backyard goods

i’m sitting here watching my dog kick herself in the head- to get to a little itch- and i can’t help but think that’s kinda what gardening has been like for me so far. i’ve read everywhere about the subtleties of soil PH, the complexities of trellises and the almost imperceptible signs that a plant is sick and yet, sometime around mid march i decided i was meant to be a gardener and dove straight in. thank goodness matt was there to keep my enthusiasm in check (note: i do not see this as negative) when my ideas started to get out of hand (running lines from the house windows to use as plant supports may have come up…) or we’d be in even further over our heads. as it stands now, we’re looking at 40+ tomato plants, 12ish cucumber plants, 9ish jalapeno plants, 6 strawberry plants and an abundance of herbs and edible flowers that i need to learn what in the world to do with. does it seem a little extreme to have so many tomatoes? you tell me how you bring yourself to throw out perfectly good seedlings!! i’ve been documenting it all and i hope to have a sequence to share later in the season but right now the plants are still in their growth spurt stage- so i’m waiting on that. for now, just a few pics of what i’m so excited about!

lavender- we have a couple types and i have yet to do anything with it other than grab a leaf to rub between my palms when i need a little pick me up. a friend of mine made a chocolate lavender cake once- maybe i’ll give that a whirl- though we all know what a disaster baking is for me!

big boys & supersweet 100s will hopefully overflowith in a month or so! i’m trying not to get too optimistic and i’m limiting my google searches on how to can tomatoes until i see some serious progress. for now i’m almost content with their pretty yellow flowers and the heavenly smell of ‘fresh!’

the cucumbers are budding too and the teeny little veggies are getting me excited about one of my all time favorite foods- pickles!

OH YOU GUYS! i totally forgot that i have’t introduced you to our new little gang of chickens! without further adieu, the ladies:

…and their delicious gift to us:

they can usually be found scratching the ground for yummies(?), fighting for perch space or begging (sqwaking) for table scraps. they are hilarious to watch, they cannot be trained (not for lack of trying) and they go to bed at 8pm every night. on the dot.

so far we’ve learned a LOT and we cant wait to make our little backyard more fruitful next year! what about you? are you gardening this year? chickening? any tips for us? lavender recipes? ;)

for now, peace out friends! the bachelorette starts in exactly 60 seconds which gives me just enough time to take care of this ambush pickle craving i was just hit with! go ali!