Our Growing Garden

Yea! Our little garden is finally producing for us to eat from it. We have already harvested 4 peppers, several heads of lettuce, and even a couple of cubanelle peppers. My tomatoes are just starting to ripen and we have lots more strawberries coming on. Our lemon cucumber plants are blossoming too. It feels so nice to see the benefits of all our hard work this year.

Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?

Our little garden is flourishing... especially with all the rain we've had the last few weeks.

(Our garden view from the front yard)
My tomato plants are as tall as Quincy, in fact they have outgrown the bamboo stakes I've been tying them to. I have noticed little green tomatoes popping out here and there which are the size of little walnuts. I have also noted that our pepper plants are growing some tasty peppers on them. They are about 3 inches long now.

(The tomatoes in the right back corner, and the peppers are in front of them)

(The lettuce and herbs are all along the front bottom right hand corner of the garden)
Our onions, and shallots are coming along nicely, as well as our potatoes. We have already harvested 4 heads of lettuce and are eagerly awaiting the next ones to fill out.

I just recently planted some lemon cucumbers and am anxious to eat them. Okay, don't mind the lame burntlooking grass in the above picture... I just wanted to note that we have cleaned out the garden spot under the stairs..... to the right we have planted the lemon cucumbers. I don't know why we didnt' think to plant this area sooner.

(I just wanted to show how much our moss has filled in nicely) I think it looks pretty between the stepping stones.)

I am so happy with how our little garden has filled out and I'm very thankful for all the rain Heavenly Father has sent that is making our garden grow.

Reaping the "fruits" of our labors

Yesterday I was able to pick 5 strawberries from out little potted strawberry plants. I know they are small, but it makes me proud to see that all our hard work planting, weeding, tending to, and watering has paid off.


I know that we'll continue to get more throughout the summer, after all it's only the beginning of June! Yum!!

Euphorbia Myrsinites

Well..... I did some research about that mystery succulent plant in my garden and here is what I found out:
* Euphorbia myrsinites * Perfect for sunny rock gardens, banks, or along a driveway, commonly referred to as Donkey tail Spurge or Myrtle Spurge, (Zones 5 to 8). * Has long trailing stems covered with blue-green leaves that look like miniature eucalyptus branches. * Bright yellow flowers bloom at the tips of the stems as early as February. * The plant is only about six inches tall but spreads a foot or more in width. *(A note of caution, however: Euphorbia myrsinites is listed by the USDA as a noxious weed in the state of Colorado.) * May cause irritation to the skin, avoid contact with the plant's milky sap, as it is poisonous.



As if all of this information wasn't educational enough I stumbled across this enlightening website which gave the following information:
Post-mortem examination of people killed by Euphorbia latex has revealed severe inflammation of the walls of the stomach and intestine and in some cases the wall of the stomach has been perforated. The poison is called euphorbon about which little is known.

There is no doubt about it. Many plants in the family Euphorbiaceae are dangerous if you handle them carelessly. In some cases, just one drop of latex on your skin can cause a rash the severity of which depends on how each individual reacts to it. If the white, milky latex touches a cut or sore or squirts into your eyes, you are courting trouble of major proportions.

The name Euphorbia is considered by many in South Africa as synonymous with poison.

While reading the following story below... I was immediately reminded of my situation:

Every spring when I repotted my plants, I had a very painful mess of tiny, hard bumps on my hands. They were not red and not blisters but so painful it felt like a hundred little razor blades were stuck in my skin. These hurt for a week or more and then disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Last spring I repotted only my Euphorbias and that's how I became aware they were the source of my problem. Whether one specific plant was responsible I don't know. And I don't plan to experiment further!

This experience prompted me to look for information on reactions to Euphorbia latex. The following awesome stories and other tidbits of information will, I hope, alert everyone to the real dangers of handling these plants without taking proper precautions.

Many Euphorbias are used for medicinal and other good uses. But I found it interesting that a plant can be both helpful and toxic at the same time. Although my particular species of Euphorbia isn't as poisonous as some of the others, I will not be letting Quincy get too close to it.

