Makayla's sunflowers and Michigan Gardens

annie1992

14 years ago

Gardens seem to be a recurring theme, lately, so Makayla wanted everyone to see hers. She planted sunflowers, which are bigger than she is now, she's going to feed the birds all winter with her sunflowers.

Her pumpkins are there on the left, and they are coming along nicely. I let her plant a 60 foot row of pumpkins and a 60 foot row of sunflowers, so we're going to have to put up a sign that says "Makayla's Pumpkin Patch" and let her sell the darned things!

In my world, the tomatoes are doing well, but nothing like Ann T's. Most of them are this color:

Although I do have a few ripe Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes:

You can see I have a few cucumbers and Royal Burgundy beans as well as beets, the corn and kohlrabi are from Magic Land Farms, my local farm market:

Bud and The Monkey Princess helped me pick cucumbers, here they are with Destiny, a neighbor's daughter. Yeah, I seem to attract children with my gardening and my animals. I try to remind myself that it's a good thing when I grow impatient with them.

Bud and The Princess even helped me snap beans, I canned 11 pints of dilled beans and 6 quarts of "plain old beans", my first beans of the year:

My concord grapes are doing well, the kids see grape jelly in their future.

the cabbage is starting to make heads:

In spite of having the coldest July currently on record, my garden seems to be doing all right, a couple weeks late, but as long as we don't get an early frost, things will be fine.

Dad always told me that farming was like playing poker with God, that goes double for gardening.

Annie

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Comments (30)

Terri_PacNW
14 years ago
Great garden growing Annie..and of course the kidlets are adorable as always!
claire_de_luna
14 years ago
That is one beautiful garden, Annie! (LOVE the cabbage heads, Oh My!)
I'm envious of Makayla's sunflowers too. She is going to make the birds very happy.

I always love to see the benefits of growing a garden passed on to the younger generation, and you're doing it very well. Those are some happy faces!
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doucanoe
14 years ago
Oh I am so envious of your gardens! I wish I had a patch of sun large enough to have a vegetable garden.

The kids look like they really enjoy gardening with grandma!

Linda
canarybird01
14 years ago
Great looking gardens Annie and such a wonderful experience for the kids to see where food comes from and how to plant, grow and prepare it!

They will have such rich memories to look back on when they are older!

SharonCb
centralcacyclist
14 years ago
What a life!
cookie8
14 years ago
Annie, your garden is huge! Do you know the type of sunflowers that were planted? I want to put some in next year and I like how full Makayla's look. Thanks.
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
cookie, I buy my seeds from the local feed mill, the tag on the bin just said "black oil sunflower seeds". I got half a pound for 45 cents.

The ones they use for bird seed are 23 cents a pound, I had to pay the "premium" price because they were meant for planting. I doubt there was much difference, really.

annie
wizardnm
14 years ago
I think I may just have to come raid that garden in a few weeks... yum!

Nancy
lindac
14 years ago
But I didn't see any zucchini....
I have grown sunflowers that reach the moon from bird seed....
But never have any seeds to save the as the gold finches are there picking at the petals before the heads are even fully open.
Kids are adorable too....but you knew that!!
Linda C
diinohio
14 years ago
Awwww sweet. Grandma is passing her love of nature and fresh food on to Makayla and Bud.

I remember walking to church with my Grandmother on Sunday mornings when I visited her in the summer, she taught me to identify the trees, and the names of the flowers in the neighbors gardens we passed along the way. Good memories.

Di
pkramer60
14 years ago
Annie, I am green with envy this year. My red cabbages look great, but my string beans are useless this year. The Italian beans are doing well and the toms are still green, other than a cherry I bought with toms on it a few weeks ago. Cukes are now comming in though. ANd I haven't seen local corn here yet. The temps have been so cool, 57 this morning and only 68 yesterday.

Nancy, a visit? Hmmmm......
ann_t
14 years ago
Annie, I love the pictures you share of Makayla and Bud. Too Cute. You have the best garden.

Ann
gardenlover25
14 years ago
The photos are great! and you have harvested a very healthy vegies. Like the pumpkin in the photo and the other plants as well. Till your next harvest...... Thanks for sharing.
lyndaluu2
14 years ago
Lovely garden and so big....
The Grandchildren are so sweet.
Enjoy both....

Linda
jessyf
14 years ago
Your gkids are growing like WEEDS! Or a garden....
shellm
14 years ago
Great pictures,Annie.Makayla and Bud are so lucky to get exposed to this.You are making such great memories for them.PRICELESS....

Shelley
amck2
14 years ago
Thanks for sharing the pictures with us. Each year around this time when I see everyone's sunflowers blooming I regret that I didn't plant any. Next year!

Your grandchildren are beautiful! Clearly you are enjoying their company, and the feeling must be mutual.
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
LindaC, I sure do have zucchini, it's on the OTHER half of the garden, LOL. I had some for supper last night, mixed with some of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains, it was pretty good!

Nancy and Peppi, come on down, or over, or whatever. I have cabbage I could cut in a week or so and the beans are just going crazy all of a sudden. The kids love those Royal Burgundy beans because they are such a bright purple but as soon as I put them in boiling water, they turn green, it's MAGIC. LOL By Wednesday, there'll be another bushel to pick and the beets will be ready to can in another week or two.

