Friday, March 30, 2012
First Bouquet
One of the main reasons that I grow all these beautiful flowers is so that I can always have cut flowers in the house. I've managed to accomplish that most of the year. January is typically the loser, where I hope that maybe an amaryllis is still going. By the end of the month I start to force the quince. Although I'm worried about what I'll have to enjoy for bouquets come May, I'm happy to start seeing them on my mantel now.
I typically look for flowering trees to go along with my daffodils and tulips!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Garden on Steroids!
Wow... from March 15 to March 22, we had unseasonably, crazy warm weather here in the northeast. That caused gardens all around to sprout out of the ground, spring flowering trees to bud, some to even flower and even tulips start to open. As a gardener, you may have been thinking it was time to start the spring clean-up. Well, that schedule got pushed forward! At least for me it did. Looking at pictures from last year, where my garden is now, it was April 15 and a little later. I had a tulip open this week, that didn't happen until almost April 20 last year! We have seen the weather stabilize to normal 'March' temperatures which will hopefully slow things down some.
Here are some pictures of what it is going on:
The daffodils in my main garden, that usually look like this the first week or so of April.
Daffodils along our woods line that are mostly of the 'later' variety to open in May are all opening now! I do love their happy yellow demeanor out there, I just worry that I'm going to have nothing come May!
A look at all the perennials starting to come up, which is also food for the deer.
Pink tulips in one of my built in planters. These get very tall so likely won't flower for another month, but that's still a month before their May 13 opening last year.
Arugula I had to pick from the veggie garden! Seeds flew all over and it came up fast. I had to pick it before the veggie garden got rototilled. Yum! I love spring treats like that.
Finally, my quince just before it opens! I'm usually still forcing the flowers open at this time of year. This is a bush that I have grown to love with it's pink flowers to go with my yellow daffodils!
Here are some pictures of what it is going on:
Finally, my quince just before it opens! I'm usually still forcing the flowers open at this time of year. This is a bush that I have grown to love with it's pink flowers to go with my yellow daffodils!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
From March 15, 2012
One of the things I started doing my first full season here, 2009, was taking pictures on the 1st and 15th of each month. This has helped me to see progress year over year, plus in that particular season how things are growing every 2 weeks. I wasn't as good about this, along with many other things, last season. I had worked so hard to get my gardens in tip top shape for my 40th birthday party in mid June, that I pretty much gave up after that. Yikes!
Last week I went out and took some pictures of the early growth. Looking at pictures from last year in early April, I think I'm pretty much 2 weeks ahead of the schedule right now. We've had an incredibly mild winter and this spring is looking the same for now. I did get out in the garden on Wednesday to start some early season weeding, prepping beds and cleaning up a few things that weren't done last fall. An area of my yard that I tend to neglect is the rock garden at the beginning of the driveway. I have wild berries everywhere that I'd like to get pulled out as best as we can. Plus just clean up all weeds and debris. Then hopefully maintenance won't be too bad.
The most exciting thing was planting some arugula & lettuce! For now in planters by the house until the vegetable garden gets rototilled. I'm hoping that's soon - a little ahead of when I usually do it. I'm ready to get some peas & spring onions out there! I have order most of my seeds. I might do an entry on that next week. In the past I've been fortunate that my Mom has worked at a seed counter at the Philadelphia Flower Show where I got all my seeds. They didn't do it this year so I was on my own ordering what I knew! Trying not to overwhelm with all the options.
Lettuce & arugula planted for early season:
Here are some pictures of a few of the beds in the early season:
Happy Gardening!
Last week I went out and took some pictures of the early growth. Looking at pictures from last year in early April, I think I'm pretty much 2 weeks ahead of the schedule right now. We've had an incredibly mild winter and this spring is looking the same for now. I did get out in the garden on Wednesday to start some early season weeding, prepping beds and cleaning up a few things that weren't done last fall. An area of my yard that I tend to neglect is the rock garden at the beginning of the driveway. I have wild berries everywhere that I'd like to get pulled out as best as we can. Plus just clean up all weeds and debris. Then hopefully maintenance won't be too bad.
