A Growin Space

So a lot has happened since my last post, but unfortunately very little of it has anything to do with my garden. Some of the things have to do with the sheer amount of time that it has been between blogs... Father's Day, my Birthday, Family Camp, and other fun summer activities...

Father's Day/My Birthday at my parents house



Greta and I at Family Camp

 Adam and April came to visit :)

 

Fourth of July and Fireworks with Friends

We got all dressed up for Brenda's wedding :)
 

Greta loves bubbles!

 

So, why has it been so long since my last blog, and why does my garden look like this...

 

Well, life got in the way I guess. My job changed a little bit, and I am now going up to Downtown LA 2 or 3 days a week. Nicole went back to nights for a while, so that throws off our schedule a bit. But ultimately I think it's because I got a head of myself, and jumped in with two feet and left my brain behind. I had to do more than just start weeding and planting, although those are two good things, I had to create a space that I wanted to go, and that my family would want to go also. I feel like it's a lot of things that I do where I have great ideas or intentions, but ultimately don't come through because I don't properly prepare. For example, I'll say I want to do family devotions more regularly, but don't plan to eat at the actual table more instead of in front of the TV, and don't take into account Nicole's schedule, and Greta's schedule.  When I fail to prepare and plan for the setbacks that are already in place and the ones that may come, then things don't work very well. So what did I do? I made it a place where we all want to go...

 

Greta got a swing

 

That I can pull from a bit away so she can swing and I can garden :)



I cleaned up the space (you should have seen it before)



There used to be a ton of junk here



I put out the bench I made almost four years ago for our first apartment :)

There was some gardening done.  I planted some tomato plants a few weeks ago (probably too late, but I figured I'd try). They've been somewhat overrun by the grass, but they are growing.

 

 

Well, I'm hoping to get quite a bit more work done over the next few weeks, and I'm hopeful it will happen since I can bring my little helper out with me...

 



And she can swing from our giant tree!

 



Growin Tales

I started to write a long explanation about why I am starting a blog now, but it started to discourage me from writing anything at all.  So, let’s just start with what the blog will be about.  It’s called Growin Good Stuff because the name I first wanted was taken, and because I recently have started growing good stuff, or started trying to at least.  In our backyard we have a pretty huge garden…

…well, it IS huge and the hope is that it WILL BE a garden.  It was mostly grass and weeds so I have spent most of my time pulling those so far.  So that is where the impetus for the blog comes from, blogging about my experience as a newbie gardener. 

I also plan on talking about other growth as well; family growth, spiritual growth, physical growth (well, hopefully not too much growth in that area for me, but I did just start Crossfit, so maybe some more muscle), job growth, and Greta’s growth.  Can’t leave out the baby!  Hopefully she’s the only weed growing around this house!  :)

So, what’s been my gardening experience so far?  Hard!  Mostly because most of my “garden” looked like this…

 

Some of it much thicker like this…

I’m a little disappointed I didn’t take a picture before I started any work, especially now that I’m blogging about it.  I first tried pulling all of the grass and weeds by breaking up the dirt and then using a metal rake, but I kept just burying the grass weeds and had to get down on my hands and knees anyway.  So, I cut out the middle part and just got down on my hands and knees with these tools…

 

The claw works well for breaking up the soil.  I really like my mini pitch fork for pulling weeds.  It works nice to get under the weed and pull it out by the root.  Making pretty good progress too.  This is what’s done…

Bigger than most gardens!  Of course this is what isn’t done yet…

 

I haven’t planted anything in my garden yet, but I have planted a few seeds (peppers, various squash, tomatoes, green beans… ) in my disposable greenhouses…

 

I’ll just wrap up with the only semi-exciting part of my gardening so far… a battle royale…

…between a tail-less lizard and a potato bug!  I turned over some soil and a potato bug came crawling out.  As I watched him scurry along the ground a lizard comes flying down the wall and attacks it.  They flipped around a few times, the lizard went back to the wall, and I went running for the camera.  When I got back I didn’t see the potato bug anywhere and the lizard was up on the wall.  Knowing the lizard didn’t eat the bug because it was half his size and he didn’t look any bigger, I kicked around the dirt to find the bug and when I did the battle was on again.

I only got a few shots because my presence and the click of the camera kept scaring the lizard back to the wall.  Every time I walked away the lizard would scurry down the wall and look around for the bug.  I never saw the potato bug again, but I did try to feed the lizard a worm that I found. 
 So, we’re growing tales (stories) and tails (the lizard kind) around here. :)