Week of Spring :: Friday

It's nearly planting time!

Comments

[MamaShift]

Why does it look so warm there? It's like you're a month ahead even if you had snow later.

[Natasha S]

I love the fact that they wear wellies for a picnic lunch yet go planting in bare feet.These babes of yours are going to be bursting at the seams with fantastic childhood memories:0)

Have a great weekend.

[heather]

i love what natasha said - too cute. like any good self-respecting maine gardener, you are growing potatoes! i never come home from a trip to northern maine without a new supply of potatoes. and when my dad goes and i can't make it - he gets them for me. i don't have to ask anymore, it's just understood that i need my maine potatoes!!

happy gardening - we planted last weekend... things are sprouting!

[Mary]

I love your son's picture. My four year old daughter also writes her 'n' the same way as your son. She has also been asking me to plant some flowers on our balcony (we live in flat so no garden).

Mary

[Carrie]

I love how they've learned from you to "document" wonderful activities,what a gift you have given them.
We have a postage stamp sized yard,but hope to join our neighborhood community garden soon-it's in development! We can't wait to eat extremely local!!!!!!

[Carrie]

Amanda-Have a Happy Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

[elliebelle]

Bare feet and dirt - seriously, is there anything more fun???

[Madeline]

Yay! I'm so happy for you guys up north that it has all finally begun. My son made a big picture of his bird garden last year. You just reminded me with this wonderful drawing. I want to find it now.

[Stephanie]

Enjoy the gardening! I'm also hopeing to get my garden in either this weekend or next week. Already have the peas in, but nothing else.

[Kat]

Can't wait to see what delights you grow! Off to water my patch. Have a yummy weekend. Kat x

[Eren]

Yay for hands and feet in the warming soil! We put our tomatoes in this past week and have green strawberries ripenin'. Happy planting time friends.

[Suzanne]

Love the bare feet in the dirt:-) Have a great Mother's Day Amanda!

[Amy T.]

What wonderful dark soil! Is that the natural soil in Maine, or have you ammended it in some way?

[Gina]

How fun and exciting!! Beautiful pictures, too. We are loving your book and finding lots of inspiration from it. Mother's Day is going to be special, complete with joy jars and pillows embroidered with kids' art. Thanks, and can't wait for the next one.

[Angie @ Many Little Blessings]

Love the pictures! We should really be getting our garden a little more planting ready too, but my DH just had sinus surgery, so we aren't making progress like we should.

[Crystal]

Yay! Love the bare feet in the dirt. That is my favorite part of planting.

Your dirt looks amazing! I have red clay that we have to amend with about a billion tons to compost. I am hoping for sucsess with the garden this year.

[Ansley]

My your dirt looks so rich! I'd like to know how you like Johnnys seeds...we have used them on and off for the last few years.

[AMy]

How did you build your raised garden? I've read that you can't use pressure treated wood, and I really want to make a raised veggie garden in my backyard. Thanks a bunch! And have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!!!

[Heather]

These pictures are beyond precious! I love being out in the yard and cant wait for my little one to be able to help and plant. She already loves to be outside and toddle barefoot. I cant wait! (love your blog! Im new to it :) )

[Elizabeth]

Happy Mother's Day!

[Amy]

I can't wait to plant! Our last frost date is May 22. My little ones have been carting sod to the compost pile in their dumptrucks and sand buckets while I clear out an area for our very first veggie garden. I've grown flowers for years, but this is the first year we're attempting food.

Another "Amy" a couple comments above me was asking what to use for raised beds instead of pressure treated wood. I really highly recommend cedar if you can afford it. It will last for many, many years. But, I know many people build beds out of scrap wood (be very careful about old paint or stains), free wood pallets...you can even make "bricks" out of the sod you pull up, lay them root side up and stack them into walls that should last several years. Some things will last longer than others.

[kosenrufu mama]

it looks so funny!!!!

[MatchMomma]

ohhhh dirty feet... my fav!
:0)

[SOULEMAMA]

*******************

Amy T. -

We brought the soil in from a greenhouse. The soil in our city is highly contaminated with lead, sadly, so our previous garden bed isn't as safe as I thought it had been all these years. The soil is a blend of compost and um, soil? loam, soil, dirt....I get a little confused. ;)

Amy -

We use untreated 8' x 8" x 2" boards, spruce, I think. Cedar would have been ideal, but the number of beds we wanted made the cost prohibitive. You can do a search online for 'building raised beds' to get some great instructions on building your own.

Ansley -

I've only ever used Johnny's, so I don't have much to compare them to! I really like them, and that they're in Maine, and they have a pretty good organic seed selection.

Happy Gardening, all!

--amanda

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[mbutterfudge]

Just got your book, it was worth the wait. I love it and my children do to. Have a good weekend guys, all the best from LondonX

[Berlinswhimsy]

Oh, I love planting with young children----they are always so excited to get to dig in the dirt! And then I love how they often wake up the next day to see what plants have grown up overnight!! ;-)

[Varenia]

all that soil! so much fun! have a great weekend!

[WildMama]

I've really been enjoying these spring photos all week. My daughter would love that pile of dirt so much!

[lissilulu]

ooooo, you are spuring us on aren't you? The kdis and i plan to have raised bed gardens this year. Unfortunately when we spread some grass seed we were sooo excited to get grass after the horrible natural disaster we had in December we spread it right where I was planning on putting the gardens. LOL! Leave it to me. Sooo, I am scouting the yard as to where the next spot could be. Zack is going to build me some boxes from wood I salvaged from a 100 year old house that was gutted for remodel down the street. He is also supposed to fix my wheelbarrow garden (wheelbarrow with metal taken off and wood put on) for me to plant the flowers I am anticipating for Mothers Day from my children.
phew...that was long. Just got so excited when I saw those tootsies running through that fine soil. :o)

[Thimbleina]

I have just started my blog inspired by yours and others out there. I hope to have some pictures in a few days of my seedlings popping there heads up through the earth here in the UK. I have planted peas, french beans, salad leaves, rocket, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber so it will be interesting to see yours growing at the same time. I hope you post lots of pictures so we can see the progress - good luck xx

[Jessie]

I love these pictures! I've been having so much fun with my 20 month-old son in the dirt, playing with worms and bugs! Can't wait to plant things!

[Linnea]

That's a lot of dirt!!

[amy]

just finished yr book! Loved it. Kudos to you!

[Patricia C.]

We just got your book today. I was so excited to open it and flip through the pages. I don't even know you, but I got all choked up because I was so proud of you. Now, my kids are sleeping and I'm settling down with a cup of tea and your book. It's my special treat. Thank you for signing it for me. Congratulations!

[eesh]

I love the barefoot gardening picture! I can't wait to see the bounty of your harvest this year :)

[Holly]

Love your blog and read it daily.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful book. It's right by my bible! Just looking at that sweet cover makes me smile & I'm so looking forward to implementing many of your ideas into our daily lives.

[farmgirl]

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!! We were in the garden too...I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day.

[Shay]

Such a picture of spring-time bliss. :)