Last week’s strong winds kept me out of the garden most of the week. I’m hoping to get lots done this week. It should be 91º tomorrow!
Garden
1. Spread straw under strawberries
2. Run water lines and plant aster and butternut squash seeds
3. Plant more leek seeds
4. Photograph the garden (in better light this time, hopefully, than the last two times)
5. Plant zinnias (this is earlier than most years, but it is warm out)
6. Plant more basil seeds
7. Work on editing the garden circle (pulling out the extra larkspur seedlings that self-seeded)
8. Plant foxglove seed in the shady areas
9. Plant sunflower seeds
10. Plant cucumber seeds
Sewing
1. Make puppets for Ivory
2. Make pencil case for Ivory
3. Make dress for Ivory
4. Finish hemming the last pairs of jeans shorts
5. Mend 2 items of clothing
6. Sew one or two other gifts for Ivory
Blog
1. Edit and post garden pictures
2. Write and photograph Frugal Accomplishments post
3. Write one or two other posts
Shopping
1. Finalize garage sale list with sizes and needed items
2. Attend community garage sale
3. Purchase strawberries, cheese, sour cream, sausage ($1.33 a pound), corn tortillas, rice, and spreadable margarine.
4. Purchase pot for cherry tree and pot for bay laurel tree (pictured above). I will be growing the bay laurel as a small topiary. After it has had some time in the pot, I will be cutting the branch on the left (and using the leaves, of course). I intend to give dried bay leaves as Christmas gifts in future years. Sam’s Club has some inexpensive pots this time of year, so I will go there. Also purchase two pots for 2 tiny hazelnut trees that I ordered.
Canning
1. Can strawberry jam
I hope to blog a bit more often in the evenings. Facebook is showing my posts to only 700 to 1800 (those are the higher views) of my 9000 Facebook fans. If you want to be updated on a regular basis, you can do the following:
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Also, you can find me on Pinterest, pinning lots of garden and frugal gift ideas.
After reading all you plan to do, I had better get it in motion! It is finally warming in the Midwest and the garden spot needs to be finished. We had 6 inches of rain in 2 days so the soil is too wet. The pots can be worked in and seeded. I have two flower beds that need work as well. Pots need to be organized and stored until use and weeds pulled. I need to plan this weeks menu to include crockpot meals while I’m working outside. Laundry and schoolwork still need to get done. I had better get started, there’s a lot to do!
What an inspiring list! I’m trying to get better about making and sticking to goals.
After reading your post on what trees to buy we ordered a Meyer Lemon tree. Can you please tell me what size pot I will need to plant it in so I can have one ready when it arrives? Thanks so much you have a beautiful blog!
Here are my goals for this week:Goals for Week Ending Saturday, April 12, 20141. Quilting Piece the top of the baby quilt2. Reading Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth by Mark Hertsgaard Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan MacNeal Living the Quaker Way by Philip Gulley 3. Cooking Beans and Rice and Sausage BBQ chicken thighs, beans, corn Cutlets, GMP, Green beans Oatmeal/Raisin cookies4. Birding trip to Brazos Bend State Park if the weather cooperates Make reservations for Louisiana Birding trip 5. ABF/Church6. Exercise 12 minutes 6 days 7. Guest Bedroom Project Install new blinds Frame the remaining 2 antique map prints
Good morning Brandy, I LOVE your blog and weekly goals. You help to keep me motivated on how I can cut back and save. It is a blessing! This week I am preparing to go to California to see my daughters. I travel there once a year, and they come here 2 times a year so it is fun to have mommy daughter times. Shiala is 34, Brittney is26. still fun sharing these times together…and the sun!!! So this week I have spent some money. I bought vegetable and flower seeds , 2 packets for the price of one.I also bought a bag of potato starters. Yukon gold and red. I’ve never grown these before but I hear they do well here. They will be planted in a 4×4 raised garden. I am not sure, but I may also plant onions in the same box. I hope they are compatible. I will read up on this. Bought more strawberry starters to add to the box of one strawberry plant a friend gave me last year, 2 blueberry bushes to add with the one I bought last year.to my garden. All on sale. Since my yard is a new one ( and very small) in a new development, I also purchased a couple of perennials, one is a bleeding heart for the front of the home. I am looking into buying 2 dwarf fruit trees. We have an abundance of apples in this area for very reasonable prices so I thought we could have plum and pear trees. I love peach too, but on this side of the mountains in the puget sound, I do not think they would do well. Cherry is another favorite, not sure whether to get sweet or sour for baking. My grandmother on Bainbridge Island had