In spite of the heat, our garden has been doing surprisingly well this summer. After growing up with flowers, vegetables, plants, and apples (oh, the apples) all around me I figured if I hadn't gotten into it by now I never would. I have horrible memories of picking raspberries and not being sure if the red dripping from my fingers was berry juice or my own blood. And I know I tripped over and fell into the rose bushes at least twice. Don't even get me started on picking up mushy apples.
But this house is where we have finally committed to a garden and we are all really enjoying it.
Last year we planted a pumpkin in the middle of our raised bed of tomatoes. We quickly realized pumpkins need a little more space as it took over a third of our yard. This year we dug up a bed all along the side and back of the house and planted three seeds from last years pumpkins (shhh, don't tell Monsanto) and did our best to turn them to where we wanted them to grow as they spread. It worked out and we have a fun green border all around our back yard. The first pumpkin started right in the corner behind the sunflower in the picture.
A couple of weeks ago, Kurt noticed some strange scratches in the side of the pumpkin.
We knew we had a rabbit living under the air conditioner, but were surprised to find he might have been brave enough to venture through the pumpkin patch. We also considered that it might be Tetley, although we had no idea why he would care.
Then, about a week after that, we found three of these.
It turns out that mama rabbit had burrowed herself a hole UNDER our first pumpkin in the corner. We didn't realize that's where the nest was until Kurt noticed that as the pumpkin grew rounder, it kept getting shorter as the rabbits moved out and the pumpkin fell in the hole.
Mama and at least one baby are still hopping around back there. Tetley goes to look for them every time he is let outside. I've stood and watched twice as Tetley sniffs around the AC unit and baby bunny hops out the other side and into the thicker leaves of the pumpkins.
Tetley is a good dog, but he's no rabbit hunter.
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The garden has turned Eli's life around as well. Before this summer, he only ate apples or apple sauce, and occasionally purple grapes as far as fruit went. Carrots were the only vegetable we could count on. He had become more willing to try new things, but still never liked them enough to ask for anything again.
But once the strawberries came in, this kid couldn't get enough. And so I started mixing them with (store bought) blueberries, and he loved those, too. Then watermelon, GREEN grapes, raspberries, and even blackberries. And since the fruit was all tasting so good, he started trying new veggies. And once the peas were ready, there was no stopping him.
We had measured him in May before we took a family trip to Adventureland to see what rides he was tall enough for, and he was right at 40 inches. Between all of the healthy eating and the five separate nights of waking up screaming because of "leg aches", I measured him again.
This is a six week difference.
It's an inch and a half.
I guess there is some truth to all those rumors about fruits and veggies after all.
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Speaking of growing, I was able to help the Kindergartners plant sunflowers during a spring unit last year. A couple weeks later Myka brought home her 8 inch stem in a plastic cup and I was pretty sure the experiment was over. But since we had the room I thought I would see if the droopy thing would come to life in the yard. The warm, wet spring did the trick and just yesterday the flower opened up at the top. What a fun thing to watch grow!
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While our green thumbs are turning greener by the year, don't count on any apple trees any time soon. I "let" the kids help Grandma and Grandpa Edwards pick up apples in the yard last weekend and they didn't last long. Somehow I still ended up picking up more than either of them.
And they were still as mushy as I remember.
