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Gratituesday: Garden Beauty

June 25, 2012 by Laura 37 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

Several have requested to see pictures of our garden this year. I figured what better day to share them than Gratituesday?!

I can take very little credit for our beautiful plants this year. Matt and the boys have been working hard with little help from me out in the garden. Matt does such a good job keeping up with it and has some great veggies planted. 

He planted quite a bit of okra, so we’re hoping to get a nice crop so we can eat a bunch and freeze a bunch. Okra sliced and fried in a little olive oil is the best!

Here’s a shot of part of our peach tree, which is loaded with fruit this year.

Our tomato plants aren’t very big yet, but they are starting to get little yellow flowers all over them, and you know what little yellow flowers means on a tomato plant right? (BLTs – of course.)  ;)

Here are Matt’s babies, the sweet bell peppers, which he planted in a raised garden bed that he built. We can’t wait until these are ready to pick and eat!

This is kind of a funny shot, so let me explain. Matt planted four long rows of green beans. For whatever reason, one row is doing awesome, as you can see. The other three rows decided to be rebellious. However, we ate our first picking a few nights ago and they were so delicious I thought I might pass out. Here’s hoping the one long row that actually grew will continue to provide lots of beans!

Malachi planted one pumpkin plant, and is very excited to see a yellow blossom growing. He has plans to grow the biggest pumpkin ever, but hopefully he’ll settle for a regular ol’ pumpkin when the time comes. :)

I’m so grateful for my family’s hard work in the garden, and so very grateful for God’s goodness in how he always provides for us!

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Filed Under: Gratituesday Tagged With: garden, Gratituesday, organic, thankful

Comments

  1. Brooke says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    Awesome!
    I am grateful for our garden as well! We have lots of tomatoes (I can’t wait for canning to begin!) And the cucumbers are yummy and we have some lettuce and bell peppers and a couple other things. We recently got new fruit trees.

    Laura, how do you keep your peach tree so healthy?? Any tips? Ours is a baby and we’ve had a couple peaches (it’s a donut peach tree) but I”m hoping by next year it will really take off. We also just got an apple tree a few weeks ago. Any tips??

    Reply
    • Joy says

      June 26, 2012 at 4:35 am

      I have the same question … what to do to our baby peach tree that will be all natural, but prevent insect/disease damage? Please advise if you have found a good solution! By the way, your garden looks great!

      Reply
    • Laura says

      June 26, 2012 at 7:52 pm

      We put wood chip mulch around the base of the tree from day one and have added some every couple years keeping the area weed free. We prune the tree, thin the peaches when they are tiny and abundant and keep well watered. Last year we had something decimate our peaches just as they were about to be ripe. We salvaged about 10% of the fruit. A friend of ours said that happened to theirs also and they even spray some. So, even though the fruit look great now, we’re trying not to count our peaches before they hatch ;) – Matt

      Reply
      • Brooke says

        June 26, 2012 at 8:01 pm

        Thank you Matt and Laura. I’ll pass this info on to my hubby :)

        Reply
      • Lori says

        June 26, 2012 at 8:11 pm

        Amen and Amen!! My Grammie had peach, cherry, apricot, apple, and pecan trees in her yard, and it was always water, water, water. Thinning the branches helps. Last year was a bad year for everything everywhere. The late freeze got the pecans, and the heat took care of everything else. This year seems to be better though! You have a beautiful garden!

        Reply
  2. BryAnna says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    That is sure a pretty good lookin tomato plant… where did you get it from? :)

    Reply
    • Laura says

      June 26, 2012 at 7:47 pm

      The Tomato Fairy – Matt

      Reply
  3. Nikki @ Simplystriving says

    June 25, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    I used to say “oh how I wish we could have a garden” but then I figured out container gardens!

    So glad you shared yours with us. (I’m drooling over those tomatoes already) Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Tabitha says

    June 26, 2012 at 2:04 am

    Your garden looks wonderful. I decided to try a small garden this summer, I’m just planting them in pots on our deck. We’ll see how it works out this year but its fun trying. :) I usually have a brown thumb but its the 4th week and they are still alive. :)

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    June 26, 2012 at 3:39 am

    If your son wants one huge pumpkin I would suggest selecting one bloom to save and pinching off the rest! That way the plant can focus all of it’s energy into just one pumpkin instead of several!

    Reply
  6. Anne Kimball says

    June 26, 2012 at 4:14 am

    Your garden looks great! Mine is doing alright, but too many weeds are coming up already, though we put a nice straw mulch down. Sigh….

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    June 26, 2012 at 4:24 am

    I love working outside in the garden- though our garden this year is rather small.
    I am doing much more work taking care of our shrubs and perennials this year, since we have just moved to a new place and haven’t been able to till up the area that will be our garden spot- looking forward to doing so next year.
    Teaching my children about growing plants from seed has been so fun this year. We started sunflowers, zinnias, and several other annuals (that did not do as well). I love the joy and excitement I see in my children as they watch that seed grow and grow- and then bloom so beautifully.
    Blessings! :)

    Reply
  8. Amy Bradsher says

    June 26, 2012 at 4:59 am

    Your garden is beautiful! I think I need some green thumb help – my tomatoes always get brown on the bottom. :-(

    Reply
  9. Pary Moppins says

    June 26, 2012 at 5:14 am

    Yea for gardens! And as for fresh green beans fuhgeddabowdit. One of my favortie foods as long as they’re cooked with some new potatoes, onions, and bacon….Excuse me while I forage for some beans and new potatoes….

