garden – Growing Self

Stand Tall and Hold Your Head High

August 19, 2017 Roda15 Comments

I become completely giddy over sunflowers! As difficult as it is for me to have a favorite flower, if forced to choose, the perky sunflower would be my one and only choice! I would hands down choose a bouquet of simple sunflowers over a dozen roses any day.

Sunflowers are filled with positivity, spreading seeds of happiness wherever they GROW. Regardless if they are planted by the human hand or a critter’ s paw, they rise throughout the season, to shine brightly, holding their head up high, never contemplating their shadow. What an amazing lesson we can learn from this sunshiny friend.

Like the sunflower, we all bloom in our own time…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 166 — Waiting…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 120 — Emerging…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 181 — Beginning to Blossom…

Always remember to…

Stand Tall

Hold Your Head High

and

BLOOM where you are PLANTED…

Love Yourself…Embrace Yourself…Just Be You…

♥Roda

Distracted By Mother Nature

August 17, 2017 Roda35 Comments

Ooh, Shiny! – Photo Challenge

I must admit…I become easily distracted by a little sparkle from a dew drop or the sun glistening off the wings of a dragonfly. My passion for the tiny critters in nature has become a bit of an obsession. I find myself outside, with the intention of completing a specific task. Before I know it, I am hyper focused, with the camera in hand, on a bumble, tree frog or grasshopper. The 10 minute task of collecting eggs can become an hour photo shoot with dancing wildflowers or an ornate spider web. I am surrounded by such beauty…I can’t help but want to capture each and every moment!♥

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-018 — An Indigo Friend

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 138 — I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 207 — A New Home…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 241 — Someone Has Been Eating My Pepper Plants!

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 147 — We All Bloom In Our Own Time…

sunflowers, bugs,garden 8-16-17 181.JPG — The Calm Before The Bloom…

flowers and butterfly 8-5-17 019 — Lady in Red…

flowers and conifers aug 2017 036.JPG — Sweet Dreams…

“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature,we have lost our connection to ourselves.” ~Andy Goldsworthy

Love Yourself…Embrace Yourself…Just Be You…

♥Roda

Harvest Update

August 14, 2017August 14, 2017 Roda25 Comments

The garden is overflowing with beautiful fruits, herbs and veggies! Not being able to keep up with harvesting and processing is such a beautiful problem to have! Plus, the chickens and ducks are over the moon excited about all of the wonderful produce they are eating daily! In fact, I told Wifey that I am going to create a bumper sticker that states:

“My animals eat better than most children!”

Here is a peek at the magical happenings, in the gardens, at Indigo Acres…

e09e216c-a240-45f7-b822-a0415e00fbc0 — Blackberries, Boysenberries, Grapes and Apples!

6cb2f80f-0b4a-4c6d-a341-20ac48a37048 — The third round of greens are growing strong. They are enjoying their new shade hoop house, which provides much cooler growing conditions.

d3c344a5-34c3-44b6-a31d-fe050843acfd — We just harvested approximately 400 onions this weekend, with more still growing. Our tomatoes are just beginning to turn. The zucchini has been prolific!

6a6d48e3-da5a-45bb-ac62-158d35ed9193 — The new herb garden has been amazing this year! We have had our third harvest of basil, cilantro and parsley. Round two of pesto and chimichurri is on my adventure list for tomorrow! Nasturtium, dill and borage are also on my harvest list for this week!

I feel like a busy bee…what a beautiful problem to have!

Do What You Love, Love What You Do!

Love Yourself…Embrace Yourself…Just Be You…

♥Roda

Be Still

August 6, 2017 Roda48 Comments

Yesterday, I spent some time in the garden, with my camera…waiting. The butterflies are prolific in the gardens, but they are frisky fairies and never seem to stay put for long! For the past few weeks, I have noticed a tiger swallowtail fluttering about, whenever I am outside.

When I am at the barn, so is the tiger swallowtail. When I am with the animals, so is the swallowtail. When I am in the gardens, I definitely see this beautiful swallowtail. Most would think that it is swallowtail season in Michigan, but I believe it is more than that. This butterfly taunts me. It reminds me of a toddler, unable to find words, trying to tell me something.

What is your message? What can I learn from this beautiful creature?

Yesterday, I decided to find a spot in the garden and just Be Still. My dear friend appeared and thoroughly enjoy our photo shoot! (It took all of my energies not to switch the camera on auto focus!)

“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. The possibilities are endless.”

Today, Be Still. If there is an answer you are looking for trust…be open…listen, for you never know what friend might flutter by, delivering a very important message.

Nature is always willing to teach us something, if only we take a moment to just Be Still and listen…

Love Yourself…Embrace Yourself…Just Be You…

♥Roda

July Garden Tour

July 21, 2017July 20, 2017 Roda43 Comments

I thought it was time for an update, considering the potager is flourishing!

Indigo Acres: Potager in July

We have been spending much time harvesting leaf lettuces and head lettuces. We love growing greens! Pictured below are some of our favorites: mesclun blend, four seasons, romaine,black seeded simpson.

This time of year, we harvest a large amount of pea pods and kale, as well.

We love zucchini! What I should say is we love zucchini bread! We grow 4 different varieties. One of my favorites is our “Zucchini Balls”!

This is a side view of a few of our garden beds. We grow most of our crops on black plastic. This not only keeps weeds at a minimum, but heats the soil to appropriate temperatures, for veggies such as tomatoes and peppers.

Acorn and butternut squash grow well on black plastic.

Borage, nasturtium, dill, basil, thyme, parsley and chives are just a few of the herbs enjoying this July weather!

Not only does our family enjoy watermelon, but it is a favorite among the chickens and ducks!

In March, we experimented growing tomatoes from seed, in the hoop house this year! Looks like we will have some early tomatoes!

Who doesn’t love onions! We grow large red, white and yellow onions and well as green bunching onions and leeks.

Adding flowers throughout the potager becomes a wonderful food source for the bees!

This spring, a hard late frost was damaging to our apple, cherry, peach, asian pear, plum and apricot blossoms. We were fortunate that our grapes and berries were spared.

We grow concord, reliance and himrod grapes.

Blackberries and Boysenberries will be ready soon!

When it is time to harvest, it is also time to re-seed. Baby leaf lettuce is already sprouting for round three!

” To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow…”

Love Yourself…Embrace Yourself…Just Be You…

♥Roda