Finding Your Green Thumb! Part 2

Here is the second part of my gardening series! 

So after picking out my tomato plant, I decided it would be fun to grow my own herbs and lettuce as well. First, I decided on three herbs that we use frequently throughout the week - Rosemary, Basil, and Parsley. Then we picked out two different kinds of lettuce. 

We decided to grow our herbs and lettuce together because they grow well together and need the same amount of sunlight.
However, when you plant your herbs and lettuce, you have to TRANSPLANT THEM DIFFERENTLY! 

Tip #1 - When transplanting your lettuce, you first need to harvest the greens it already has. To do this, cut the lettuce 1 1/2 inches from the new soil line.

We did this with both kinds of our lettuce and they have grown back even more than before!

Tip #2 - When transplanting herbs, no harvesting is needed! Just position you herbs in the pot and fill it in with soil.

We have harvested our herbs for cooking about once a week and they have grown back very well! 

Finally, Tip #3 - When positioning plants in your yard, on your porch, or balcony, you need to know how much sunlight there is in each spot. 

When we set up our balcony, I kept an eye on how much sun our plants were getting. I noticed that the tomato plant was only getting partial sunlight and needed more full sunlight. Now I have propped the tomato plant up higher and it receives full sun! Our lettuce and herbs have been growing so well that I think their sunlight is the perfect amount. 

I hope you have enjoyed a view of our first balcony garden and will try out your green thumb and plant a garden yourself!

Finding your green thumb!

For this post, I am going to do a two part series, sharing some tips I learned as we started our first Colorado garden! I will be including tips on deciding what to plant, transplanting and things to consider when starting out.

This Past week, my mother-in-law, Julie came up from Texas to visit us! Since she came on Mother's Day, we decided to explore our local nursery for some plants to start our own BALCONY GARDEN. This was the perfect timing because Julie knows more about gardening and I have been wanting to learn! Also, all Coloradans know to wait until after Mother's Day to plant because of our unpredictable Spring weather!

Tip #1 - If you are trying to start a new garden, first find out when is the best time to plant. Here in Colorado, it can snow as late as Mother's Day! For that reason, it is safest to wait until then so your plants don't freeze.  

We decided that we wanted to grow some tomatoes...which turned into a bigger decision than we thought! There were so many different kinds of tomatoes to pick from! I kept just saying, "which one are the normal ones?" Finally we decided on cherry tomatoes, since we are growing them on our balcony. Those tend to do well in small spaces because they come as a dwarf plant or a compact plant and do not grow as big as others. 

Tip #2 - Pick the plant that will best fit the space you have. Ask questions if you aren't sure how big each plant will be. 

After we picked cherry tomatoes, we still had even more options of the kind of cherry tomato that we wanted. We ended up getting the Juliet kind, which will grow to look like these -

Cute huh?

Tip #3 - When transplanting a tomato plant, it is best to plant it deeper than its original soil line. When you go to put it in the pot, pick off the bottom stems up about 3 - 4 inches from the original soil. Then cover those 3 - 4 inches with the new soil. This will encourage new roots to grow and provide more stability for your plant.  

Tip #4 - Unplug your pot (if plastic) and add a water tray. By doing this, you will prevent ROOT ROT from over watering on accident. 

The metal wire thing is the cage for the plant to grow in. This provides continued stability as it will grow top heavy with fruit (hopefully!). 

Tip #5 - If you are PLANTING TOMATOES, you will want to make sure you know how big your type of plant will grow in order to pick the right size cage. If you are unsure, just do what we did and ask someone who looks like they work there! :) 

No matter where you live (Texas vs. Colorado, House vs. Apartment) you can't go wrong with growing your own fresh tomatoes! Check back for my next post with tips on gardening herbs and lettuce! 

For the Love of Color!

 

Colorado is colorful...just as it says on the sign. This was something I really enjoyed during our first fall season here! The trees all turned beautiful colors! Then we had our first fall snow, which was even more beautiful, so I captured some pictures to share.

 

 After our first fall, I was sad to see all the pretty colors go...but then I was surprised by spring! As the trees have started budding, Colorado is as colorful now as it was before! Here are some pictures...Enjoy!

Raises and Praises!

When we decided to move to Colorado, many people questioned why we would move so far away from all our friends and family. Often our families have questioned and even we, ourselves have had times of questioning God's plan in all of this.

We ask why God brought us here? Was it even God who wanted us here? Should we move back as soon as I finish school? Are we doing what God wants us to do while we are here? 

Yet, in the midst of moments of doubt, God has spoken loudly in a voice of affirmation through His blessings! He has been so faithful to provide for us as we continue walking in His will as best we can. Just to share with yall how good of God is...

First, He blessed Matt with a godly boss that encouraged him and gave him opportunities to succeed at work.

He blessed me with a nanny job on the first day we moved in.

He blessed us by Matt getting a significant raise only a month into working in the fall.

He blessed us by Matt getting promoted to full-time at work.

And now, again, He has blessed us by Matt getting a raise again in his full-time status!! Not even 6 months into working there! Some may say that it's just because Matt is a hard worker...and trust me, he is an amazingly hard worker!!! (Thanks to his parents that instilled that in him!)...But we both see Matt's work ethic as a means of serving God in his daily life. He works to be a man of integrity and a light to the men working around him. For that, God has been faithful to bless him in return. 

A little encouragement: One of the lessons we are learning right now is how to do ministry when not being in a "ministry" position. There have been times when Matt has questioned God's plan and why He doesn't have him active in ministry yet. However, we have come to see God working in Matt right where he already is. So if you often feel the same way within your work place or even as a stay-at-home mom, I hope you take hold of this. Be open to the ministry that is right before you. Whether that is ministering to your husband or wife by daily helping around the house, or being a light to your co-worker in the next cubical. - For me, it's caring for a 5 yr old boy and having the occasional conversations with other mom's and nanny's about being an encouraging wife or being active in a local church.

As we continue our lives in Colorado, we praise God for His faithfulness even when we are not always faithful. It's amazing to see Him working in both of us are we create our lives together in a way that glorifies Him instead of us!

Making Our Second Home

This past weekend Matt and I moved into our second home in CO. Since August we were living in a quite small one bedroom apt. Our first place was great for building on. We had no idea what kind of budget we would be living off of once we got here or if I would even be able to get a job. 

Thankfully, God is faithful to provide! On the first day here, I interviewed for a nanny job and got it on the spot! Then in January, Matt was promoted to full-time status as an Assistant Manager at Discount Tire. With those blessing, we were able to start looking for an apartment that would provide us with a little more space and much needed storage! We were able to sublet our old apartment and move into a nice, spacious, one bedroom just down the road. Now I am still reasonably close to work and school, while Matt is within walking distance to his job!

This weekend we have been busy settling in and my favorite part of homemaking...Nesting!:)

Also...in case you were wondering, Olive has been adjusting to our move fairly well. At first she seemed worried that we would leave her behind at our old apartment, but we are working to get her in a potty routine again. So far, she has only had an accident on our tile foyer. Since we have an indoor staircase to our 2nd floor apt, we can not see when she is down there waiting to go out...but I will take her peeing on the tile over our new carpet anytime! 

Stay posted for pictures of our new place coming soon! 
 

Since We've Been Gone!

After moving to Colorado, we expanded our family with a new addition!

Introducing Olive!  She is a 2 yr old, border collie lab mix that we rescued in Sept. 2011. She has been a handful at points, but she has the sweetest spirit and is so attached to us now!