How does your garden grow?

Yes, I'm still here.  No, I don't have any one/good explanation as to why I've not posted in so many months.  Yikes.  I have been waiting to share a few things till they're fully completed and wrapped with a shiny bow, and sometimes, things take longer than originally anticipated...and in the meantime, since we're busy working on these projects, I run out of time to tell you about anything else.

One of the things I've been wanting/meaning to share about is our flower beds and garden.  I tried to take pictures throughout the growing season of allll the things we planted.  Some of these continued to flourish well into fall, and then Thanksgiving and the holiday season hit...and for once, I didn't have the post started and ready to add finishing touches to once we had a hard freeze and things stopped growing...so...you get to read this in the dead of winter.  Maybe it was for the best, and this can serve as a reminder of the warmth and color that is to come.  Haha.

You might remember another post about these projects from a couple years ago.  Since everything was well-established this year, I thought I'd fill you in on how everything filled in!  ;)

Anyway, this will be mostly pictures along with some brief explanations.

We inherited iris from a few different people.

(This variety was one of my grandma's favorites.)

They didn't bloom last year, so it was fun to be surprised by what came out this year!

"Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?"

This sweet rose bush came with the house.

A neighbor gave us some "surprise" bulbs, so we were surprised by these daylilies!

Sweetspire

Our first bee balm blooms.

This stuff blew our minds...it covered probably twice as much ground by the end of the season.
PLEASE let us know if you want any starts - we have two patches this size!

These lilies were not a surprise.  ☺

We thought we'd lost the mums after they were confused by a couple unseasonably warm days in the dead of winter, but two of the three pulled through!

Our neighbors shared some hostas shortly after we moved in, and they've done so well!
I even used some of the leaves and blooms as decoration for a church women's event at the end of the summer.

Of course, I didn't get a picture of the full bed...mostly because things were in full bloom at different times (which was intentional), but you get this idea!  Now, for the garden:

Just a bunch of baby plants out there!

Our first harvest!
(We got maybe five more snap peas after this...)

My little helper, who had previously turned down cucumbers, appointed himself as "Quality Control" for the entirety of the season.  No argument here...this is one of the reason we planted a garden.  ☺

We probably should've counted the amazing number of cucumbers our five plants produced over the course of the very wet, not-too-hot spring/summer.  No, I never put up any pickles - we just gave a bunch away...and ate a lot.

Tomatoes were a welcome addition to our produce collection once they finally started turning!

We had no problems with deer this year, PTL!

Our one watermelon vine!

Pulled these off right before the first freeze.
There were MANY more on the vine, at one point - we'd taken several off early on and left a few on to chance the freeze.

Not too bad!

I think I've already told you about this little surprise petunia, but as a refresher:
I thought it was a weed, at one point.  It was a tiny little leaf of a plant growing among (obvious) weeds in my annual pot, and I almost pulled it in preparation for more annuals this year.  But...I decided to leave it, and I'm so glad I did!

It just kept on growing...

...and surviving...

...and blooming...

...all the way through the end of October!  I've never seen anything like it.  It was the best surprise!

There you have it.  Like I've said before, one of the purposes of this blog is to document pieces of my life for posterity's sake.  So, while I don't expect you to have been waiting on pins and needles to see how all our new plants fared, I do appreciate the interest (some of) you have in the less-exciting details of our life. ☺♥

Gardenly(?),
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

Baja Shrimp Tacos from Twisted Fresh

Favorite Things parties! 
And my favorite thing for the parties this year?  Handmade greeting cards! 
I made 8 sets of 10 over the course of several months to take to two different parties.

everything about this...but really, my husband
I snapped this picture a couple months ago.  It's what I came home to after a morning of playing on worship team at church...and after a night of being up with a sick kiddo (his/our first run-in with "throw up").  Not only did Bryant stay home to care for Jacob that morning while I was gone, but he also did the laundry, baked bread, and did all the dishes. ♥
This is just one shining example of how well he cares for us.

Weeds

I spent at least eight solid hours pulling weeds in the garden last week and a few more this week. Praise the Lord for those willing to help do the dirty work, watch the baby, etc. to help complete this task.  Pretty sure as I've stepped further into adulthood, my top love language has become "acts of service," and a few people in my life sure love me extra-well in this way.

I'm telling you this not to get you to come help out, too (although, if you or someone you know needs a lesson in manual labor, you know who to call...), but rather, I have some introspective thoughts to share about it (surprise, surprise - for those long-time readers/followers, out there - haha).  I'm confident I'm not the first person to draw these parallels, and I know I won't be the last, but I don't know that I've seen/read an analogy like this in my own circles/studies, so that's why I thought I'd share these thoughts that keep surfacing as I think more about it all.

