Homestead Garden Report

Casa Sol y Luna is finally officially on Summer break and we are having our fare share of fun bowling, going to the movies and enjoying new eateries. Experiencing out of home activities is great but the home and garden are still an everyday job for me. Here's whats been growing in the garden this past week.

 The big hedge of green to the right are tomatoes and I'm still impatiently awaiting there red hue  to arrive so we can harvest, and oh boy were going to be up to our eyeballs in a variety of tomatoes. The strawberries get picked and eaten on the spot, it's my snack as I water and tend. The bell peppers are finally starting to grow and expand.

Last weekend I transplanted aloes and succulents to the salsa garden. From left to right we have jalapenos, tomatillos, and cilantro.

I believe all my onions are ready to harvest, the tops have lopped over but this may be due to our rapid heat increase in the valley.  I hope all your green thumb projects are growing in abundance. The roadtrip series will be back soon, I've yet to get the photos organized and ready to go.

What's Growing On

{ Front Entrance }

As the sign implies welcome to the garden. I had posted previously about the construction and zoning of this green space which I hope will bring me closer to my sustainability goals. The last step to finishing the garden was the the introduction of plants. There is still a lot of additions to come but that will all come forth in do time. P.S. the Dollar Store has awesome garden accoutrements.

{ Side View }

From left to right we have a variety of bell peppers and red onions in the tub, big boy tomatoes in the first box and black cherry toms in the next. Sugar snap peas trellising up the fence in aqua pots and strawberries in the next row of boxes.

{ Salsa Garden }

I planted red onion bulbs in between all the plants in this area. Banana peppers and grande jalapenos are in the first tire, onions in the second, and cilantro in the third. Also two tomatoes plants are in aqua pots waiting for transfer.

{ The Dove Babies }

Speaking of growing on, Easter morning  the little doves flew the coop and explored the skies, while my little one was searching for eggs below. 

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Side Note: I hope everyone is doing well, I haven't been up to date and visiting all you lovely blog friends lately, my life has hit turbulence again, but hopefully with this new moon regularity will be back on track. May the weekend bring you adventures and serenity.

Jardin Sol Y Luna

Oh yes glorious spring has sprung. The birds , bees, and blooms are abundant at Casa Sol Y Luna. Morning chores include turning on the fountain and watching nature being drawn to the water. Next is filling the bird feeders, I go through a lot of seed bags. I've also been thinking about getting a bee box .

The rose bushes are abundant and taking shears to clip a few blooms brings me joy as I make bouquets for  indoors. The first available blooms happened to be on the first day of spring and I made a birthday arrangement for {E}. I'm still waiting for the red roses to bloom, the petals are the perfect ingredient to make the silkiest rose water.

 Dandelions are one of the first foods for things with wings coming out of hibernation. Once I know the Renaissance Man is going to mow I pluck away and dry them out for herbal remedies. Lavender is also loved by the bees and we have plenty. I plan on making lavender healing pillows with the dried flowers.

I haven't planted anything yet in the newly build garden area but have started some kitchen grown starter plants. The onion had sprouted on the counter and has grown significantly in the kitchen bay window, on Saturday it was separated and planted in the tire garden section. A few potatoes had grown eyes (yay non GMO) and I have two buckets of potatoes cuttings growing. My pineapple plant has adapted to the outdoors beautifully.

Phase 1

 In February when it wasn't raining I weeded and plowed the soil. In March I made boxes out of wood we had lying around.The Renaissance Man and {M} are measuring for the fencing, we never needed one before until we got Rico who loves to dig.

Phase 2

{L} helps with the fence construction and securing the door.

Phase 3

Soil is added to the boxes and red bark is added as a ground cover. 

Phase 4

I have yet to buy the plants to fill the boxes. Starting from seed is cheaper but I haven't had much luck when trying to garden with this method. How are your green thumb efforts growing?

A Garden Update

Originally I had planted four tomatoes plants and the one on the end near the sprinkler is still producing, while the others have dried up. I think it's prime location next to water had something to do with it. This is one plant with it's limbs creeping.

 Here I upcycled and old bunk bed latter into a plant triage. Hopefully the sun to shade ratio while help them recuperate. Current patients are butterfly sage, jalapenos, aloe vera, artisan lettuce, and key lime plant.

 The tomatillos in the striped pot and strawberry plant in the hanging planter were moved from the tire garden because the heat produced in the rubber was not good for the plants.

 I planted my aloes in the tub garden and have plans to make a desert-scape with succulents and cactus. The brick border holds english lavender, and the boy fountain has a kitchen grown onion in it. 

 So now I have two empty garden sections, Some research needs to be done to see what can withstand heat in rubber tires. I'm thinking of growing a magical herb garden to add to my boticario.

 These barrels will need a canopy or maybe decorative umbrellas to provide some shade. This morning I imagined being in Italy and stomping grapes.

 The Park Bench area is finally done, and mostly enjoyed from the golden hour to sunset after dinner. I'm glad I got out early this morning and went to work in the yard. Butterflies, birds, and an array of insects joined me in a euphoric celebration of August & Lammas.

Random Yard Photos

Jardin Sol y Luna

 Just a little photo tour of what's growing on around here. We plan on  staying home and doing our own little thing for Easter Sunday.  Saturday has the whisper of adventure near the sea, San Francisco is calling my name.........time for a little day tripping.

Have a great weekend!