The Easter Bunny Came to our Strawberry Patch

As I was weeding my strawberry patch in anticipation for a rich harvest, I came across this hole with dead grass on top of it.  I began to take the dead grass out, when something started to move.  I jumped back, and then proceeded to look closer. 

I'm not entirely positive, but as far as I could tell, I found a baby rabbit's nest in my raised strawberry bed.  We have a fenced in backyard to keep animals out and kids in, however, these little guys managed to find a way in.  I certainly don't have the heart to kill it, and yet, I am equally passionate about letting my garden feed my family and not the local wildlife.  I researched a little bit more about baby rabbits, and found that to see if the mother is still around, you need to recover the hole and put a piece of string on top.  If the string has moved by morning, then the mother is still coming to the nest.  I plan to let the mother nourish her baby until it is ready to go out on its own, and then, hopefully, catch it and release it in the wild.  I'll keep you updated on what happens!!!

(Above you can see how I recovered the hole and put a stick over the top to see if the mother rabbit comes back.)

Seedling Guessing Game

My sister and I planted our broccoli, parsley, cabbage, and cauliflower seeds last night in little jiffy pots.  Just as we finished labeling the rows and started cleaning up, my six year old said, "Mommy, look at your plants!"  He thought he was making the rows pretty, and in the process, completely mixed up the planted seeds.  So...we will get to guess which plant is which.  Fortunately, the parsley and cabbage will be easy to decipher.  That said, we may have broccoli growing where our cauliflower is slated to be!  Instead of getting upset, I just had to laugh.  Oh the joys of being a mom:)

Cilantro and Parsley germinated

The cilantro and parsley both germinated (on January 23rd and 26th respectively) and are growing well.  I look forward to a great harvest this year!  The Dahlias, Geraniums, and Snap Dragons have also germinated.

Garden Plan for 2010

This is my garden plan for 2010. Each sqaure = 1 ft. x 1 ft. The garden beds are 4 ft. x 12 ft for the larger beds. See the legend on the third page for understanding which vegetables and plants are planted where.

Indoor Herb Garden

My sister and I purchased an indoor herb garden kit from Home Depot, and planted seeds for oregano, chives, parsley, and cilantro on Saturday. I installed a full spectrum light into my hutch and placed it above the pots. I also raised the pots so that when the seeds germinated, the plants would be close to the light.



Just today (5 days later), I noticed that the Oregano seeds had germinated (pictured above). It's amazing how such a tiny little seed and cotyledon can produce such a large plant. I look forward to using fresh herbs all year long, if successful!

In addition to the Oregano seeds germinating, when I looked closely at the other pots, I saw a chive just starting to poke it's head above the soil. It is really tiny, but alive! I'll keep track of when I plant seeds and the progress of my garden on my calendar on my website: www.mylittlegardenspot.com

(Note: I took these photos with my Canon Rebel XS using the EFS 60mm macro lens. I LOVE seeing how close I can focus in on the tiny details.)

A New Year

We're planning for this year's garden already! We went to Home Depot and got our seeds, tomato starting kit, soil, and a cute indoor herb garden kit. Although we can't really start planting a lot right now, I planted the herb seeds (oregano, cilantro, chives, and parsley) and my husband installed a grow light in my hutch. My sister and I purchased Full Spectrum Natural light T12 lights. We're hoping for a great harvest this year!!!