First, let me explain these weeds:
I pulled up a few baby oak and maple trees, a few stray blades of crabgrass, and a dandelion or two (though only in the flowerbeds), but the bulk of my time was spent pulling Bermudagrass.  This stuff is simply insane.  According to that website I just linked to, "it spreads by both above-ground stems known as stolons and below-ground stems called rhizomes."  This means you can't just pull up the blade, get a couple inches of root, and call it a day.  Rather, to be most effective, you must dig down and find the root the blade is connected to and try to follow/pull it up as far as you can in hopes of reaching the end and/or original root.  The most satisfying results of these efforts are roots a few feet in length.

I realize some people grow this grass on purpose, so may not consider it a weed.  After "letting it go" in our garden last year, though, it has established itself in a way that is not conducive to our otherwise weed-free Back to Eden gardening system.  So, in an effort to eliminate it and not let it get out of control again, we've been trying to nip every glimpse of green we see in the bud and get as many of the already-established roots out of the garden area as we can.  (Yes, we've gone around the edge and severed those coming in from the outside...and will likely do so again as time goes on.  Yes, we could spray it, but we're trying to go chemical-free in this area, and also, trying to eliminate the root systems, altogether.  If you have suggestions you think we could try within these parameters, we'd be open to them!)

Now for the introspective, spiritual parallels I've been drawing between pulling weeds and doing work on yourself/your soul/your mental health, presented in the form of some tips for both:

Eliminating the weeds allows other plants to thrive.

• We started some of the plants in our garden from plants and some from seeds.  Both require space, nutrients, and moisture to live and grow.  If we didn't rid the ground around them of the weeds, they would not be able to acquire the necessary things to live, or at least, to grow to their fullest potential.
  I feel like this is fairly obvious, but allowing the "weeds" in your heart to grow will overpower and potentially kill the "fruitful plants."  Whether it's practicing having positive thoughts, rather than negative ones, or perhaps working on assuming the best of people, rather than the worst, or maybe making healthy choices over more convenient ones - what comes naturally and "grows easiest" isn't always best for us.  We must recognize and address these things.

It's going to be messy.

• I usually do this work bare-handed, but even when I wore gloves, I still got lots of dirt under my nails. (It was dark when I finished this the first time, so didn't get a good picture, but this gives you an idea...kinda.) 
  You can try to protect yourself from the residual "mess" that comes with soul-searching, counseling/therapy, hard conversations, etc., but you're not likely to come out completely "clean"/unscathed.  Bringing things to the surface that would rather be thriving "underground" is not an easy job, but it can be so necessary and beneficial.  The "dirt under your nails" that surfaces, as well, is nothing a little extra scrubbing can't fix.

You can't do it alone.

• At this time in my life, to be able to devote time to this task and be truly effective, I needed help.  I couldn't devote the necessary time and attention to it when Jacob was with me, and it got dark too quickly for me to be able to do it only when he was in bed.  In order to keep the weeds at bay, I really needed to get them all pulled up in a few day's time (between stormy days, really).  So, help from others was a must.  Like I mentioned earlier, this help came both in the form of weed-pulling and childcare while I did so.
  When you're doing some "weeding" of your heart and soul, you'll likely need help.  Whether it comes in the form of a book, a mental health professional, a trusted loved one, or a podcast - there are tools, people, and resources that can help you reach your goals much quicker than you could alone.  The Lord is always on your side, as well, and though He can't watch the baby while you go to a session/take a walk/"pull the weeds," He's sure rooting for you and can/will provide in ways you might not even know you need.

Wear sunscreen.

• ...especially on the back of your neck.
  I don't have a parallel for this one, but I guess if you're doing any self-reflection outside or taking a mental health day at the pool, it absolutely applies.  

Track your progress and reward yourself.

Day 1: One hour's worth.

Day 2: Three hours' worth.

Day ?...some(?) hours' worth.

• I realize it's hard to know what you're seeing here, especially since I don't have any sort of "before" picture, but basically, it's just a bunch of dead roots.  My "reward" is listed in today's favorites...☺
  I don't really know how to best recommend you do this when you're working on yourself, but I think it's pretty subjective, anyway.  Figure out how to measure/track your progress and don't be afraid to share it publicly.  Celebrate (alone or with others) your victories - big and small.  You're absolutely worth it.  

You can't just cover them up and expect them to go away.

• The dead weeds pictured above are laying on top of some bags of leaves from this fall.  We put the bags on the spots in the garden that were most grassy last year in hopes of killing off the plants.  No such luck - the roots found their way out and up from under these and just kept growing.
  You can try to bury memories, habits, etc., but most likely, they'll find a way to surface.  In order to truly be your best self, you must address and tend to these things in your life/mind/heart.

Be careful not to pull something that isn't a weed.

