kathy

Squaring Up, Snow and Seeds...???

Do you like to square up a quilt? Well, I DO NOT !!!

I really jut like to put the borders on and get it finished

so I can hold it up and go...

awwwwwww...it is finished.

Here are some hints/pointers/rules

that others have discovered

that I find helpful.

First I love my 6" X 12" ruler.

I find common measurements for the block,

like 1/4", 1/2" or 1" etc

and make sure that I am holding the ruler on that mark

on the left side of the square

then cutting on the right side(of the ruler)

any excess fabric needed to be cut.

 I used some blue painters tape to place on the ruler here

to help me see better, since the fabric was so light in this spot.

However, I need some new tape...it kept on tearing off in pieces.

After all four sides are square OR

reasonably so,

add top and bottom border

and square again...

and the same for the two side borders...

Top with out borders

with borders

and then square up the whole top...oh my...this is too much...but necessary.

Make any sense?

Oh yea...the snow.

Well, we are suppose to get some light snow

here in eastern NC over night.

So, will be inside quilting away.

I am really glad about getting another hard freeze for gardening

purposes since we have not had many.

Hoping to plan carrot, turnip, beet and radish

seeds in a week or two.

Blessings all,

Kathy