HSV Garden Challenge - May Update

Well, I am a week late posting this, but this is a more interesting post than it started out. It started out a lot like last month since May was very rainy like April was. It was getting REALLY old. The rain just kept coming. We had days full of thunderstorms and tornado warnings. Luckily we were fortunate and didn't suffer any damage. I pray for all those who did, especially those in Joplin.

Since I am a week late posting, I actually got my garden all planted! Its hasn't rained and we have had great weather! Our fields still aren't planted, but the farmers have been working like crazy around here!

So far during the Garden Challenge, I have learned that I have to be flexible. I am such a scheduler, everything has to go according to plan. Wellll, that hasn't exactly worked out for my garden! I ended up buying some window boxes so I could plant my strawberry plants and I also planted some in my flower bed so they could get going. I had tomato, zucchini and cucumber plants sitting on my porch waiting to be planted up until a couple days ago. I also learned that I should not grow my seedlings in our lovely, wet, old farmhouse basement where I hate going....because then I forget to water them! I ended up replanting some seeds but I had to go buy some tomato and pepper plants, which is fine - my pepper plants didn't end up coming up anyway and I don't mind supporting our local greenhouse. Next year I think I will use the dining room table for seedlings (as much as I hate that idea!). Or maybe hubby will get the basement fixed up a bit. ;-)

I am not sure what meal I want to make first from our garden, but I know I want to make Eggplant Parmesan and I found this yummy looking recipe for Zucchini Boats the other day so I will definitely be making those. Already have big blooms on my Zucchini plant! And we can't forget Zucchini Bread, yum!

As for Jimmy, we have read a few gardening books:

And we have done more activities such as this game from the Homeschool Creations Garden pack.

Jimmy has really been getting into gardening! He loves to help. He planted seeds and loved putting the seedlings in the holes and burying the roots in the dirt. He was so helpful with watering too! His little wading pool is close to the garden so he would take the watering can over and fill it up with water from his pool (no chemicals and I was watching the whole time!). Then he watered each plant. So cute!

Here is our garden's progression:

After sitting for 2 years

 Tilled once

Tilled again and partially planted

All planted! Shew, thought it would never happen! =)

Those little trees in the garden will be moved in the fall, they are some Arbor Day trees we received a couple years ago that I didn't get to move earlier in the spring because of all the rain! So they get to stay in the garden for a little longer. Hopefully I can move the bigger ones with no problems! We have some sweet corn planted in the dirt behind the trees, then everything else is planted in the foreground and to the right side.

Maybe someday my garden will look more like this *sigh*:

Source: lovemyearth.blogspot.com via Ali on Pinterest

I almost forgot, here are some of our strawberry plants in a window box on our porch, this will be interesting to see how they hold up!

As for the blueberry bushes, they are still growing happily in their containers. I think I have decided where to plant them, so they will be in their new homes soon.

I hope everyone has a great month of growing!