Hopefully you all have learned to not make the mistake I did.

The good news.... the bad news....

The good news....................

Monday the weather was nice and so we decided to go for a walk. (I should mention that our jogger stroller is up and running thanks to the new "thorn proof" tires from Portland, OR.) For a while now I've been looking for an outdoor table to sit between our patio chairs. Something decent looking that we can use to put our cold drinks onto during those hot summer nights.

We headed over to the Deseret Industries and found this table for $3.00. I figured that for three bucks we could give it a coat of paint and it would be the perfect size and shape to sit between our chairs. It also has some shelves on the inside of it, which will be perfect for holding our garden tools. After purchasing the table we gave it a new coat of paint and voila`!
Presto! A new table. Since the paint has dried I will be looking to pot up some flowers to put on it. I think all in all, we're getting a nice little outdoor 'living area'. I can't wait for everything to fill out in our garden.

While working this weekend I bought some marigolds, yellow and green bell peppers, cubanelle peppers, and two small cherry tomato plants. I can't wait until we get to eat everything! I think the marigolds add some nice color to the garden. I also planted some nasturtium seeds between the marigolds, which will all hopefully fill out into a nice border.

Okay, and as for the bad news.............

See those two mounds of succulent plants that in a circle shape in the above picture. Well they didn't used to be two separate mounds.... they were once a huge ONE mound.
(Note: the huge mound as pictured above. Pretty spring flowers don't you think?)

I'm not sure what the plant is called because it was there before we moved it. It requires little or NO maintenance all year long and I have since had no complaints about it.... until now...... I cut it way back to make room for all our pepper plants (and because it was taking over the garden) and THIS is what happened.


I woke up the next morning to find my arms covered in tiny blisters and a severe rash.

(The pictures don't really do the real damage justice.)

I knew the sap form the plant causes a sticky, milky stain on our cement sidewalk, which is why I wore gloves. What I didn't realize is that it must be poisonous to some extent. I have yet to figure out what it is, but have since noted that I won't be rubbing my arms in its milky sap anymore, nor will I be letting Quincy get near it. The blisters and rash hurt and when I touch anything on them I am in pain. Since the incident they have slowly been reducing down to a lesser quantity. I have been covering them in hydrocortisone cream, which seems to help.


Does anyone know what this plant is called? I have seen it covering hillsides here in Idaho, and I know it must grow native in Idaho, but I'm not sure about the name. I will be doing my research and let you know my findings, that you all may be educated on it as well.



Wish my poor arms luck, and know that despite being wounded from my little garden, I have hope for it beauty these next coming months.

It's that time of the year.... the weather is warming up...

...And we decided to plant a garden. Luckily the place I work at also has a greenhouse and so I have quite the selection of vegetables to choose from at a discounted price. So far we have planted:

Romaine Lettuce (green and red)
Spinach
Celery
Arugula
Tomatoes
Shallots
Cilantro
and Onions

We are planning on planting some potatoes and strawberries this year too. It will, hopefully, be quite the garden. Last years was a disappointment because the weather was so cold until May, we couldn't plant things in time. Our hope and prayer this year is that we will have a fruitful garden.


In addition to planting our vegetables and herbs, I also planted some tulip, daffodil, and hyacinth bulbs. They won't flower next year because they were forced in a greenhouse, but they will the following year. I don't care, the foliage is still nice.

And lastly, to complete our little garden we planted some ground moss to grow between the rocks. I think it looks nice... or rather, it will look nice in a year when it fills out more.

And as a nice surprise..... today Quincy received an Easter package from Grammie and Grandpa Loren. He got:

A Sesame street coloring book
Some summer shorts
Hersey's chocolate eggs (which were Quincy's favorite)
A little Curious George
and A smiley hackey sack



He loved all of it... especially the treats and coloring book. Thanks mom and dad. I'm sure we'll get great use out of the coloring book at church and such. Love you guys!