The most exciting thing was planting some arugula & lettuce! For now in planters by the house until the vegetable garden gets rototilled. I'm hoping that's soon - a little ahead of when I usually do it. I'm ready to get some peas & spring onions out there! I have order most of my seeds. I might do an entry on that next week. In the past I've been fortunate that my Mom has worked at a seed counter at the Philadelphia Flower Show where I got all my seeds. They didn't do it this year so I was on my own ordering what I knew! Trying not to overwhelm with all the options.
Lettuce & arugula planted for early season:
Here are some pictures of a few of the beds in the early season:
Thursday, March 15, 2012
First Signs of Spring
Spring is coming!! I can't say that we've had a particularly hard winter and that I've been waiting at the window to see the ground and some sprouting, because we've been sprouting since December! With that said, seeing color is always a wonderful thing. The first signs of spring around here are the usual crocus and green daffodil leaves poking out. My first daffodil blooms typically around March 15. I was expecting it to bloom the first week of March, but it waited until the 9th.
(Note all the green there means that there is a large cluster of bulbs that want to come out....!)
Here are the first few Crocus that popped up... now I have them all over in purple, purple & white striped & white:
Another spring treat I've been waiting for are my Hellebore. I was really hoping to have a lot this year, but it looks like I need to wait another year for that to happen.
Finally a real treat are pops of color where I have my ground phlox! They are at the beginning of our driveway in this gravel area that has become a mini garden of sorts. The full bloom will be towards the end of April, but it's great seeing a few them opening now.
Here are the first few Crocus that popped up... now I have them all over in purple, purple & white striped & white:
Welcome to Turtle Knoll
Welcome to the blog from Turtle Knoll! As mentioned in the "About Me" section, my name is Ashley and I live in a agricultural community in Southern Rhode Island with my wonderful fiancee, Keith. This entry is going to be a little bit about what the intentions of this blog are, the inspirations for it and to get to know me some.
Over the last 10 years my life has completely changed! 10 years ago I worked in finance and had a certain 'idea' of what my life would be. Thankfully for me, that all changed! It hasn't been an easy road, but I couldn't be more delighted to be where I am now. The last 5 years have been building something wonderful, of which I feel incredibly fortunate to have every single day. Keith works crazy hours to build our security and I stay at home making sure our lives are somewhat organized and balanced! I love to cook, garden, craft, read and work on my photography & photo processing. I also like to make sure I see my niece & nephew, Keith's nephews, the rest of our families and friends on a very regular basis.
I am creating this blog as a place for me to document what goes on in our lives! The gardens, what we cook from the gardens and around the year plus whatever else comes in our path. Paper crafting is on another blog: ashleynewbert.typepad.com.
I have spent the past 4 years restoring gardens that were here, adding my own tastes and building a huge vegetable garden. That is really the driving force behind the blog. I would like a place to keep track of the changing seasons, and the challenges and victories of those seasons. If there is one thing I've learned it's that the garden isn't quite as simple as putting a plant in the ground and watching it grow! I've learned quite a lot about the elements, nature, soil and anything else that can affect my garden. I still have quite a lot to learn. I would like to share some of what I've learned in hopes that others can build on the knowledge and hopefully I inspire!
My main inspiration has been my mother, Lillian. Growing up our yards were always beautiful - full of my Mom's creative touch. Gardens of vibrant colors that were in constant bloom from spring thru fall that made you want to be a part of what she created. I never understood it nor thought I'd be interested in it! I took it all for granted, never appreciating how much she worked at them. But once I was bitten by the bug, a container garden in Newport, RI, it's pretty much spiraled out of control! Now I've created my own little peace of heaven that is several acres of land with perennial gardens, annual gardens, a vegetable garden (that I fear is outgrowing it's 1000 sq foot space!), shrubs and my new fruit trees.
