Getting ready for gardening

Well hello!  I have been getting ready for garden season and I had two helpers building my hoops!  My husband and his son were willing to get the work started while he was here visiting us.  I was so excited.

The idea is called a French Chenille system.  I got the idea from Christine and Right to Thrive blog.
It involves making hoops then using either greenhouse glazing or shade cloth and having string criss-crossed across the hoops like a shoe lace.  It easily slides up and down so I can work, yet protects our little gems from the intense sun.

Since the hoop systems are still being built, I started seeds inside.  How fun!  I don't usually do this, I like to keep things simple and just plant in the garden when the time is right, but I found a neat idea I wanted to try.  Taking eggshells, rinse them out, poke a hole in the bottom and fill with starter dirt, then plant your seeds.  When the time is right for them to go into the garden, just gently crush the shell and insert the whole thing!  How cool.

My experiment with the shells is going along nicely. Though I have found the seeds in the little containers are growing more robust than the ones in the shells.  Not sure why, but I suspect it's the soil depth.  There really isn't much depth in the egg shells.  Well, it was a fun experiment.

I am also trying something new this year, gardening by the moon cycle.  So my starts are root vegetables and were started 2 days after the last full moon. (Actually it was an amazing lunar eclipse).  The next day was Sunday and we try very hard to honor the Lord's day, planting seeds didn't fit into that "necessary" category.

Tomorrow the leafy ones are up for the next planting.  I have a few more seeds to get and will probably use what I have until I can order the ones I want.  I am excited to grow a few things rather than the whole list of wants.  Trying to keep it simple.  I have a tendency to want the whole kit and caboodle, but get overwhelmed then stressed because I can't "do it all".  Hence, my drive for simplicity.

I've choose 7 for the cool season the will add 3 more in late May.  I like what I read recently that in gardening you have to have leeway for mistakes and things that just don't work.  I like that it relieves me of the stress to do it all and do it right.  So, plant what I can, enjoy the garden and have fun watching God work.

Yeah garden season is coming and I'm excited!

Hugs to you,
Dee

Easter at our place

It's a neat feeling to be back home, close enough that our oldest daughter wanted Easter at our place.  With enough space for an egg hunt, that was the plan.  God blessed us with an afternoon of no wind.  It was chilly, but thankfully no wind.  I am learning the wind is a normal part of spring here on the mesa in southern Colorado.

We had 15 family members here, what a blessing!  My husband and I stood back and just was moved with gratitude.  Two tables set up side by side allowed us to have a sit down meal.  After, the little ones - grandchildren and our nephew- hunted for Easter eggs.  Then they wanted to hide them for the adults.  THAT was fun!  Even my mother-in-law was hunting for eggs!

What fun, to have adults hunt for eggs too. Each of the eggs was filled with a scripture or inspirational quote, or a little something from the dollar store.

I hope you had a lovely Easter.  We celebrate it for a full 8 days after.  The church actually celebrates Easter for 40 days after. Lent for 40 days before, and celebrate for 40 days after.