• ...or isn't a weed in the area you're gardening, at least (for example, baby oak trees are considered weeds in our garden, but wouldn't be in a forest).  I noticed something growing among the crabgrass and baby trees in the pot on our front step, so I transplanted it to the middle of the pot and decided to see what came of it.  As it turns out, it's a petunia!  These flowers are usually considered annuals (you have to replant them each year), but apparently, this one decided to be a perennial - what a lovely surprise!
  There may be a trait you don't love about yourself, a memory/experience you'd rather forget, or perhaps, an incident you regret.  Often, it's good to purge these "weeds," but sometimes, they may actually be valuable and "grow" into something beautiful.  Closely inspect these things.  Be careful not to rid yourself of something that may enhance your life and future experiences.  Be on the lookout for beauty among the "weeds."   

I hope this spoke to you, in one way or another.  Please know I am not condemning anyone or commanding you do any of this.  I'm simply explaining some parallels that made themselves extremely clear to me during this process.  Would love to hear any others you think of!

Looking forward to garden-fresh produce,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

how well my husband and my dad work together

Tiramisu Cone from one of the vendors at Festa Italiana.
I call it "Walking Tiramisu," and it was as good as it looks!

Hard to capture, but Jacob always shares the things he "cooks/bakes" with the animals, in addition to the humans.
He does a great job making sure EVERYone takes turns and gets "bites," and I just think it's precious. 

Extreme Makeover: (Byers) Outside-of-the Home Edition

Happy summer!  Or as my husband might say, "Nice spring we're having this summer, eh?"  No complaints, here.

I come to you this late June to (finally) bring you news of our outdoor home improvement projects!  They have been completed for several weeks, now, but you know how it goes with me and this blog thing lately...  Actually, I was just waiting a bit, so I could get pictures of the projects after they'd had some time to become more established.  ; )

So, without further ado, I'll let the pictures (mostly) tell the story:

Bryant did a ton of research about gardening, and as a result, we decided to try the Back to Eden method.  This involved starting with laying down a weed barrier (we opted for free cardboard).

This pile sat for a little while, patiently waiting for the next layer to arrive...

The weed barrier is covered with wood chips!  It was important to get these when the leaves were still green, so there was both green and brown matter.  We found a tree company that had to pay to dump their chips elsewhere, so they were happy to bring them to our house for free...and we were glad to get so many for free!  The only downside was the fact that they had to be hauled to the back yard manually.

Pictures don't really do the space and amount of work involved justice...

...but hopefully you get the idea.

It took a second load of wood chips to cover the rest of the area, and even then, there was still some uncovered grass left in the plot we'd planned.

All done, for now! 
We let this sit for almost a full year to let the cardboard and leaves break down and start enriching the soil (mostly clay, in our case) below it.

This spring, we had old railroad ties delivered, and Bryant hauled those to the back, dug out trenches for them, and put up the (very necessary) deer fence.

Ready to plant!

We didn't use the entire space this year - decided to start somewhat small.

Less than a month later!
Don't mind the grass/weeds.  We weren't able to get the railroad ties in before the cardboard/chips to prevent weeds from coming in from the sides, but we've been able to keep them pretty far from our plants and will get them cleared out for good before next season.
Check out those plants, though!  Everything is really doing well, despite a hot/dry start for them.

We've got a pretty great supervisor. ☺

Our first big harvest!  There's a cucumber in there somewhere.  Prior to this, we'd picked one cucumber and one zucchini.
The tomato plants are loaded with blooms and some fruit, already, and the potatoes look great, too!

I didn't get an intentional "before" picture, but found this one from last year after the step was finished.  The landscaping timbers were placed shortly thereafter.  Then, the baby came 3+ weeks early, so the front landscaping project was officially put on hold.  No one told the gladioli and weeds, though, so they just kept filling in the bed.

What you can't see is the many man hours and loads of elbow grease my awesome hubby put into clearing out this spot.  There were so many weeds and debris, in addition to a large pail full of gladiolus bulbs.  This picture was taken at dusk after we'd gotten all our plants in the ground and watered.  Shout out and huge thanks to my mom for letting us use her greenhouse discount and finding/asking people for plant/design ideas!

We had some cardboard left from the garden, so put it down between plants as a weed/gladiolus barrier, and I'm so glad we did!  It didn't cover everything, but sure made a difference.

This is the last of an almost-ten-cubic-yard pile of wood chips.  We used what we needed as mulch out front and took the rest to the garden! 

Added a second tier of timbers and were good to go.
This was a long time coming, and we are so, so glad to have it done!

Almost a month later and everything is still alive and filling in nicely! 

This guy likes to watch me pull weeds...and help himself to pieces of grass... ☺
It's amazing to me how many weeds and gladioli continue to find their way to the surface.

These projects have been hard work, but have also been a nice change of pace and somewhat enjoyable, mostly because we get to continue to see the literal fruits of our labor.

As always, thanks for your interest and support!  Let us know if you have any questions...or need any cilantro!  ; )

With a green thumb,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

garden-fresh pesto!

quality time with family and friends

these two hard workers: