Thursday, July 21, 2011

Fruits of My Labor

No I am not talking children...although there was plenty of labor involved there.

I am talking about the recent on slaught of planting that has been going on at my house.

See this year my husband and I decided we wanted to grow as much food of our own as possible.


Thus far we are PLENTIFUL in tomatoes, beans, peas, squash, and zucchini.

Our sunflowers are blooming, although I don't know how I will get them down. 


I am only 5'5" and these flowers are well over 9' tall.  See how they tower over my 6' fence.


We've also done some planting for the future in the form of fruit and nut trees.

The apple trees



One of 3 pecan trees


Those were planted earlier in the week.  Last night we planted a pear and a plum.



By the looks of them they don't appear too intimidating, but let me tell you the dirt we have here in North Caroilna (better known as CLAY) is a bear to dig in.

So armed with my trusty tools


I commenced to digging (I can't take all of the credit, it did get a bit difficult and I had to bring in the muscles...better known as my husband).

After an hour of digging, wetting the dirt, and filling the holes back in we were done...just for the night.

What does this evening hold in store:




Two more trees and eight blueberry bushes...yikes we are glutons for punishment.

Hopefully though next year we will have a bounty of fresh produce and it will be something we can enjoy for years to come.

Do you grown any of your own vegetables, fruit, or nuts?  How is that going and if you have pictures please do share!!!

For day 3 of Operation Declutter My House (that's what I am calling it now) I am giving away these reusable bags:


I know there is always a good use for a bag, but I have more then I can handle so it is time to share my wealth with others.

*Update*  If you head over to here you can register for a give away from Jen it is for the book American Vegan Kitchen.  A useful tool for any household not just vegan.

10 comments:

  1. Hi There! I'm so grateful for technology and getting to meet so many fabulous bloggers through Foodbuzz, Fb, and everywhere else!

    I neglect my foodbuzz account, often--but am trying to change that. Anyway, I like your blog, and wanted to let you know I am a gardener as well AND work for a high profile gardening company! Let me know if you ever have any questions or want to buy something, as we specialize in organics, hydro, etc.

    Keep up the great work!

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  2. What a lovely property you have and all your own home grown fruits and vegetables!

    I have two blueberry bushes, hardly enough blueberries on them yet to make muffins with! An encouraging and inspiring post. :)

    Thx for the friend invite on FoodBuzz. Have a lovely weekend!

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  3. Wow you have been working hard today! Your garden is amazing and thanks so much for sharing the pics. I've never had much success growing veggies as we're plagued with slugs, snails and other pests. Here's some pics of where I'm up to this year: http://bitofthegoodstuff.com/2011/07/07/growing-my-own-veggies/ I had to take the cloches off the butternut squash plants as they were out-growing them. Even though the plants are in raised beds, and I've surrounded them with brambles, coffee grounds and cuttings of rosemary, they are STILL getting munched by slugs and snails!!! I went out in the rain last night, dug them up and put them in pots to save them. I'll re-plant them in the ground once I've worked out what I'm going to try next as a line of defence. Anyway, I hope all goes well with your veggie planting and make sure you have a well-deserved rest tonight! xx

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  4. Nice pictures :) you are lucky to have so much home grown things, although I am sure it is soo much hard work!

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  5. Can't wait to enjoy chowing down on the fruits of your labor, although I might have to fight Caroline for the blueberries!

    Love always,
    Mom

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  6. Looks like u've got green hands too, Rachael! Wow, what a lovely garden! I'm a lazy person. So I'll just sit by your garden & enjoy your fruits of labour :)

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  7. lovely garden it looks wonderful lovely giveaway

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  8. The garden isn't actually as hard to maintain as I thought. We luckily, unlike Sharon, don't have tons of pests to deal with. I think the dollar savings make the time and effort all worth it.

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  9. Wow! You guys have an awesome yard and garden!

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  10. After read your post. we should install fruits and get pure and fresh fruit. At this time, you can take advantage from Pressure Washing Services in Knoxville TN and make better interior of his house.

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