Field Trip Friday!

Some people love to golf. They go every weekend. Even have a standing tee time. It's theirs. They own it. They spend a lot of money on their golf game.
Then there are the people that golf for work. I don't mean the pro golfers, I just mean they are people who are blessed enough to work for a company that still thinks golfing together is part of developing business.
My husband works for one of those companies. Every year he is allowed to spend a day at the Grand Geneva, golfing for a charity that his company supports.
A few years ago I figured out that I could tag along.Not to golf, but to visit one of my favorite garden centers.
I drop him off at the club house and I'm on my own.
If I owned a garden center it would look a lot like this.

Today, I will give you a little tour of Northwind Perennial Farm on Hospital Road in Burlington Wisconsin. Literally 8 minutes from the Grand Geneva-providing you don't get lost which I manage to do almost every time. I think it's because I am soo excited!

You are gonna love this place!



When you drive into Northwind Perennial Farm, the first thing you will notice is it looks like... well, a farm.







There are several display gardens you can wander through for inspiration and education!



Stay on the path or you may be attacked by robbers or terrorists! Not really, this is Wisconsin!



There are cute little signs here and there trying to educate plant lovers like me.



I want this plant. I have tried to find it down here but I guess I will have to trek north to snag it



See how helpful they are! Here is the name.




There is a pond with water plants and frogs. If you catch a frog they will cook it up for you.



Doesn't that look inviting? Don't fall for it though. When I jumped in everyone got all worked up and I was asked to leave.



There always seems to be something new at NWPF. This area is a little more formal.



I want her in a totally not weird kind of way....





Come on. There is more to see!



This is where I camped until they found me early in the morning and took away my sleeping bag. I'll get it back next time!



I'm going to photo shop my family in here for our 2011 Christmas card.






I totally have a crush on this guy. His name is Roy Diblik and he started this place.




Remember, stay on the path.



Did I mention it was a garden center which usually implies Plants For Sale?!?



More helpful little signs for those of us who are clueless.



Seeing these two was the highlight of this trip to Northwind. It's the only thing I bought and boy, was the car stinky by the time I got back to Illinois.



A few ides for people with shade.



One more thing for those of us who have a need....you can get married there!The donkeys can be part of the processional down the isle. You can't get that at most other garden centers!

I hope you enjoyed this Field Trip Friday. Next week I will have another awesome place to show you!
In the mean time, You'll be hearing about the veggie garden box.
I'll keep you posted....

She Don't Know Nuthin!

I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read my blog.
It started out as a Veggie Garden Journal and then I started throwing in other topics, like it or not!
I have had fun with it and have missed checking in.
I am picking up where I left off.So, come on, ... admit it. You have probably had this thought a few times while reading my posts:
"What she talkin? She don't know nuthin!"
I'm warning you, I am taking this opportunity to say I Told You So!




Some of you may remember an earlier Blog about Proper Mulching (April29, 2011).
I got a little push back around here for some of my comments (little man syndrome).
Even so, I am sticking with my original diagnosis.

This is a perfect example of improper mulching and what can happen.
I'll admit, there could be other contributing factors in the death of this conifer.
But, there is also good, hard evidence that the 4 foot bank of mulch had something to do with it.
I have passed this dead plant several times in the past few weeks.
I can't help but wonder... how long will it take for this man to admit failure? Hummm....


Tomorrow I will expose a very destructive pest found in my garden...I'll keep you posted!

Is it an Alien or what?

Even after all the craziness- weather and otherwise, my Organic Veggie Garden Box is growing well.
I have been harvesting the goodies and enjoying lettuce, cherry tomatoes, kale, cucumber and zucchini. I try and water in the morning unless we are having a dangerous thunder storm. The weeding has been minimal.

.
The sugar snap peas have been amazing and we have been eating our fair share of them.

Since Peas are typically a cool weather crop they had really run their course and needed to be put to rest. I was more than a little excited, because there seemed to be a volunteer tomato plant growing amongst the vines. I would be very careful not to disturb that wonderful surprise.

After I pulled all the crotchety pea plants I stood back to admire the providential plant. That's when I was surprised, disgusted and scared all at the same time.



You can believe me when I tell you I am new to veggie gardening. Those of you who have grown veggies for years would know what this is but I did not.
Any guesses?



