Summer is upon us

As is normal, life has been busy and often feels like it is in fast forward since the start of 2015. Thankfully we recently enjoyed a great family vacation in Bermuda which I will post more about in the upcoming week if time allows.

It seems like only yesterday we were watching the fiddle heads pop up out of the forest floor throughout our property and here it is the day before the official start of summer. With my work schedule I didn't think we were ever going to get around to cleaning up the yard which includes planting some veggie and herbs in the deck planters and some colorful flowers to enjoy throughout the year.

Last weekend I finally got a weekend off and decided to not only clean up the yard but to finally dig out the sand box the kids no longer use and transform it into a vegetable garden. The kids assisted me with digging out the sand and replacing it with a yard of enriched soil on Saturday. As soon as we were done Rebecca and I made a trip to Johnny's Roadside Market which holds a special place in  my heart as I consider the owners part of my extended family due to the bond I formed with them over the years of shopping there with my Mom for flowers but mostly because of the summers I worked full time on their farm as a young man. Ariel and I meticulously placed each plant and bean into the soil. It felt great to have a garden to swoon over again.

 The sand box provided the kids with years of fun now it will provide us with a bounty of fresh food!

Rebecca filled the planters on the deck with flowers and herbs and Ariel and I filled the planters in front of the house with black oil sunflower seeds. Every couple years we change up what we put in the front planters and last year the resident chipmunks stockpiled the seeds they snatched out of our bird feeder in the planters and mulched areas surprising us with a constant harvest of sunflowers for the vase Rebecca keeps on the counter during the summer. I decided since nature did such a good job showing us the value and beauty of what most consider nothing more than bird food I would give it a shot growing them in a controlled manner.

Black Oil Sunflowers reaching for the warmth of the sun 

Sunday morning Alexander and I got up early and picked up a load of cedar mulch and in a short amount of time cleaned up the area in front of the house. It felt good to work outside, get my hands dirty and dream of the beautiful flowers and yummy produce I would be enjoying throughout the year!

 Foundation area mulched and planters sprouting sunflower plants!

Sunday afternoon Rebecca's parents and her Grandfather came over for lunch. It's not every day that there are three Charles' present in the same room but thankfully we have our name system of Chuck, Charles and Charlie so the confusion of who is being addressed is eliminated! During his last trip up from Florida Grandpa Rathbun brought us his hydroponic garden system and I have been patiently awaiting the chance for him to visit and show me how to set it up. Much to my delight that time was finally here!

After we filled our belly with a hearty lunch that I prepared on my Weber Grill I took all the accessories out of the garage and grandpa gave me a 101 on setting it up. Every night when I got home from work Ariel and I would dedicate a little time putting together and setting up the system. Friday I went and picked grandpa up and he assisted me with the last few tweaks to the system and last but not least assembling and installing the irrigation system which would provide the water and nutrients.

All set up and ready for growing!

I felt like a little kid Friday night before bed as I added the organic parsley, cilantro, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, beet and bok choy seeds into the media which is a mix of peat, coco coir, perlite and vermiculite. This morning at Agway I found more seeds which included romaine, kohlrabi and several verities of radishes and wasted no time planting them when I got home. 

Sweet Basil - One of my favorite herbs

Dill which actually seeded itself from last years crop!

The next week will be like a form of slow torture as I wait to see if all of the seed sprout. If all goes well this time next week I will begin to see the results of this past weeks work and I hope to document the different stages from now through harvest. Keep your fingers crossed that everything works as planned!

Green Beans already pushing through the soil