    Reply
  10. Tiffany says

    June 26, 2012 at 5:39 am

    yummm…now I am wanting a BLT :) :)

    Reply
  11. Lyndsay says

    June 26, 2012 at 6:55 am

    So missing having green beans and corn growing! Our garden at our new house has been all containers this year! Our tomatoes have teeny tiny tomatoes on them, which made me actually jump up and down in excitement (picture that at 6 months pregnant!) Tell Malachi that he will have to be careful with his pumpkins, racoons and other critters love them! Also, if he takes a pen when they are small and green and writes his name on one, it will grow into his pumpkin, and he will have one grown with his name on it! My dad always did that for us, and it was so exciting to find our pumpkins when they got big!

    Reply
  12. Holly @ My Plant Based Family says

    June 26, 2012 at 7:54 am

    We don’t have a garden although I hope to one day. I do not have a green thumb! I’ll start with container gardening when I start.

    Reply
  13. Lori Waugh says

    June 26, 2012 at 8:33 am

    Love the garden pictures!

    Reply
  14. Amanda F says

    June 26, 2012 at 9:28 am

    Thanks for sharing pictures of your garden! I’m a NE gardener too! I chuckled when I saw your beans picture, I’ve been having some rebellious peas this year so I could definitely relate. I have a feeling I have a case of the grubs unfortunately though:(.

    Reply
  15. Tracy Bartonniles says

    June 26, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Love the rebellious beans…most of all I just love the pictures. simple growing plants and those little yellow flowers make my heart swoon! :) Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Tara says

    June 26, 2012 at 11:45 am

    Garden similarities…I had to replant my bean rows as they didn’t take the frist time either! They did take the second sowing. Bad year for beans maybe. My son is also hoping to grow the biggest pumpkin!

    Tara @ Simply Made Home.
    http://simplymadehome.blogspot.com/2012/06/for-love-of-all-things-green.html

    Reply
  17. Sylvia says

    June 26, 2012 at 11:54 am

    Your garden looks wonderful! Do you have any tips on growing peppers? I started some of my own from heirloom seeds this year and since I transplanted them to the garden they are just not growing alot. My friend warned me not to use any fertilizer with high nitrogen but what can I use? I see you mulched yours, does that help?

    Reply
    • Lyndsay says

      June 26, 2012 at 7:15 pm

      Mine did the same thing last year. With patience, the finally grew. Had a ton by the end of the season!

      Reply
    • Laura says

      June 26, 2012 at 8:03 pm

      I tried starting some from heirloom seeds in the garden plot, but I think it wasn’t warm enough yet. We have mixed peat moss into the soil the past two or three years because I acquired some for free then compost of some sort in the early spring (horse manure if I can get some for free, but I purchased cow manure this year and I think mushroom compost last year) and, yes, we use grass clippings for mulch to keep in moisture and help prevent weeds. Then it gets turned under with the remains of the pepper plants to add nutrients back in the soil. You’re correct about not too much fertilizer because it may damage the roots of the plant. I mix in the compost/peat moss a few weeks before I transplant so that it dissipates a bit- Matt

      Reply
  18. Jen says

    June 26, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    Great garden! It’s not too late to plant more green beans where they didn’t come up.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      June 26, 2012 at 7:45 pm

      Planted cantaloupe and winter squash instead :) – Matt

      Reply
  19. Laurie Collett says

    June 26, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    What a wonderful garden! What a great reminder of how we have to die to our sin nature for the Holy Spirit to flourish, just as the “dead” seed gives rise to the blooming plant! Thanks for the great post and for hosting the linkup!
    God bless,
    Laurie

    Reply
  20. Barb says

    June 26, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Awesome garden!!! When will you all be here to plant my garden ;) I need to grow a green thumb…lol

    Reply
  21. Kathryn says

    June 26, 2012 at 1:19 pm

    I love seeing pictures of your garden! This is the first year (third times the charm!) I seem to actually have things stay alive.

    Reply
  22. Faith @ Storms Stories says

    June 26, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    Beautiful garden, Laura! Thanks for hosting.

    Reply
  23. Lisa M says

    June 26, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    Love to see how others garden. We all have our own special ways and things we love to grow. My sister in law rents and so she has 5 gallon buckets she has gotten from stores and planted so much in there. We have planted okra for the first time this year. My boys new favorite. I did not get the snow peas in early enough and only had a small handful but they were tasty :)

    Reply
  24. Brighid says

    June 26, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    Thanks for showing us your garden! I love looking at other people’s gardens and seeing their creativity and hard work bear fruit. (Literally in your case!)

    Reply
  25. Joy says

    June 26, 2012 at 6:58 pm

    Oh, I love to see other people’s gardens! Thank you for sharing it with us! I love picking up more ideas of what to plant in the coming years!

    Reply
  26. Karen Dee says

    June 27, 2012 at 4:14 am

    Okra! Never thought of planting that. Love it. Any way you fix it. My fav is coated with cornmeal and fried. You mentioned green peppers. I forgot my hungarian peppers:( Will miss having them . Have too many tomatoes for just one person, but, will enjoy giving them away.
    Your garden is so beautiful. I’d love to have onethat great.It is SO neat!

    Reply
  27. Tami says

    June 27, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    I see your tomato plant is in a tin can… or is the plant in the soil and that is a bottomless can just around the base to protect it or something? Just curious… I read about protecting the base stems of my zucchini and squash from grub worms by wrapping foil or a toilet paper roll around them, wondered if this was the same concept. :D

    Reply
    • Laura says

      June 29, 2012 at 8:49 pm

      Yes, it’s a bottomless tin can to protect it early on from rabbits. – Matt

      Reply
  28. Little Wife on the Prairie says

    June 27, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    I am thankful for my talented friends who have a heart to provide for women in the midst of their most important work of ministry…motherhood. That is why I posted the blog link to Mitera Magazine. It’s free and it’s encouraging!

    Reply

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