Sunday 12 June 2016

Lovely Sunday, but not quite a day of rest

I had a "Southern" supper tonight, preparing fall-off-the-bone ribs, coleslaw, potatoes and cornbread, with a shout out to the blog known as  Estelle's for her June 9th post with a recipe that I tried. I think I was too cautious with the jalapeno peppers, not adding the amount that was called for in the recipe. If I were to make this again, I would put more in. I used slice jalapenos in jar and cut them up into little bits. "Estelle's" recipe called for self-rising cornmeal. There was no such thing in the grocery store, so I Googled what to do. I ended up adding flour, baking powder and salt. I think it turned out well. (But again, it could have used more of a punch, so more jalapenos next time).


Apart from doing my grocery shopping after dropping my daughter off at work at the garden center, a quick run into Walmart, and another quick run into Dollerama, I did my laundry and hung it on the line. It was VERY windy today and that made line drying perfect! (I did have one unfortunate wrap around with a shirt, which left dirty tell tale lines on it, so I will have to rewash that one).

Now that my impervious rabbit fence is totally installed, it was time to put in my vegetable garden. Yes, everything goes in at once. As much as I know that some things can be planted earlier and do well with cooler weather (peas, lettuce, potatoes...) I rarely plant in succession. It is warm enough now that tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil can go in, so everything went in! Due to the rampant encroachment of the strawberries, my garden is so small. It is now deemed "the world's most compact vegetable garden". It is like those episodes of Tiny House Hunters where they use every available space for their storage, bathroom, kitchen, and loft. I have managed to cram the following into my little space: three kinds of tomatoes, basil, red Spanish onions, white Spanish onions, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, peas, beans, carrots, beets, and lettuce. The rows are pretty small and once things really start growing, I will have to do some fancy foot work in order to avoid stepping on things, but it shouldn't take long to weed!

Nice shadow of me taking the picture!!

I went to Dollerama to find little plant identification tags to push into the soil to mark my tiny rows. They had none. I decided to improvise. I bought a $1 bag of white plastic spoons. With my nifty
$1.25 for two fake Sharpie markers I wrote the type of vegetable on the rounded end of the spoons and pushed them into the soil. They work perfectly!!


A while ago I posted about cleaning out a flower bed completely and planning on creating a foundation planting of hydrangeas and hostas. This is a picture of the pretty hydrangea which is pink in colour. I was going to plant just white hydrangeas and white and green hostas, but I saw these and thought, naa, add a little colour. They are very small right now but will grow to at least twice that size.


I mentioned that my daughter is working at a garden center. They had a great sale on hanging pots, two for $20. I bought four of them. Here is one that I picked up (and a matching one) which I will hang at the pool. They are so healthy and colourful! I also like that the pots aren't white.



As I was walking around taking pictures, I saw this little fellow soaking up some heat against the stones of a raised bed. Compared to yesterday, today feels quite cool and the wind makes it feel even cooler. He seems to be a pretty contented bee in the late afternoon sunshine.

Although this picture was not taken today, here is someone who DOES know how to have a day of rest!



13 comments:

  1. Your garden is off to a good start, and I love the markers! I also love your flowers and am jealous of your hydrangea -- This is the 2nd year mine isn't blooming, and I need to find out why and "fix it" for next year. It is one of my favorites. Another favorite, resting on a Sunday! :-) Hope your weekend is ending on a good note!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Kim! I didn't do anything to make the hydrangea bloom, I bought it with buds already forming. For your hydrangea, make sure you aren't cutting it back too late in the season. Also, they don't always like full sun. Don't know if that helps. -Jenn

      Delete
  2. HAHAHA! I love that last photo. Reminds me of my own lazy fur balls. Cats have the best lives, don't they?

    There should be a reality TV show about 'Tiny Vegetable Spaces'! You'll get your very own episode.

    Fun post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I always say, if I were to come back in another life as an animal, I want to be a house cat. -Jenn

      Delete
  3. Show me a cat who doesn't know exactly how to make the most out of any rest period!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like your spoon markers. What a clever idea! Hope you'll keep us posted on your garden.
    I guess self-rising cornmeal must be a Southern thing. There are several brands in our grocery store. ;)

    P.S. I love the new header shot!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Firstly, I just love your header! What a beautiful photo that just says, "Summer!" I am SO happy you tried the cornbread, but yes, we Texans like it HOT so I hope you try it again with lots of Jalapenos! Sounds like a fantastic BBQ. And..my favorite Hydrangea growing in your garden....big hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Planting the whole garden at once, as opposed to succession planting, would sure make things easier! Do your cool weather crops still do okay? Are you planning on "taming" your wild and crazy strawberries for next year?

    Our "day off" yesterday was a joke. Lots of switching of electric fencing for the critters . . . and then spending too much time figuring out why they weren't electrified as they should have been. I took my shower right after dinner and had to get into bed at 8:55 because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. (Yes, no wonder cats have nine lives!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. You will be enjoying lots of fresh produce Jenn....
    Your shrubs in previous post are beautiful!
    Have a great week!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

    ReplyDelete
  8. lil hint from a gal from the deep south....always use a cast iron skillet to make your cornbread in and use sharp cheese AND loads of jalapenos!! We don't eat much unless it's spicy and hot!!!
    And so funny....our gardens are almost burned up..yet; ya'll are just now planting! Worlds apart, eh??!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have an old cast iron frying pan tucked away somewhere. I bought it used at a yard sale and would have to read up on how to revive it and make it usable.
      Yes, we are definitely worlds apart. It is still cool in the mornings, here, and I'm waiting for summer to come and STAY! -Jenn

      Delete
  9. Hi Jenn, I've tried every fancy garden marker that you can buy, and I find spoons to be the most effective. I use the cheap flatware spoons, mark with a sharpie ( as you have done) and they last forever. That cornbread looks so good.... I haven't eaten bread for 3 months, but I can still crave your cornbread imagine it's taste.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That cornbread looks so yumy

    Cielo

    ReplyDelete