Creating a Patio Herb Garden

Remember I told you yesterday that I had a very productive and wonderful weekend?  And that I'm very, very sore ever since? Yup. Getting old. How did that happen? Well, part of what made me so happy....and so incredibly sore....was creating my new herb garden up on my deck.  I did think about putting the herb garden down on the stone patio, but I really wanted the herbs right outside the kitchen door. It just makes the most sense - after all, that's where the magic happens, right?  And now I look out my kitchen window and I feel all fancy, like I have a potager in Provence.  Via Ok, it's hardly a true potager, but let me have my dream.... Anyway, here's how it all went down.  On Saturday the weather was just perfect to be working outside. I was puttering around the house and gardens doing this & that...and Sweetie came to my house and spent time on the deck putting together my two new herb boxes.  I was so excited!!  I know, don't judge....I'm pretty lame, no doubt.  To make the boxes more practical, I bought 12 casters so Sweetie could put 6 on each box. This way they can be moved for cleaning, deck painting, etc.  As soon as they were all assembled I used my superhuman strength to carry two huge bags of peat moss up a flight of stairs to dump in as the first level of soil.  Peat moss is great as a bottom layer in a large planter like this. It's lightweight, helps keep the nutrients in the soil, is relatively inexpensive for the amount that you get, and of course it's organic.  To find out more about peat moss's wonderful uses in the garden, check out this article.  The next layer in the planter boxes was the beautiful compost my sweetie brought over in 5 gallon buckets.  Another heavy load to carry up the stairs! For the top layer, I had to run to our local Ace Hardware and pick up some organic potting soil. I bought everything they had left in stock.  I'm pretty sure that all the staff members at Ace are convinced by now that I'm crazy.  It may or may not be true. I'm not saying.  Anyway, once I had all the layers in the boxes I used my Garden Weasel to mix it all up.  I truly love that garden toy. Remember I told you all about it in this post?  When the soil was ready to go, I headed over to the veggie garden to dig up all the perennial herbs and re-plant them in the new boxes. I'm still not sure what's going to come back after those cold nights we had, but I'll find out soon.  I also added some herbs I picked up when I was off the mountain .  Box number one has Lavender, Purple Sage, French Tarragon, Lemon Thyme, and Italian Oregano. And I seeded some Dill in the back.  Box number two has Rosemary, Greek Oregano, Garden Sage, Sweet Marjoram, German Thyme, and Dill seeded in the back.  I still need to add Basil and Parsley after the danger of frost....and who knows what else. Possibly some Savory or Chervil.  The Mojito Mint is in a separate planter so it doesn't take over the world. Same with the Chives - I dug them all out of the veggie garden and potted them up.  The herb garden is right outside the kitchen door, on the other side of my L-shaped deck from the dining and firepit seating areas.  There is some additional seating on this side of the deck, along with the barbecue and the hose.  At the corner of the L, by the tall staircase leading to the stone path and parking area, is my deck swing.  Not to be confused with the swing by the garden cottage, which is new this year. I am so blessed, no doubt.  The deck swing has been in 3 homes with me so far and I love it.  This swing faces the dining table and firepit area, as well as the bird feeders. It's a fantastic place for morning coffee.  Looking back towards the kitchen door, smaller staircase, and garage you can see the herb boxes on the right.  I just love my new herb garden and can't wait until the herbs really start filling in those boxes! I have plans to add a vertical element to the herb garden as well....stay tuned for more on that.  The large red container in the corner will be planted with colorful annuals, with something tall in the center. I have two more large red containers, and all three get planted the same for continuity.  While I was at it, I did another very, very smart thing, that I should have done ages ago - I added wheeled saucers under all the planters on the deck.  It will make things so much easier when trying to clean up the deck because these red planters seriously weigh a ton! But do you want to know what the real star of the show was this weekend? This little guy. Oh my, he saved my back! I sat on this little stool and did all the planting in the herb boxes, scooting from one box to the other like I was in a race car! My sweetie gave me this little stool a few years back as one of my Christmas gifts. I didn't quite know why he would be giving me a mechanic's wheeled stool....until he explained it was for me to use when working on my deck planters.  Did I ever tell you how smart my sweetie is?  Pure genius, I tell you.  But don't tell him I said that. I wouldn't want it to go to his head.  Shhhhhhh...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharing at: §  Bernideens Tea Time §  Best of the Weekend §  Foodie Friday and Everything Else §  Inspire Me Tuesday §  Share Your Cup Thursday §  Simple Saturdays §  The Maple Hill Hop §  Thoughts Of Home On Thursday §  Thursday Favorite Things §  Tuesdays at Our Home §  Tweak It Tuesday

