Our Summer is winding down and our garden is too. I am sad to see it go but I will say it was a rough year.
I think I need to be more technical with my soil observations…I really just rely on putting in good dirt, planting, watering, and then I hope for the best. It worked last year but this year…..not so much.
Not only are the girls learning so much but this mama is still learning too.
We also had external problems this year that we didn’t have last year. A mean VOLE (which we are going to war with in the Fall) and even the cute little chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits were guilty of partaking in our loot.
Critter control is next year’s highest priority.
I think it’s important to companion plant as well.
I was super obsessed about it last year but this year I was way more free-spirited. I guess that’s not the way it works.
Nonetheless, I still have tomatoes going strong, eggplant, basil, peppers, new round of Fall beans, and some mint. The weather forecast looks warm for the next week. I hope it continues through most of Sept. We will enjoy it till the end.
The chickens are celebrating their 10 week birthday this week. They are getting so big! We love them. Over the weekend their coop was scrubbed down and each bird was inspected and sprayed down. The girls loved helping….by chasing them around.
I know not everyone has the ability to grow a garden (whether it be due to space, time, or money) but there are still other ways to get children involved in learning where your food comes from. We also participate in taking our kids to “pick your own” farms. They are abundant here and it’s great because you can pretty much take this trip as much as you need. Three times a year is ideal. Early Summer for strawberries and rhubarb, late Summer for veggies, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, and soon in the Fall for apples and pumpkins! It’s so much fun to bring home the bounty and then can jam, bake, and enjoy local fresh fruit.
This was our 2nd year taking our girls peach & berry picking (it will be the 3rd year for apples this Fall).
I will admit that they don’t entirely “get it” yet. Our day started out like this. She had no desire to walk up that hill.
I wish I could say that they love running through the peach orchard…..but they don’t.
I wish I could say that they love grabbing a fleshy peach off the tree and eating it right away …..but they don’t.
I wish I could say that they love bearing the heat and humidity….but they don’t. (Who does?)
I wish I could say they thought that fresh berries were the best thing since “apple juice”….but they don’t.
Sigh. I am okay with it all.
We will keep going and hopefully one day they will “get it”.
Or one day when they are older, we will all sit around and they will tell stories and say….”Remember when mom and dad used to drag us to that hot a** field and make us pick berries and peaches? That was NOT fun.”
Geez, I hope that’s not how they remember it.
Instead, I hope they have fond memories of these warm and fuzzy moments.
And that our time spent on the “farm” will be remembered a little less like this……..
………………….and more like this.
There are a few weeks left in the Kinder Garden’s Challenge. Go check out what everyone is up to!