Jessica, I know. Makayla will be in first grade and she has a loose tooth. Her first one. She's getting so darned big and so is Bud, he's not a baby at all any more, he's all boy.

Yes, my garden is huge. I can't help myself, I'm a FARMER, not a GARDENER. (grin) I gotta have fields full of stuff.

I do love having the kids in the garden with me, which is why I do things like plant "magic" beans and those 4 color carrots....

Annie
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
Oh, and Eileen, I have pictures of this year's county fair, there's a goat there that reminded me of the way you talked about Alice's goat. (grin)

amck, plant the sunflowers, I think they're easier than anything I've ever grown. Then again, maybe they just like Makayla.

Annie
lakeguy35
14 years ago
"What a life!" I agree totally!! Given your strange weather I hope you have a late fall/frost so things can catch up and hopefully produce. Those kids are growing up way too fast for me! I guess those concords turn dark when they are ripe?? I've been wanting to try grape jelly but have had no luck finding them down here. I loved the stuff that booberry shared at CC several years ago.

David
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, David, my "babies" are sure growing, even faster than the garden. Sigh.

The concords turn so dark purple they are almost black. The insides are sweet, but the outside skins are very sour, which makes them good grapes for jam. I don't know if you can even grow Concord grapes down there, maybe they need cool weather, like rhubarb?

Annie
riverrat1
14 years ago
I always look forward to opening a thread that has your grandchildren's name in them :-) I know I'm in for a treat and this thread is no exception. The vegetables are glowing almost as much as the children. You can tell they are happy being with you and the garden.

Maggie planted a bean in our herb garden that she germinated at pre-school. We ended up with about 4 string beans. Evertime that I picked her up from school she would 'need' to go see if her bean was growing up. The bean is long gone now and she is into picking banana peppers...

Annie, I certainly would love to raid your garden too! Only I don't think airport security would like that very much.
brenda55
14 years ago
Annie, those gkids are just too cute. It is fun to see how much they enjoy gardening with you.

I guess I need to find some "magic" beans. Aleksi is excited because she has a pumpkin growing, but the heat is wrecking havoc on it.

BTW: any news from the postal service?

Brenda
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
RR, come raid my garden any time!

Brenda, I haven't heard one darned word from the post office, aren't we surprised? Ahem.

Too bad about Aleksi's pumpkin, that's another thing I always thought liked cool weather, but perhaps that's just because it's always related to Halloween for me. (grin)

Annie
Solsthumper
14 years ago
You know AB, I don't recall ever seeing any pictures of Bud, pouting. He's a very happy little boy, as is the monkey princess, and I can't imagine why ;-Ã

I also look forward to your harvest pictures, but I was particularly taken by the Concord grapes.
Precious kids frolicking in a prolific garden. Say that 3 times fast.

I won't be working the rest of the week, so I'll be hanging around here. Got 'more' pictures?

Sol
cotehele
14 years ago
I don't know who is the luckiest, you or Maykala and Bud. :D
My in-laws spend summers near Interlochen, and have been frustrated with the lack of good produce at the farmers' market in Traverse City. Thought it was because of the cold summer this year, but your garden is beautiful!

Judy
stacy3
14 years ago
wow! Things are growing nicely there! A little slow around here due to the cold weather and limited sunshine. :-(

Those kids are more adorable every time I see them.
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
Judy, I'm the luckiest of us, I know that. Even weeding and hoeing is better with The Princess and Bruvver to keep me entertained. As for the produce, I'm about 90 miles south of Traverse City and the things that are doing well are things that can tolerate cold weather, like beans, cabbage, pumpkins. I've gotten half a dozen cucumbers when usually by this time I'd have made quarts of Chase's dill pickles. The corn is just starting to make ears, it's weeks late and I don't have a ripe tomato yet. The eggplant have given up and the peppers are so small that if they actually bear fruit I think it'll knock them over.

So, that beautiful garden you see is selective, LOL. I didn't show you the parts that aren't doing so well!

Sol, that boy is happy nearly all the time. He can be doing the naughtiest thing possible but he'll have that big smile on his face. The only time he's cranky is if he's tired or hungry.

We're supposed to hit 90 on Sunday, first time this year. Stacy, I'll send a bit of that your way!

Annie
compumom
14 years ago
Annie, I've been away, but seeing Makayla & Bud so grown up makes me smile too! It seems like only yesterday Makayla was 10 months old and you were feeding her gefilte fish!! LOL
They're adorable and I love seeing how your garden grows. Odd weather eh? I didn't check tonight but DH said that he took a gander at the 'maters and they were ripe! I told my neighbor to help herself while we were gone, but apparently there are still more for us!
annie1992
Original Author
14 years ago
Yeah, but Ellen, you're in California, land of the eternal summer. (grin) You always have ripe tomatoes.

Here in the frozen tundra we have about a 3 week window, LOL.

As for the kids, Makayla ate gefilte fish for 3 or 4 years, now suddenly she's decided she doesn't like it. Go figure, I still like it!

Annie

Makayla's sunflowers and Michigan Gardens

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