I'm not melting into a sweaty puddle of smelly goo each time I walk outside.
I can have the windows open to air out the house.
There are baby critters everywhere I look.
Spring is in the air!!!
But... My favorite thing about spring??
Are these!!
Lookie what I've got!!!
Soon we'll have fresh strawberry Jam!!
The green beans and onions are reaching up towards the sky.
The cucumbers are sprouting, soon to reach for the fence andclimb, climb, climb.
Oh the Pickles we'll have!!
mmmmm
The pepper plants look so perky!
Fresh Salads will soon grace our table.
This is Stevia.It's my first year growing this plant.
It is sweeter than sugar and no calories!
crushed up in some Fresh Sun Tea?
DIVINE!!
The chives look so dainty and sweet, popping their heads out of the soil.
The cilantro is making an appearance too!Getting ready for homemade salsa.
The downy-soft fuzzy Sage leaves beg to be stuffed into a chicken.
Oh.. Oh... The Oregano we'll have!Whats your favorite season?
And Why?
And Why?
I'm incredibly jealous! It's mud season here right now! Nothing is growing yet because it's still so cold and we all have strep!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great garden! We still have a couple months before we are able to start planting.
ReplyDeleteThat looks divine! I can't wait til that time rolls around up here in Siberia, I mean Michigan ;)
ReplyDeleteI cannot grow peppers at all, which is a shame because we love them so much!
Your strawberries look so cute!
Enjoy!!!
Love the plants! We wont be doing ours till a bit later or maybe not until next spring. Love the little poetry you have in there as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI am so ready for spring here in Illinois! I've got the itch to plant something! LOL
ReplyDeleteWe're coming into Fall here in Oz and it's my favorite time of year! No more 114F temps, the windows are open, the leaves are starting to fall, and best of all, we're getting some rain!
ReplyDeleteMy garden sure appreciates that, let me tell ya!
Where's the Basil? LOL.
ReplyDeletecan you believe that the Basil is the prettiest plant out there and I forgot to snap a picture of it! lol
ReplyDeleteCrap. I'm jealous! We are hoping to start the greenhouse within the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteDid you name the truck?
i don't like gardening much since it means that i end up with dirt under my fingernails (i hate that!), sun burn, sweating, not to mention those nasty old mosquitoes...but seeing your garden sprouting makes me long to see dirt. we're still buried under snow and it's -30C outside.
ReplyDeletesucks to be me.
Couple questions...where did you get your stevia (seeds, or plants?)? How do you use stevia? I've heard about it a little, but forgot until I saw your pic! Stevia.net says that seeds can be difficult...
ReplyDeleteI to have heard they are difficult to get germinating and growing from seed. I actually found these babies on Ebay!! they came in three inch pots extremely healthy and less than $2 per plant!
ReplyDeleteOooh, you're already out in the dirt! I have a variety of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant started inside, but it's too cold to get outside. Strawberries are started inside too, (first year for berries) and I can't wait til it warms up enough to get them outside!
ReplyDeleteI love spring due to all the pretty plants and flowers and all that good stuff. Here in Kentucky we've not got as good a start on spring as ya'll have got down there, but we'll catch up in a couple weeks or so.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Lacey
You're making us northerners drool. We still have at least 2 more months before we even think about this stuff. I can remember years that I got anxious and started Mothers day then had to cover things to keep them safe. I'm chomping at the bit though.
ReplyDeleteI usually like Spring a lot because I'm tired of Winter but my favorite season of all is Autumn.
ReplyDeleteYour plants look good.
I cant decide if I prefer spring or autumn...
ReplyDeleteI wish our spring was a bit earlier... we still have loads of snow up here. Won't be able to plant anything until May... I really should start things indoors... your garden is making me jealous! :)
Oh, I am so jealous! I also love that part of spring. Our ground is still covered in snow :o(
ReplyDeleteYour garden is so lovely. I was thinking of skipping a garden this year due to not being able to keep up on it last year. Your pictures made me want one againg, LOL. Is that mulch? or just great compost that does not grow weeds?
I also love stevia. I only get it on the web since the ones that can be found in the health food stores have a bad after taste.
I hope you plant grows well for you!
Love the garden! I have mine in planters right now. I'm waiting to cut the grass (had lots of rain) and then to dig the yard! I have Creole Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Cucumbers, Watermelon, potatoes ready to put in the ground and my sister is taking me shopping this weekend to get the rest of my garden. Especially Strawberries!
ReplyDeleteCan you please post how to make Strawberry Jam/Preserves? Also I didn't know you could plant Stevia! How do you get the sugar from it?? My sister uses it and I was wondering about it. I could plant some too if I knew where to get it.
Thanks and good luck with your garden!
Sandra,
ReplyDeleteI most definitely will be posting a tutorial on jam making. as soon as the berries are ready. :)
I'm learning about the stevia myself.
for now, I crush the leaves into my tea. I'm anxious to learn new ways to use it and will pass the info along to you here.
I am SOOOOOOOOO jealous I could cry. I don't own a plot of land, though I have landlords who are pretty generous with their slice of paradise. I only have flowers...and in small quantities. I wish I could grow strawberries...wouldn't that be neat in a tropical climate? Your garden looks awesome, good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Dana,
ReplyDeleteI found this for Stevia:
Tips on growing and using stevia,
http://www.stevia.net/growingstevia.htm
Once all your leaves have been harvested you will need to dry them. This can be accomplished on a screen or net. (For a larger application, an alfalfa or grain drier can be used, but about the only way an average gardener might gain access to such a device is to borrow it from a friendly neighborhood farmer). The drying process is not one that requires excessive heat; more important is good air circulation. On a moderately warm fall day, your stevia crop can be quick dried in the full sun in about 12 hours. (Drying times longer than that will lower the stevioside content of the final product.) A home dehydrator can also be used, although sun drying is the preferred method.
Crushing the dried leaves is the final step in releasing stevia's sweetening power. This can be done either by hand or, for greater effect, in a coffee grinder or in a special blender for herbs. You can also make your own liquid stevia extract by adding a cup of warm water to 1/4 cup of fresh, finely-crushed stevia leaves. This mixture should set for 24 hours and then be refrigerated.
Hope that helps.
That's a dandy looking garden! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey Dana,
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if you would know where I could purchase a plant or seeds for the stevia plant? I've looked at Lowe's, Perrino's and Wal-Mart and have had NO luck! :(
My sister and I both want this plant. lol
I'll order online if that's what I have to do.
Thanks for any help you may be able to give.
Believe it or not...
ReplyDeleteI found mine on Ebay!
very healthy and great prices! Good Luck!
I have heard that they are very hard to germinate from seed.
I got 4"-6" plants.