I thoroughly enjoyed the Monark Springs camp meeting we got to be in this year. As a family we missed out on going last year because we wanted to go to another meeting in July, and then living in West Virginia just makes traveling to Monark a bit more challenging.
When I left for the trip this year, I committed to God my seedlings that I had already re-seeded 2-3 times. I knew that if they didn’t survive while I was gone, then it would probably be too late to try re-seeding after that. Plus, I was growing weary of constantly misting them with water, dusting for them for bugs, (or whatever was eating them), and setting up little protective barriers around them.
And I was very happy with what plants not only survived, but the huge growth everything had taken while I was gone for close to 2 weeks. It was really the break I needed from the garden to get some renewed motivation to keep going at it!
I had enough flowers bloomed to set up several bouquets through the house, and that has made me super happy!
Rhett made a little money helping me spread out some mulch in the front of the high tunnel. We are hoping to replace the sun-plastic on the high tunnel in the next couple years so we can utilize the extended growing season it provides.
This is the row of zinnias that I have had to re-seed the last half of it 2-3 times! I'm not sure what little critter kept eating the sprouts, but thankfully I think the whole row should be filled up with flowers at some point!
Some Procut sunflowers. They create small little sunnies on the bottom of the stalks that you can cut to put in bouquets!
I fought for my tomatoes last year and lost big time to a whole bunch of rats that I couldn't terminate in time. I am still fighting them this year, but I set so many spring traps and have taken out about 30 rats that way... not to count the ones I killed in the chicken coop before planting season.
Anyway, I'm sure hoping for a bunch of tomatoes this year to preserve!
My handy dandy helper!
The pumpkins shot up and spread all over the place while I was gone! I had to move multiple vines around to keep them contained to one area. I sure hope to get some pretty decorative pumpkins off of them!
Rhett wanted watermelon this year. Without the high tunnel plastic, we don't have a great growing season for watermelon, but I told him we could sure try! So we planted a sugar baby watermelon!
This is my other garden plot right next to the high tunnel that we planted corn and potatoes in. The corn shot up like crazy the 2 weeks I was gone. And God kept it watered for me! <3 We had been watering with a sprinkler every night before I left because we were in such a dry spell here.
My front flowerbed doesn't look exactly how I envisioned it, but it is starting to fill in a little more. :)
I will share the link here to messages from
Monark Springs camp meeting I attended, so you can get the blessings from the services as well! :)
Blessings! MarLeahJoy
