Weekend Coffee Share – in the garden

Welcome to the Weekend coffee share! Can I get you a cup of coffee? Tea? It’s almost 7 am and I am sipping my first cup of coffee from the French press. Today we’re having coffee at my very messy balcony. The balcony is full of plants that are going to be transplanted to the allotment garden today, and some plants in bigger pots that are going to stay at the balcony.

The giant pumpkin seed that I purchased didn’t germinate at all. So there will be no giant pumpkin this year (which is totally fine.) I have three large winter squash plants that are going to be planted in the Hügelkultur bed instead. I’m also going to have beans in that large area, and on one of the sides I have green onions. I transplanted the green onions a couple weeks ago.

My daughter and I spent the day at the allotment garden yesterday, catching up with all the things that I left behind in a hurry last weekend (I am feeling much better now, even though I’m still on medication.) We also prepared the site for the apple tree we are going to plant today.

These are the three varieties of apples that are grafted together on our tree. They are all suitable for our region (cold winters.) I am super excited to see it planted and thriving at the allotment garden. The tree arrived on Friday and it’s a good looking tree. I promise to post pictures later.

So there is a lot going on today. I rented a car to transport the soil, plants, some more compost, the material for new raised garden beds (that’s been taking up space in my living room since last weekend,) and the tree. It’s going to be a fun and busy day. I doubt that we’ll have time to build the new raised garden beds today, but having all the material and the soil at the allotment garden will be great. I’m going to have beans for the INCREASE Citizen Science Experiment, and beets in these two new beds (the beans in the large Hügelkultur bed is also for that experiment. I’m going to try six different types of beans this year, to see how they do in our region.) I hope your weekend is fabulous! Thank you Natalie for hosting the weekend coffee share.

Love

Maria

Weekend Coffee Share – un unwanted encounter

Welcome to the Weekend coffee share! Can I offer you some coffee? Or tea? 

This is a very short and very late coffee share. The four day weekend started out great. I trimmed some bushes and cut the lawn at my garden Thursday morning. However when I was about to enjoy my well deserved lunch I had a close encounter with a wasp. A some of you may remember I had a very bad reaction to a wasp sting in California five years ago. It didn’t take me more than a couple minutes to realise this was about to go down the same road. The lady that has the allotment garden next to me called our emergency number, and the ambulance was there in only a few minutes. I spend nine horrible hours at the ER, and the rest of the weekend resting depending on some heavy meds. I am grateful. So very grateful. I don’t have the energy to write more right now, but I am doing so much better, and I am very grateful, did I already say that? I hope your weekend has been less eventful.

The new planters for the garden that I was supposed to install this weekend will kindly rest in my living room until next weekend.. Thank you Natalie for hosting the Weekend Coffee Share.

With gratitude and love,

Maria