Tag: gardening

Crappy Garden update for 2024

by Ariana Peters, posted in food, healthy lifestyle, kids, mini-farm, Uncategorized

One word: E. Coli

Well I guess that’s two words. The neighbor diagonal to our backyard has a pipe that likes to overflow. Apparently. It overflowed when we had a big storm surge and our backyard was flooded. The city took some tests and there was high E coli levels.

Once the sun hits the top layer of soil after a couple hours, the E coli will be killed off by the UV rays, but the underlayer can be contaminated for months! So that takes away half of our backyard for planting food.

Our side yard had no flooding and there’s nowhere near the contamination zone so our raised bed that we do tomatoes in should be fine. Also the little area where we do snap peas should be fine.

My neighbor has a row of grapes that come every year and she lets us eat as much as you want. So for the month of September the kids gorge themselves on grapes and those are still fine

Thankfully our raspberries are fine. They’re on the complete other side of the yard from the contamination

We have this area that’s already 3/4 of the way fenced off from the chickens but it’s solidly in the contaminated area. So what I think I’m going to do is get a couple above bed, just kind of garden planters. The cheapest ones I can find and some cheap trellises to do cucumbers and a few other vining plants, not 100% sure what yet.

Thankfully garlic doesn’t have super long roots so these ones planted in the above bed gardens should be okay.

My husband actually cleaned this area out about 2 years ago. Took all the dirt out and we never refilled it between being pregnant and having newborns and babies. But this year I think I will put more cardboard down and fill it for a raised bed garden again and that should be good to plant in.

We won’t be planting any root vegetables this year just to be extra extra safe.

We are also inquiring about getting a permit to tie into the city storm drain to stop the flooding in our yard but is prolific and happens every winter so hopefully that’s a process that will be happening this summer as well.

I will keep you updated.

July 2023 garden update

by Ariana Peters, posted in food, healthy lifestyle, kids, mini-farm

It has been a very weird late spring/early summer for us here in the Pacific Northwest. Spring stayed cold and wet later than the last few years then once summer hit, boom! We have been in the mid 80s- high 90s since then.

My watermelon is staying alive but barely growing
I finally put chicken netting around this area and it’s not growing. Broccoli, carrots, bell peppers and a lone surviving pumpkin plant.
My pumpkins are the only plants that are thriving. But the chickens have started digging so I might be harvesting them a bit early. We will see.
We have some volunteer cherry tomato plants amid the weeds
Raspberries
My 2 lone survivor garlic
Salsa garden
Beefsteak tomatoes
Version of a Roma tomato
My basil is doing amazing
Jalapenos, with cilantro behind it and cucumbers to the side of it.

We have four chickens and on average we get 2 to 3 eggs a day. One of them was injured last year so I don’t think she lays anymore.

We have a fig tree out front that’s doing well and a small little container of strawberries that we’ve eaten. Maybe two of us because my son picked some early and birds have gotten the others.

Homeschooling

by Ariana Peters, posted in kids, school/studying, Uncategorized

My children are not school aged so I am not doing any formal schooling yet. But I am trying to foster a love for learning and put as many learning opportunities in our lives as possible.

We love to read

I bought a nature study curriculum called exploring nature with children that I am currently dipping in and out of for inspiration. When we are playing in our yard or taking walks I mention the seasons and ask about flower colors and flower bulbs and on and on.

The other curriculum I was introduced to by my friend Stephanie is by a company called Timberdoodle. So far I love, love, love it. They have curriculum for kids from 0 years old to a senior in high school. I don’t know how long I will homschool for but the state of public education in this country is scaring me more and more.

Farmland math
Working dates, seasons and weather

I picked and chose what I liked and wanted to start with. We don’t touch on everything every week but i try and hit 1-2 things a day m-f. The weekends are just bonuses if we manage anything because our schedule is different.

Threading is great for dexterity and motor skills
He LOVES these smart workbooks
Puzzles are still a work in progress hahaha
These 2 are more advanced and not quite as ‘fun’ as the smart workbooks so he’s less into them right now.
Bunny boo. He is supposed to recreate the example on the card. Eventually he gets it but currently needs a lot of prompting.
We also count chicken eggs and fruits and vegetables when they are growing. My 2 yr old helps me in the kitchen sometimes. I’m basically just trying for a wellrounded introduction to life and education hahaha.

I just love when they understand something, when they learn something new, and when he tells me something I taught him 5 min ago, 5 hours ago or 5 days ago. I love when she actually communicates something to me bub pointing or bringing something to me.

Come on this crazy journey with me!

August Garden Update

by Ariana Peters, posted in baby, food, healthy lifestyle, mini-farm
Jalapenos
Tomatoes
Serrano peppers
Peas not doing so good this year
Thyme
My helper
Chickens eating the last corn that the dog didnt destroy
Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin and watermelon all torn out by the dog. But volunteer tomatoes are here
Bell peppers are doing great
2nd carrot planting……and somehow tomatoes
1st carrots and leeks. I am pulling these as we need them. I need to devote a day to Dehyrating and freezing them soon
Celery going to seed
Lima beans
Some kind of beans, don’t remember what I planted lol
Cherry tomatoes
Baby eggplants
Sweet potatoes
2nd onion planting
Cabbage and Brussels sprouts totally bug infested so chickens will get them
Aloe
Dill, smells sooooo good
Raspberries
Chives
Eggs from our chickens!!