Mom is also the inspiration for how I cook. The vegetable garden didn't start with my Mom, her father had probably the biggest home vegetable garden I've ever seen. This is how I was taught to cook - with whatever is fresh. And also basically everything is made from scratch. I have never really known a pantry that was full of canned foods - even down to spaghetti sauce. Salad dressing has always been homemade, she makes her dough (I'm slowly learning that!). There were times as a child that I resented these things, wanting american cheese and white bread, but now I appreciate it. This blog is also going to be a place that my Mom and I can compile our recipes as we try new things & develop existing recipes
I hope that this becomes a place that you like to see what is going on, my adventures in this newest season of the garden, and the recipes that we develop and share. On a personal level, Keith & I are embarking on a whole new journey of trying to expand our family. We've decided that adoption is our path so we're working with Adoption RI to hopefully help a child from our state that needs a loving home. We're currently in the throes of endless paperwork and inspections that will hopefully be done in the next few weeks. From there we'll see how it goes! We're very very excited.
A picture of the vegetable garden September 2011:
Over the last 10 years my life has completely changed! 10 years ago I worked in finance and had a certain 'idea' of what my life would be. Thankfully for me, that all changed! It hasn't been an easy road, but I couldn't be more delighted to be where I am now. The last 5 years have been building something wonderful, of which I feel incredibly fortunate to have every single day. Keith works crazy hours to build our security and I stay at home making sure our lives are somewhat organized and balanced! I love to cook, garden, craft, read and work on my photography & photo processing. I also like to make sure I see my niece & nephew, Keith's nephews, the rest of our families and friends on a very regular basis.
I am creating this blog as a place for me to document what goes on in our lives! The gardens, what we cook from the gardens and around the year plus whatever else comes in our path. Paper crafting is on another blog: ashleynewbert.typepad.com.
I have spent the past 4 years restoring gardens that were here, adding my own tastes and building a huge vegetable garden. That is really the driving force behind the blog. I would like a place to keep track of the changing seasons, and the challenges and victories of those seasons. If there is one thing I've learned it's that the garden isn't quite as simple as putting a plant in the ground and watching it grow! I've learned quite a lot about the elements, nature, soil and anything else that can affect my garden. I still have quite a lot to learn. I would like to share some of what I've learned in hopes that others can build on the knowledge and hopefully I inspire!
My main inspiration has been my mother, Lillian. Growing up our yards were always beautiful - full of my Mom's creative touch. Gardens of vibrant colors that were in constant bloom from spring thru fall that made you want to be a part of what she created. I never understood it nor thought I'd be interested in it! I took it all for granted, never appreciating how much she worked at them. But once I was bitten by the bug, a container garden in Newport, RI, it's pretty much spiraled out of control! Now I've created my own little peace of heaven that is several acres of land with perennial gardens, annual gardens, a vegetable garden (that I fear is outgrowing it's 1000 sq foot space!), shrubs and my new fruit trees.
Mom is also the inspiration for how I cook. The vegetable garden didn't start with my Mom, her father had probably the biggest home vegetable garden I've ever seen. This is how I was taught to cook - with whatever is fresh. And also basically everything is made from scratch. I have never really known a pantry that was full of canned foods - even down to spaghetti sauce. Salad dressing has always been homemade, she makes her dough (I'm slowly learning that!). There were times as a child that I resented these things, wanting american cheese and white bread, but now I appreciate it. This blog is also going to be a place that my Mom and I can compile our recipes as we try new things & develop existing recipes
I hope that this becomes a place that you like to see what is going on, my adventures in this newest season of the garden, and the recipes that we develop and share. On a personal level, Keith & I are embarking on a whole new journey of trying to expand our family. We've decided that adoption is our path so we're working with Adoption RI to hopefully help a child from our state that needs a loving home. We're currently in the throes of endless paperwork and inspections that will hopefully be done in the next few weeks. From there we'll see how it goes! We're very very excited.
A picture of the vegetable garden September 2011:
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