~*How Does Your Garden Grow?*~

Good Morning Dear Friends!  I've been crafting, but thought I would post pictures of my gardening efforts.  Above is my old washing machine.  I moved it to the just outside the greenhouse this year.  Last year it was under a big light by the barn & was invaded by Japanese Beetles.  Hopefully this year it will do better.  The ground around the washing machine & greenhouse is beginning to be overgrown by Sweet Annie.  Oh, I do love the smell of this plant... but be forewarned if you plan to plant any... it is invasive to say the least!  We don't really mind though.  We don't have a 'perfect' lawn... it is filled with crabgrass and dandelions... but is 'country' for us!

 I tilled and planted the garden last week.  I can't take all the credit for tilling... Tony did it a couple times before I went to work on it last Wednesday.  I did plant everything myself though... and it shows with my oh~so~crooked rows! 

 In the buckets are our pepper and tomato plants.  We have a fence around the garden to keep the rabbits out, but just in case they do sneak in, they won't get to these plants.  Plus, the buckets help hold water too.

I planted 4 kinds of tomatoes, 4 kinds of peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, and sweet corn.  Below are my sweet corn sprouts.  Soon, I will have to get in there to thin all the rows down.  I planted several seeds close together to help insure something came up.  Oh... and yes, I will need to weed soon!  We have gotten quite a bit of rain the last several days.  That has been good for growing, but I am afraid I will sink in the mud if I try to get in.  I took the pictures from outside the fence.

 I still have some flowers growing in the greenhouse too.  There are a couple of empty beds that still need filled... and about a half dozen pots too!

 The flowers in my horse troughs are getting bigger and bigger.  This one has too many morning glories sprouting.  I plan to move some of them around soon.  We have a lagoon (septic system) that is ugly and has a fence around it.  I have wanted for years to get these to grow on it to hide it.  Maybe this will be the year?

 Someone (Brownie?  My big pup!) decided to take a nap in this one... see the big bare spot in the upper right?  Looks like I might need to move some flowers around to fill it.  And hopefully he will stay out of it!

 I thought you might like to see some of of furry babies.  We have 6 cats.  One is spoiled and stays in the house with us 100% of the time.  She is the Queen kitty.  The others though... prefer to be outside... spoiled in their own way.  On the porch are O.C. (Oreo Cookie), Mr. Bean (scratching my cupboard), and Tommy (the biggest of the them all!).  You can see Katie's back & tail on the step.  Ima is still inside.  These guys all stay inside the garage or outbuilding during the night to be protected from coyotes, but they LOVE to roam around the house & yard during the day.  They all do extremely well staying away from the road... and know that they have a safe dwelling during the dark hours.  Each morning, it is a treat to let them out and watch them greet the day... stretching, sharpening their nails, and running to play and explore.  (Katie and Ima use to stay in my studio, but they much prefer to roam outside with the boys.)  They are all very entertaining to watch!

I've been stitching and punching... and have more to do.

Wishing you warm smiles...

Betty