sour cherries, and she made lots of pies :)~~ still thinking about this one. We will also purchase 2 more grape plants to add to the one I bought last year. I ams starting early in my garden this year learning what to plant and when. It is so fun!! Since I am visiting in Calif next week, it will be warm..about 80’s . Here is is still 40’s-50’s. So I dug out my summer clothes, and found older white pants that I will cut to make capri style. I have several tee shirts to bring. My daughter will be driving, so I will not need to rent a car. I purchased the tickets early so they were less price. I have stored meat I bought during the holidays ( thanks to your teachings) so we plant to have a nice big turkey for Easter. I still have 3 in my freezer and 1 ham. Since my husband does not eat pork, and it will only be the 2 of us, we decided on turkey. My pantry is growing in supply, and now have much to be able to use this year. I am excited for the farmers markets now to open as I can start to buy bulk items to freeze again.I met up with a dear friend that i knew a few years ago in bible study, and she has a farm. So I purchased eggs from her as a cheap price. It is nice to know someone who has chickens. Well, this does it for now.Thank you sooooo much for sharing!Blessings and Happy Spring!Patty from the NorthWest ~~
I love your blog! Even if I am very very jealous of your temperatures and garden. We still have 4-6 FEET of snow on the ground (we got another 12 inches on Saturday) and the high today is maybe going into the 40’s. We rarely see 90 even in July or August.My 13 year old son really wants a garden this summer. I would love advice on how to even get started. What seeds to try (he’d like to do vegetables): how to find what grows best in my area (as far north in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that you can go); how much water; how to test and regulate the soil; pots, raised beds, trellis, manure, etc; what to do if we are gone for a week and any other information on a non-green thumb!I will look through your previous posts as a starting point!Thank you for the inspiration!
Hi Emilie, I am new to gardening as well. Brandy’s teachings have been such a God send to me. You will learn much from her. Since I started my first garden last year..late around May, I was surprised that I had so much and found that I love to garden. I also looked on the web sites . One in particular has been good in my area (which is zone 8) http://www.almanac.com/plants/hardiness-zone. First you will need to know what zone you live in. I found that there was a wealth of information on the site. I also looked into “how to prepare soil” I found video’s on youtube . This is so important for correct nutrients as well. I still am researching for new information for what I am planting now. I found a gardening planning book at “Half Price Book Store” which helped me to map out my garden ideas. Where to plant what, how long the sun would shine in our little area for best growth. I would time the sun during the day for best areas in my small yard. Have fun~~~Patty from the NW
Wow you have a vey busy week ahead. I have never gardened before, but would like to start this year. For some reason it feels so intimidating. But your list has given me some motivation to get started.
Don’t be afraid! I killed a lot of things before I had success, so even if things die, don’t think it’s just you. Learn as much as you can about when things should be planted in your area; that will make a huge difference in your success (some seed companies, like Territorial Seed, tell you soil temperatures, which is a huge help to know when to plant).
Emilie, we have 5-6 months of 90º and up temperatures. It gets hot here! And that is hard on the garden. Check out your local newspaper online and see if they have a gardening column. Also look for local gardening classes from your extension service and check your local nursery for any classes or handouts.I definitely recommend checking out what you can find online for gardening in your climate. You will learn a lot about planting times. Since you’re still under snow, you’ve got a great opportunity to learn and plan.Speaking of planning, check out my Edible Landscaping board on Pinterest for ideas on designing a garden. There are lots of great garden tutorials on Pinterest as well. I used Pinterest to plan my front yard garden. When I started pinning a whole bunch of similar things, I realized what shape I wanted and that I wanted a white garden. That really helped me to see what appealed to me the most.
The size of the tree is limited by the size of the pot, as the roots usually reflect the branches. Buy the largest pot you can, unless you plan on transplanting it to a larger pot later.You definitely want it bigger than the pot it comes in!
My (more modest) goals:Sewing: Try zig-zag stitching over the thin area on the knees of Big Brother’s pants.Blogging: Put up one post.Earnings: Make $315 working from home.Other: Go 7 days without using the car.
