Back in the Garden Again

Tags

dad, garden, grandfather, home, kid, mom, New York, plants, seedlings

I haven’t posted in a while, at least two months now, because we’ve been away from our home in Germany, traveling to a far away place… where there is limited (and sometimes no) internet access but instead endless fields scattered with intermittent forests, where the many roads have but very few cars driving on them and where you can easily forget yourself in the quietness of nature.

 

Looking towards my dad's house

 

Since the second week of May, Thomas, Anna and I had been visiting the small town in upstate NY where I grew up.

 

A field near my house

 

We went for walks down the road where I used to live, where I rode my bike every summer as a kid and where I often made the short walk from my parent’s house to my grandfather’s house down the street.

 

Walking home

 

We relaxed in the hammock at my dad’s house,

 

On the hammock

 

Spent time with my five younger siblings (not all at once, unfortunately!),

Went for bike rides and long walks,

 

Anna

Thomas

 

Played with my eight-year old niece Ava and my daughter Anna,

 

Ava and Anna

During which time I tried to pick up and pet one of the five cute and fluffy little cats who were born shortly before we arrived and got bit by an agitated and unhappy kitten in the process!

 

Thomas and I ate some of our favorite foods, that we can only get in the U.S., like my dad’s one-of-a-kind pizza, my brother’s homemade cinnamon rolls and my mom’s healthy  famous cookies,

We went to the Carrot Barn, ate lunch and had carrot brownies (Oh my, delicious!),

We took Anna to the local library,

Hung out at my mom’s house and baked apple and blueberry pies,

Played cards with my younger brothers,

Helped one of my sisters install a bathtub and put up Sheetrock,

Moved all of our furniture and lots of our stuff from a storage unit in Rhode Island to my grandfather’s new barn,

Did some yard work with my grandfather at his house,

Bought seedlings,

And of course started a garden!

 

Our garden at my grandfather's house

Tomato cages

Tomato plant

Broccoli

Pepper

Garlic

Currants

 

Anna had fun playing in my grandfather’s yard while we worked in the garden

 

Anna in the currant bush

Another little friend hiding in the currant bush

 

And loved endlessly running around under the apple trees in my grandfather’s backyard.

 

Anna running around

Taking a juice break

Relaxing under the apple trees

 

This is the view looking out from my garden through my grandfather’s field…

 

Beyond the garden

 

We had a wonderful time visiting with my family and I’m glad that we got to stay for as long as we did.

I can’t wait until our next trip home…

A new start

Tags

art, garden, Hudson Valley, plants, seedlings

seedlings

A seedling is a delicate matter. Once started you must tend to it daily or it will perish. There must be light and moisture and also heat but not too much of any one of these things. A healthy seedling is a good start to any garden but can be very tricky. You can plant your seeds in little containers or compostable pots and keep them outside under a cold frame, if you don’t own your own greenhouse, or you can plant them indoors. I have always wanted to use a cold frame but have never taken the time to make one so I usually plant my seedlings indoors. Indoor planting can cause some trouble. The seedlings need lots of light, if there is not enough the dark moist soil will become moldy. If there is too little moisture the soil becomes light and dry and the plants will wilt and die. It is a fine balance between light and dark. I don’t usually fertilize my starter plants. It doesn’t seem necessary and I heard that it can burn the plants. So other than that they do all the work. Now at some point you want them to be able to survive outside, so when there is no fear of frost or rain I usually take them out to get them acquainted with the great outdoors. You must watch them like a hawk, though. A predator may try to eat them, like a rabbit, or they could become prey to bugs or grubs and any sudden change of weather or temperature will render them helpless. It’s a rough world out there. They still need watering and they may still need to come indoors at night. Now you may say this is all too much! And that is fine, you can sow your seeds directly into the soil of your garden plot. I have done this many times but it will take a little longer and you won’t know what exactly will sprout but the sensitivity of transplantation will be avoided. I am using seeds from the seed library in the Hudson Valley this year.  Their art pack is what attracted me to this seed catalog. Very nicely designed cover art from local artists don these seed packages and can be used as wall art after planting! http://www.seedlibrary.org

Seed art