With sugar snap pea blossoms, black swallow tail monarch caterpillars and delicious dill all in a row.

So yesterday we went to Turkey Creek and then did some puttering around in our Garden 2.0. This year in our garden we planted: tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, flowers, dill, rosemary, basil, jalapeños, spinach, chives, thyme, mint, oregano and probably some more that I forgot thank goodness for those little plastic name thingies to put in the ground.

I took pictures of Turkey Creek & The Garden, however, after going through some of the turkey creek pics and garden, I realize it's a bit much in one post. SO YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE TURKEY CREEK PICS HERE'S MY GARDEN

( It is important to wear the proper footwear when gardening )
( HAND ME THE GOD DAMN HAMMER )
( Mel helps Shawn in the garden. )
( Mel still helping Shawn in the garden. )
( Mel is still just loving this helping Shawn in the garden business. )
( Shawns opinion on Mels idea of what help is. )
( A wild Motherinlaw appears. )
( Actual pictures of something growing in our garden. Dill! )
( Our peas are CRAZY )

I think the world needs to appreciate sunflowers just a little more. Sure, roses are beautiful and delicate and pretty smelling–I agree. But there is something about the sunflower that is just as enchanting. Maybe it is my secret love affair with the color yellow, particularily rich, bright, gold-like shades of it. Or maybe because in a secret past life I was some sort of sun worshipper with a garden full of them. Either way, I think sunflowers rock.

My mother in-law planted two of the giant monsterously huge sunflowers smack daub in the middle of our garden. They grew remarkably fast and bloomed as speedy as they grew. I am sad, however. It seems like as fast as they bloom, turning their little yellow cheery petals to the sun, they begin to whither and wilt.

One of the two is already stuck half way in permanent, cordial half bow to the rising sun, as if saying his good-byes at his final curtain call.

***Upon further investigation, I think the sunflower's demise is being helped by someone.

I just don't know who...

Sunflowers are so pretty!

Reminder of Summer by =EpicureanPoetry on deviantART

And this one has had Enlarge Person cast on it, yes.

So I figured it was about time to let you all in on my (not very) secret garden and how it's growing.

Also, it gives me the chance to show off one of the better HDR images I've taken, albiet boring, of our mammoth sunflower. Come with me in a journey of dirt.

Baby's first HDR by =EpicureanPoetry on deviantART

( Just a hole in the ground, but what delicious things it can grow )
So there are the progressive, "before garden," and "now garden" shots. It's a little sparse still because we have certain herbs and plants that can't yet be seeded until later this year/early next.

What's in those pictures? Dill, Mammoth Sunflower, Sage, Basil, Butter Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, jalepeno peppers, chives,

We still have a shit load of stuff we want to plant, but they can't be seeded until late fall/this spring.

( Our Garden in stages. )

Our first plants, sunflowers for shade are sprouting already.




We've got our mint, oregano, sage, dill, chives and basil starting in their little mini green house for seedlings.

We aren't going to plant the mint in the garden itself, of course. That'll be started along the side of the house since it's such a voracious plant and tends to take over whatever spot its planted in.

If nothing else comes of our first plantings, at least I'll be able to walk away with lessons for next time!

That's not 100% true. I did take pictures, but well after dragging all 20 bags, 40 pounds each, of dirt to the garden.

This is where we found out we calculated the correct amount of dirt!

...For a much lower garden. We'll probably need another 20 bags of dirt at least. We've raised it 10 inches off the ground, not 8, and there's the matter of some of the dirt getting packed down after the edges went in.

Now, I will stfu and show you the goodies!

Nugget watched over the project with an eagle eye.



The edging of the bed just starting.




Nugget's friend, Baby, our next door neighbors green conure (I think?) had an important message to tell all of you. "karatz r delishus n' nootrishush nomoumoum."




Our neighbor, Velma, has a green thumb even though it's difficult for her to garden anymore. She's got a lovely little Bleeding Heart plant though.




I don't know what these are, either, but they're growing in Velma's yard.




Velma says these are Gardenias, and that they're being overrun with bugs and dying. That's a shame, they smell wonderful and look the same.




Uh-oh. Someones impatient foot tap reminded me that I had a garden to work on.




Not bad, though we'll need more dirt.




Nugget approves by giving us his good side--





as the sun begins to set.





THE END.

It's sort of funny to think that in order to finish our garden, we had to buy dirt. You'd think the dirt in our backyard, with all the work we've done to prepare it would be enough. It isn't, really, because it's not "dirt," in that sense. It's sand. Thousands of years ago, in the time when Shawn was young, the entirety of Florida was covered by the ocean and the ocean floor 'round these here parts just happen to be sand.

Thousands of years later, once Shawn reached middle-aged-hood, Florida became covered in humans but the sand remained. We needed dirt. We needed cheap dirt, dirt cheap. (Bada-bump-bump-ching.)

We took a look at prices over at Lowe's. Five bucks for a 5 pound bag, twenty for 10. We checked Home Depot and their prices were pretty much exact give or take a few cents. And then we checked Walmart.

1.29 for a FORTY pound bag of dirt. Sweet jesus naked on a trampoline! Walmart wins!

So Shawn figured out how many we'd need to fill in the raised garden bed, and that's about 20 bags. Today I get to haul 40 pound bags of dirt in 90 degree Florida weather while Shawn puts the edging around the garden, wish me luck and I'll try and remember to take pictures of it when we're (dead) done!

So I got to searching the internet the other night and Stumble(d)Upon! a D.I.Y. web page detailing how to make yourself a simple, easy and CHEAP small little backyard pond.

I spoke to Shawn, and he thinks it's a great idea. I particularly sold him on the idea with mentioning CHEAP a lot!

So he hopped over to Bryce today and worked on a quick and dirty computer representation of what we hope the garden will look like when she's ready for planting.

Now:




Concept:




That's about two feet of mulch around the garden represented and rocks around the pond itself. Today in Lowe's home and garden, I espied those old fashioned crescent shaped stone benches, I think two of them on either side of the pond will be lovely. So, when we can afford all of it, we'll get the benches too so that in the winter time I can sit and sketch or have my tea.

I'm really excited about this, can you tell? Even if the first attempt (I'm sure it will) goes horrid, I'm looking forward to learning how to take care of and grow some delicious plants :p

Whatcha think? Do any of you guys have a garden? If so, you should take pictures and lemme see it!

Hiiiighwayyyyy to the, toooop soiiil.

( Garden Then )

Garden now:





This is our garden of dirt, currently. She's a very modest 10 feet by six feet, and we've finally got most of the weeds and sod gone for good. About two to three feet of aerated soil. Shawn or I rake and or till it everyday to keep the little weed seedlings confused and unhappy.

We can't afford to get the bricks to edge it yet, but when we do, we'll have it a good eight inches or more raised from the ground, and obviously we'll have way more soil added.

Huzzah! One more step closer.