Summer has finally arrived here in Minnesota with a tropical 96* yesterday afternoon. GORGEOUS! After working from home all day (so thankful to have that option!) I was ready to get outside and soak up some sun. But since this weekend wasn't nearly as productive as I wanted it to be I definitely wanted to knock some things off the ol' to-do list. Fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities to work outside.
First up? One of the garden beds in our front yard. Yikes! We definitely haven't been pulling weeds out here.
But after just 10 minutes we're in much better shape! I'm hoping to add some pops of color with some annuals in the near future. For now I'm just glad the weeds are gone.
I am way behind in the gardening department, but I'm hoping our Minnesota summer lasts long enough to get some produce out of a garden this year. So I finally got my act together and got something planted. Since our garden space isn't quite ready for us I used an egg carton to get some spinach, sweet peppers, squash and cucumbers started. I want to add some herbs, tomatoes and zucchini to the mix, but I'll probably buy those as plants. And then get my act together a little sooner next year...
And finally - an upgrade that Nick added this weekend. You might remember the above-ground sprinkler system that we installed last year. Well, we upgraded it this weekend.
This $25 little piece of magic controls our sprinkler system based on preprogrammed times that we punched in over the weekend. That means that our system can kick on at the ideal time of day, based on the season, instead of just whenever we happen to be home. For us, that means our yard is getting watered at 1am instead of 4:00 in the afternoon (when it's the hottest!). And since our backyard needs some extra TLC the consistent water will definitely help.
Plus? It still works with the splitter we have on (our only and only) spigot. We have one hose going to the sprinkler system in the backyard and one that's available for our front yard.
It's slow but steady progress on the outdoor front! We already love our backyard but there's so much more we want to do with it.
While we're talking outdoor spaces - what are some of your favorite shade plants? We have a ton of shade in our backyard so we're always looking for more plants that will thrive in a less-than-sunny environment.
ps - did you see? We added an entire page just to talk about our critters. Check it out in the top menu (or by clicking here. because that's easier: Furbabies)
Glad you're feeling better! I put white impatiens in yesterday and they've fluffed up quite nicely as of this morning.
ReplyDeleteWe have one of those timers and it is amazing! Our vegetable garden would not have survived last summer without it.
ReplyDeleteI need a timer. Now.
ReplyDeleteThat is all.
;)
I spent some serious time weeding this weekend too! My veggie garden had nearly gotten out of hand! Thankfully, weeding is one of those tasks I enjoy for some strange reason...
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about plants and gardening either, but I do know that I always hear about hostas being good shade plants. I've wanted to plant some of them around here too, just haven't gotten around to it.
ReplyDeletewoot woot! we have a drip irrigation system we put in, and it's on a timer. all i need to water are the things in pots and the annuals. it's fabulous...this reminds me...it's probably time to turn that sucker on for the season!
ReplyDeleteThis tool looks very compelling. By the way, I like the idea of adding a timer on it. That will surely save you time and efforts. I also have my own irrigation system, but it does not have a timer. I think I should install one.
ReplyDelete