I must be a glutton for punishment, my children have a table sandbox on extended loan from an aunt. I live on the second story. After only having left over dirt for many months, we've upgraded to pinto beans. The unfortunate problem is the neighbor kids can't handle it, and dumped the entire table box down into the grass. We (the children, other parents, and me) spend 45 minutes cleaning up the beans, needless to say the neighbor kids aren't allow on my patio anymore. I clean up beans on a regular bases, I tell my daughter we don't spill beans, but she has a hard time understand. Which means she picks up 5, I pick up 50. Yes, I must be a glutton for punishment. I would get rid of it, except for it entertains my daughter for hours. Even after 45 minutes we missed some beans. Not to mention that, extra beans keep falling off the edge of the patio. My solution to the extras was to line the rail of the patio with plants, they are on plastic mats with lips, I'm hoping less fall. The problem with the falling ones, is they keep sprouting in the grass. My son and I go out regularly to pull them out. My husband thinks we should leave them, I don't think that is too responsible. (The lawn movers do come Tuesdays, so they would never grow too much.) Here is a pile of sprouts, with the bean box beneath. That was one days harvest after being gone for the weekend.
My son loves the sprouted pintos so much we planned green beans in planters. We are hoping our rails provide nice climbing wall.
For family home evening, we planted our patio garden. We actually used potting soil this year, instead of dirt from our rental yard, so we are hoping they take off better this year.
In connection with the beans, we planted tomatoes, and cilantro. Two cherry tomatoes, and two grape tomatoes, but I'm slightly disappointed, our plan was to plant to grape tomatoes. We went to our local box store, and all they had were cherries. So that's what we got, but then we got to thinking and went to Home Depot to look for grapes. We only could find huge pots or slightly smaller than our cherry pots. Not to mention, at Home Depot they had cherry tomatoes especially for patio planting, the ones we had already purchased didn't say that. Oh well. We do little tomatoes because based on our experience last year, the grapes produced all summer long, and we could use them in meals mutlitple times a week. The full sized tomatoes plants, took all summer to grow two tomatoes each then they split before they turned red.
I've also had some purple pansies for awhile, because purple pansies make me happy. But I think these purple, yellow, and orange violets might make me happier. Our beans and cilantro are behind the wee one.
Also while at Home Depot, I bought these little purple alyssums. Lets hope they work better than the violets that died in this pot. I thought they died because they got too hot hanging up there, with a pot that drained too well. But upon further inspection last night, I think its because they weren't really planted in dirt more like old bark mulch, and not to much of it either. (I didn't want to buy soil for such a small pot.) These hang outside my kitchen window so I can see little purple flowers. I'm hoping they work, they have lots of new fresh dirt, this morning they look happier than when I planted them. They need 6 hours of sun which they will get and more. The tag said spring-fall bloomer, I'm hoping that means through summer, not spring or fall, like pansies, because we are in summer now. It also says water once or twice a week, but I think I need to do more since they are in a hot pot and not in the ground. I'm not a very good gardener, I kill most things, so I'm worried about my teeny purple plants.
Once last thought I love dual parenting. Last night, I told my son to ask his dad why we plant a garden. Dad said, because the prophet told us to so we can be self reliant, and so we can understand how God's creations grow. Nice answer, I wouldn't have thought of the second clause. But at the same time, sometimes my husband has a hard time explaining things to a four year old brain, in which case I step in and help the explanation. Things work better with both us.
Also while at Home Depot, I bought these little purple alyssums. Lets hope they work better than the violets that died in this pot. I thought they died because they got too hot hanging up there, with a pot that drained too well. But upon further inspection last night, I think its because they weren't really planted in dirt more like old bark mulch, and not to much of it either. (I didn't want to buy soil for such a small pot.) These hang outside my kitchen window so I can see little purple flowers. I'm hoping they work, they have lots of new fresh dirt, this morning they look happier than when I planted them. They need 6 hours of sun which they will get and more. The tag said spring-fall bloomer, I'm hoping that means through summer, not spring or fall, like pansies, because we are in summer now. It also says water once or twice a week, but I think I need to do more since they are in a hot pot and not in the ground. I'm not a very good gardener, I kill most things, so I'm worried about my teeny purple plants.
Once last thought I love dual parenting. Last night, I told my son to ask his dad why we plant a garden. Dad said, because the prophet told us to so we can be self reliant, and so we can understand how God's creations grow. Nice answer, I wouldn't have thought of the second clause. But at the same time, sometimes my husband has a hard time explaining things to a four year old brain, in which case I step in and help the explanation. Things work better with both us.
I too love dual parenting! Just now I had Jake come and talk to Aimi Lark b/c no matter what I just cannot seem to get through to her sometimes and he can. Love that!
ReplyDeleteAnd your garden is so impressive! I wish I could have planted on our porch but it gets little to no sunlight and instead I'm planting in our community raised bed.