Its a tomato Hornworm. They can get big munching on your carefully cared for plants. They especially like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. They will quickly defoliate your plants if you don't catch them. The best way to get rid of them is to pull them off. Sometimes you will need a pliers since they do not go peacefully. Birds may eat them, which is another reason to attract birds with trees and shrubs that bear fruit.

Nothing nice about them!


Now here is something reassuring(eeuw): If you find them looking like this with all the little white things on the back, don't touch them. When those things hatch they will become a moth that will actually parasitize other Hornworms. Nice to know and look forward to.


More super interesting info (school has begun early):
There has been a very strange wasp/hummingbird looking thing flying around our neighborhood. I am pretty certain that it is the Hummingbird moth and it's larvae is the Hornworm.



Start Lion King music...Circle of Life!

I'm Back!

You may have thought that blogging was just a phase I was going through. You probably thought that I start things, get all into it and then move on. You might even think that I am a looser or some attention deficit adult that should be on drugs of some kind. That is partly true. I identify my ADD tendencies daily and my nightly glass of wine is my drug. Wait, that's my relaxation drug....hummm I guess my little notebook of lists helps me deal with staying on task.

Actually, I have been thinking about this blog and wishing I could update you on my garden, but bigger things have been happening around here. Remember the Organic Girl I wrote about in an earlier blog? Well, she is now my official Daughter-in-Law! The wedding was beautiful and they are happily honeymooning on some island in the Caribbean. We are watching the dog.



The Wedding was last Saturday. These are flowers from my garden being driven to the wedding site. The arrangements included Zizia aurea and my current favorite Baptisia Midnight Prairieblues.

Everything went down at a place called Heritage Prairie Farm in La Fox, Illinois. The rain came though an hour or 2 before things got started and took the edge off the high humidity.






A lot of people made big sacrifices to help out, travel or just be a part of this event. But none as much as this guy.



He was a mighty tasty part of the celebration as well as all the other dishes prepared by the chef.






Yummo!



The thing I love about this family is how much they love to have fun! The dancing was awesome and the celebrating lasted into the night.



After all the fun and celebrating, I am now ready to return to real life! I promise to bring an update on the Organic Veggie Garden box tomorrow!



Congrats to the Bride and Groom and to us for having such an amazing family!

BTW: all of these photos were taken by my amazing Son-in-Law!

Cocktails For Everyone

SECOND BABY DELIVERED

TIME TO LAYER

First layer: gravel for drainage.

A big advantage to raised bed gardening is better drainage. One reason is because you can add gravel at the bottom(please don't ask where we got the gravel. I cannot comment on the grounds it may incriminate) and you don't walk on the soil. Soil compaction-OK, I admit sometimes I do, but you don't usually compact the soil by walking on it.

Next Layer: I am calling a Raised Bed Cocktail.
The best massage I ever had was in Memphis by this incredibly strong women named Tamika. I am in love with her. She called what she did a Massage Cocktail.One of her cocktails, and your a massage-cocktail-aholic. If she can use that name, so can I!

The recipes for the Cocktail is:
Earthgro Topsoil ( the bag said organic)




Vermiculite (happened to have some in our garage)




Promix-Ultilmate Organic Mix




Check this out!


It's official! Got this at Menards!

I did not forget my Hero: Dr Earth-for more super exciting info on the Dr see earlier post!



A recipe for success, I hope!

A few more reasons to do a raised bed:

• easier to plant, weed, and maintain because you can walk around them and again, no soil compaction
• earlier and later planting due to faster warm up in the spring and soil stays warm later in the fall
• roots develop better because of low soil compaction(this is a big deal, obviously) , good drainage, and oxygen diffusion
• retains water better

A little side note: I am quickly approaching a really big day. The day I will turn 50. I know I don't look it, and I really never thought that day would come. I had my kids early (babies having babies) and was always the young mom of the group. Now I think I am the oldest Mom in our neighborhood. At least in our book club and every other get together I seem to attend lately. Anyway, in the spirit of one of my favorite sister-in-laws, I am beginning a countdown. Counting down the days until I turn Five - Oh. My sister in law breaks it down to the minute but I am not that good with numbers. I am starting to celebrate my youth(gone), mark the last days of being 40 something and think about how I want to go out. Anyway, I'll keep you posted!
34 days!