Weeds and the organic garden

by Ariana Peters, posted in food, House/dating/life

This isn’t about weeds or a garden but I finally hung up a wind chime that I bought at some swap meet on a family camping trip…..14 years ago!!!! I kid you not, it was wrapped in a newspaper from 2004.

Peas !!!!! So excited to start eating some sugar snap peas!

Hanging basket from Costco, I’m pretty happy with it. It’s really pretty.

Ok so weeds, I let Brandon spray some of the yard when we started on the yard but not the majority of it. I didn’t want a bunch of pesticides in the ground right before we planted crops. And of course we aren’t spraying the plants now so we inevitably get weeds.

I let them get a little ahead of me in the beginning which i won’t do next year but now everyday when I water i spend about 15-20 minutes weeding one area of the garden. It’s not much time and I just pick out what I can see or easily get to. There are always still weeds left and sometimes I look back where I was just weeding and swear there is a weed in the exact spot I already pulled one but i also love those few quiet moments in the garden.

Basically if you dont use anything to kill the weeds there will always be weeds, don’t stress too much about it. Make sure your plants have room to grow and their roots have room to grow and don’t worry too much about the rest. Just do what you can.

Do you have a garden?

What are you growing?

May goal check-in

by Ariana Peters, posted in books, food, healthy lifestyle, House/dating/life, school/studying, training

revamp my diet and STICK to it!

How did this go? I’m losing about 1 lbs a week

Drop two clothing sizes, go from a 10 to a 6. Should be inching toward that 6. ??? I am inching toward an 8 lol

Stop overspending!!!! Still keeping no money on my, $20/month going to accts, at least $100/month going into savings Money saved:almost $50

Take a few minutes every day to sit in quiet reflection, meditate, and do something spiritual. 10 minutes a day, full moon and new moon and celebrate May Day!! Which is today. Out of 31 days I did: I celebrated the new moon.

Continue to work on and grow my relationship with Brandon. Outing every weekend, cook dinner together, and garden together

4 outings: camping, dinner and a movie, 1 date box

May Goals

by Ariana Peters, posted in books, food, healthy lifestyle, House/dating/life, school/studying, training

May

The goals for the year broken down for this month:

1) Start running again

2) eat healthy

3) Stop buying things until you organize what you have

Take a few minutes every day to sit in quiet reflection, meditate, and do something spiritual. 10 minutes a day, full moon and new moon and celebrate May Day!! Which is today.

Plant a minimum of 3 plants a week.

Continue to work on and grow my relationship with Brandon. Outing every weekend, cook dinner together, and garden together

Read 1 non-school book a month

April goals check-in

by Ariana Peters, posted in books, food, healthy lifestyle, House/dating/life, school/studying, training

PROPERLY train for and run a half, full and ultra marathon, Miles needed this month: Running the half marathon, a week off to rest then start training for marathon- 77 miles Actual miles run: 2.4 miles.

I really don’t thinl the June marathon is going to happen with buying the house and getting the flu and now I have i don’t even know what. We might have to change this toba fall or spring 2019 marathon. But that is life man.

Revamp my diet and STICK TO IT!!!!

Breakfast-juice and muffin or toast and coffee (add in a protein of some sort every morning)

Midmorning snack- Slimfast or smoothie

Lunch- Soup or salad

Dinner- Anything I want as long as it is make at home

After dinner- tea or hot chocolate, popcorn is fine

How did this go? Nope. Being sick means I’m not eating much lol. And I ordered my bridesmaides dress one size smaller and managed to fit into it so yay.

Get A’s in all my classes this year. –Get off to a good start in classes well I took this quarter off to move and deal with my brothers death so no grades right now.

Drop two clothing sizes, go from a 10 to a 6. Maintain size 8 ??? Still at a 10. But a tiny tiny but smaller 10.

Stop overspending!!!! Keep no money on you, put at least $20/month in accts and at least $75 in savings Total saved: $4.

Take a few minutes every day to sit in quiet reflection, meditate, and do something spiritual. Change 5 minutes a day to 10 minutes a day and celebrate full and new moon. Out of 30 days I did: none.

Plant 3 plants a week minimum. Total number of plants planted: Lots! The one goal I met and surpassed lol.

Continue to work on and grow my relationship with Brandon- 1 weekend outing, 1 meal a week and 1 hour a week gardening together

4 weekend outings: I think we did 2 date nights this month AND went out for my birthday so 3.

4 meals: none.

Total number of time gardening together: actually together not much, concurrently a few hours lol

Read 1 non-school book a month

Books read this month: actually i have read a good dozen books with my kindle unlimited. I need to do some boom reviews.