The Herb Garden in July

I haven't been bombarding you with garden posts lately.....just because I don't want you to think that all I do, day in and day out, is sit outside and drool over my garden. 

I only do that in the evenings. 

Herbs and Their Many Uses

I am loving my new herb garden up on my deck!

I think that was a very wise choice I made, to transplant the herbs right outside the kitchen door. 

The Garden, Then & Now

We got hit with a whopper of a storm this week, and the snow is still coming down. This evening the temperatures will plummet to -10 Fahrenheit, and will remain frigid for the next three days. 

Brrrrrrrr! It's only January and my daughter announced today that she's so OVER winter!

The Garden in April

We had heavy rains and high winds all day yesterday, which obviously wreaked havoc on our internet, as I was without a computer all. day. long. 

I missed you!

Farmer's Market Kabobs

We finally got rain this weekend....blessed, glorious rain!

And boy, did we need it!

The Art Of Stretching The Grocery Budget

Yes I know....it's been a while...I'm sorry, I have so much I want to share with you but I hadn't gotten around to writing any posts! 

My crazy wedding season has ended (whew!) but I'm still working full time planning next year's weddings as well as lots of holiday parties and corporate events. 

End of Summer Garden Update

Happy Weekend, Friends! I hope you all had a glorious week and have some fun plans for the weekend! 

Time is flying by and before you know it the garden blooms will be gone...but for now we still have some beautiful things happening all around us. 

The begonias have had their best year ever! They are so happy down on the lower deck and they just put out non-stop blooms. I will bring them in for the winter once more and they should continue to bloom in the house, which will be so lovely to enjoy in the winter months. 

The Zinnias are still shining bright in the late season garden. 

As are the cosmos. They like to be continuously deadheaded, which I'm a little behind on at the moment, but so far they aren't too mad at me!

The gorgeous Casablanca Lilies are nearly done, but this new bloom just opened this week. I look forward to many years of beauty from the bulbs I put in this spring, and they should continue to multiply to create an even more amazing display each year. 

The Cleome is still going strong and the bees love it! This little guy was buzzing happily through the garden while I was taking photos and he didn't mind me one bit!

I never know what color Cleome is going to pop up but it doesn't really matter because I love them all. 

The Autumn Joy Sedum is coming into bloom while the Monarda (Bee Balm) fizzles out. I had a great season with the Monarda, it bloomed for about 3 months so I really can't complain!

The Nasturtiums in the veggie garden are so much happier than the ones on the deck. I'm really not sure why as they were from the same seed packet, and they both got plenty of sun and good soil. The ones on the deck are truly pathetic, while the ones in the veggie garden have spilled out onto the garden paths and have taken over!

The Morning Glories in the veggie garden are still going strong, popping up here and there. The blooms are the size of a saucer from this variety, while the self sown ones from last season are about a third the size, but a vibrant purple. 

I found this butternut squash blossom hiding under some leaves...but I'm pretty sure it's too late in the season for anything to come of it. Too bad. 

The tomatoes are still rocking the veggie garden - there are HUNDREDS yet to ripen - and I have lots of plans for filling my freezer with amazing things created with all these yummy tomatoes! Not a single tomato will go to waste if I have my way!

