Where have I been?

I can't believe my last post was from June 19! What have I been doing?

I dropped the ball on the photo-a-day thing and haven't been blogging because basically, my husband is out of school for the summer and we have been having a lot of fun outside.

I've also been introduced to Listen Up Vermont where I can check out ebooks on my Nook - I am addicted! In the last two weeks I've read Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mom, The Peach Keeper, and now Emily, Alone. Maine is on deck too! I forgot how much pleasure I get from reading a good book.

I also spent hours reading magazines that have been piling up. I feel terrible if I recycle one without reading it, so this weekend while the Hubs was at deer camp for a work day I read them all. (If I could only convince myself not to also hang on to many of my magazines my house would be a cleaner more organized space! Damn you Atlantic, Vermont Life, Cook's Illustrated and Yankee!

Our garden looks spectacular and will, I hope, stay in good shape while we are in Florida. The deer have let it mostly alone this summer but we've been invaded with flea beetles, then cucumber beetles and potato beetles. We've already been able to eat the lettuce, and some basil and cilantro.

I've been making mental packing lists for weeks now for Florida and need to actually write it down. Flying with Sweet Pea's meds and bottles actually seems pretty easy. I will not be using cloth diapers that week to save my sanity and space in our luggage!

Speaking of Sweet Pea, her first birthday is a little over a month away and I've been working on it too! I can't believe she will be one already! The anniversary of my pre-term labor and bedrest is July 7... that also seems soooo very long ago.

Happy early 4th of July! I hope you all spend some time reading the Declaration of Independence tomorrow!

Cheesy self-portrait during our walk/hike to the abandoned West Wheelock Cemetery

Companion Planting

T'maters were planted Monday

It's a stunning day in the Kingdom and Sweet Pea and I are going to take full advantage of it. After our morning walk with friends it's time to finish the tomato patch.

My tomato and pepper seedlings all died this year so I took a field trip sans baby to Berry Creek Farm Sunday afternoon and picked up 18 tomato plants, 12 pepper plants, and a bunch of flowers for the deck. I got the tomatoes planted Monday just before it rained on Tuesday - perfect timing.

Yesterday I got my basil seeds in the dirt - I am hoping to have 6 plants although I haven't had much success in the past. I've read a lot about companion planting and although Wikipedia says that in blind taste tests people couldn't tell the difference between 'maters planted with basil and 'maters planted without, I'm doing it anyway.

So, after our walk today we will hit up the greenhouse again in search of Marigolds. I like to plant them all throughout my garden, but am going to focus on the tomatoes today. I think 12 plants should do the trick. Once they are planted, the patch should look like this:

The plants won't be THIS close together in real life!

This weekend the Hubs and I are going to plant the rest of the garden - and I will turn 35.  (Next year I'll stop acknowledging my age!)  It will require lots of sunscreen, bug repellant, and patience! What are your plans for the long weekend?

Thinking about Spring

It's 22-degrees outside but especially sunny, which has me daydreaming about spring and planting our garden. Last year we were pretty ambitious in our planting, but then I was put on bedrest. Right when our crops were at their peak I went into labor and stayed in the hospital with the baby through the fall. My favorite seed company, High Mowing Seeds, published a link on Facebook last year and again today to "The Lazy Gardener's Seed Starting Chart" at You Grow Girl. It's fantastic and easy! I found it especially useful for knowing when to start our seeds indoor. This year we plan to direct sow everything since the house will be for sale and we have to be ready to show it at a moments notice (i.e. no tables full of plants scattered throughout the living room!). Check out the chart and enjoy!