Your County Extension Service is a wealth of free, paid for by your taxes, information on gardening. They will even provide you with the varieties of each crop that will grow best in your area. Many local gardening columns in the paper are written by Master Gardeners which is a program of the Extension Service. Also, find the best garden center in your area as they will know what will grow where you live. Remember that what grows even 5 miles from you may not be the best choice for you.
start small! try one or 2 veggies you eat a lot of or some herbs…trust me you will get hooked! http://ithinkicansquared.blogspot.com/2014/04/weekly-goals.html
I’ve been gardening for many years, and all you have to do is supply seeds or plants, water, and stuff will grow by itself!! Of course the more you learn, the more successful you will be, but it’s not that difficult. Being so far north, you will need to pay attention to the Days to Harvest on the seed packages. Most things you will probably want to buy started plants or start some inside because of your short growing season. Seeds are cheaper but plants are faster. (I live near Buffalo NY, another short season area, but not as short as yours.) Things that I find easy to grow: bush green beans, chives, beets (may need to be started indoors but I can get them to grow here from seed) carrots in sandy-ish soil, swiss chard, leaf lettuces, Romaine. Tomatoes and bell peppers are better from plants.I don’t have a real large space but have grown as many as 14 vegetables in one season in my small area. Find out your “last frost date” and your “first frost date” and the time in between is your growing season. Those are average dates, but useful. You can cover plants for unexpected cold spells. My kids and granddaughter enjoyed eating things right from the garden–peas, raspberries, even edible weeds like clover. Peppermint or spearmint is good, although they spread like crazy so confine them to a pot or a very small area where they can’t spread. Also a good idea with chives. Kids can eat them or chew the leaves just for fun. Washing under the hose is recommended. Sunflowers are also great for kids to grow because they grow so fast and so tall. We plant here Memorial Day weekend, and can keep a garden going through the end of September and sometimes even into early Nov. if the weather cooperates. I save old sheets, thin blankets, shower curtains–just throw them over your plants at night if it’s going to be freezing, and take them off again in the morning. With luck, you won’t lose all your plants at once. It’s a great adventure–just try. Note what does well and what doesn’t and go from there. Have fun.
Dear Miss Brandy and readers,Your goals always inspire me. I listed my goals on my blog. Here are some ones I really would like to address this week.Buy Easter candy when minimal pricesPlan Easter baskets (using items bought last year at 90% off and crocheted stuff bunnies)Go to the library to get a book to read Arrange senior pictures-we took picture last night, my sister will printOrder HS announcements-my sister is going to design and I will get printedPlan graduation party with sisters-my sister is already doing this activityPlan spring wardrobes (needs and discards)Decorate for EasterMake Easter dresses/skirtsMake birthday gifts (PJs, dress, skirt. Buy 2 gifts with $10/$10 Kohl’s coupon and $10/$10)Blessing to everyone.Anna
Our goals:1. Finish taxes2. Bake bread. Have been wanting to do this for weeks, but haven’t found the time. Mixed up the dough this morning to bake tomorrow.3. Plant strawberries. We don’t have good soil, but I won an Earthbox planter on an internet/ Facebook contents, so – yay me!
We finally have good weather here in the East! *We planted peas and hardy lettuce in the garden and dh built two new beds for me to replace the 14 year old ones that are disintegrating. This, however, was not inexpensive as the cost of materials for these beds has gone up over 50%! On the lookout for new source for wood…*Baked our bread*All meals from scratch (including some delish pizza)*Sourced a necessary boat trailer from a friend for 1/2 price! Yay!*Said, “No” quite a bit more than I’m used to. Getting used to it. :)*Cut my husband’s hair.*Paid the children to wash our vehicles inside and out and then two of them used some of their earnings to purchase birthday gifts for the other child. A teachable moment!*Limited grocery shopping to some fresh vegetables as we are out of frozen and down to canned beans. March was the end of the line for us for pantry veggies. Hoping for lettuce from the garden…SOON!!*Continued researching how to build my home business – very exciting! – to help offset some of our taxes which are East Coast Ugly.*Continue to aspire to find deals here comparable to the ones you have found Brandy! Speaking of which…I simply can NOT find meat or fruit for the prices that you have. My husband and I were wondering if it’s because you are close to CA which is such a huge food production area? The only meat that is ever, EVER on sale here for less than $1/lb. is chicken and I rarely purchase because my husband has a poultry allergy. Beef hovers at around $4.99/lb ON SALE and pork will sometimes go below $2/lb. and when it does I buy lots of it. Doesn’t that sound crazy to you?Anyway, a new week and some new goals! Trying to stay on track…Heidi
I will look into the Extension services. I am not sure we have a garden center. I will look into that too. THANK YOU!!!!!!