The carrots are nearly ready to pick - they are showing their shoulders above the soil so I'll start bringing them in soon. Hopefully by removing some of the larger ones that will give the smaller ones room to continue to grow. 

Same with the onions. I'm leaving them in the garden as long as possible to keep growing...I hope my plan works. Hey, I'm still new at this whole farmer thing!

The herb garden is OUT. OF. CONTROL! Insane. I see some herb butter in my future. Lots. 

The zucchini is still trying but I have yet to actually get even ONE zucchini out of my garden this year. Weird. Everyone else is trying to give them away!  Which actually works for me....thanks, guys!

And the grasses. Oh, my! They are truly my garden love this year. Next year I will put some in the large planters on the deck so I can enjoy them up close. I love the way the breezes move them, and the sun shines through them. Just gorgeous. 

The Dahlias are still doing amazing. 

They are like little drops of sunshine in the garden. 

This little guy was enjoying the sunshine on a geranium leaf. As long as he stays outside...

The geraniums are hanging in there although not blooming as profusely as in the warmer months. But I'll take every bloom I can get for as long as I can get them!

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone - take a moment to observe the beauty around you!

Entertaining on the Deck - Finally!

Wasn't it just the most glorious weekend? 

I'm sure you can understand why I wasn't attached to my laptop this weekend. 

As a matter of fact, I spent the entire weekend outside in the fresh mountain air - and nothing could have made me happier!

Some very wonderful things happened in my little world this weekend, in addition to the incredible weather. 

The Ultimate Creamy Garlic Chicken

This recipe has been in my repertoire for a long, long time, since neighbors of mine in NYC made it for a dinner party many years ago. 

I loved the creamy garlic taste of this dish, but knew I could find a way to make it healthier for my family. 

The Things I Don't Show You

I have shared parts of my home, both indoors and out, in various blog posts but usually it's the 'pretty' side of my life. 

Today I'm sharing the utilitarian part of my deck. 

The Vegetable Garden In August

We have had a hot, sticky summer, which is very rare for us up here in the mountains. 

I can't say I like it much....but  my veggie garden sure does!

How to Get the Garden Ready for Planting

I'm so excited because I was finally able to spend some time outside this weekend! Not only did the weather cooperate.....for a little while....but my back was much improved yesterday as well!

I can't tell you how good it felt to be outside working in the fresh air, instead of inside nursing a sore back.

The Garden In Early May

I know many of you have been enjoying spring weather for quite some time now. 

Not up here on the mountain top, that's for sure....we had snow on Monday and have only had spring for 3 days now!

It almost seems too good to be true after all this time, but I'm delighted to finally be able to sit outside and feel the spring sunshine on my face. 

Heaven, pure heaven. 

The Deck Garden in July

Well....nearly TWO MONTHS since I was here with an update.....what's up with that? I've missed all of you, and thanks to those of you who have reached out to me on Instagram to let me know you've missed my blog posts!

The Garden in MidSummer

I've wanted to share updates on the garden throughout July, but somehow the month got away from me! 

The Land of the Free

Independence Day is the perfect time to stop and reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this great country of ours. 

Thank you to all those men and women who risk their lives so that I may live in this beautiful country. 

The Most Fabulous Chicken Pot Pie

The other night I roasted a whole chicken, Ina Garten style. 

I seriously think her recipe for roast chicken is the best there is. The chicken is always incredibly moist and full of flavor!

The Garden in Late June....and My Critters

Exciting things are happening in the garden these days!

Well....exciting for me, but maybe that's not saying much about me, huh?

Planning My Spring Garden

Every year around this time I start planning my spring garden. 

I guess it helps me get through the long winters around here!

I know I have a long time to wait, but I can at least start placing orders for what I need, and any plants I want to add to the garden. Because, even though my garden is bursting with color, I still love to add something new each year!