Spring is springing!

Here are a few pics of Spring springing here at Catlin Farms!




As you look through the pics, here are few things to keep your eye on:

1. Sam is a very good helper in the gardens!

2. You'll notice that some of the oak leaf hydrangeas have large, full leaves, while others do not. These pictures are not from different points in the growing season this Spring. Rather, the ones that look like they are barely budding are under the upper end of the deck, positioned under a pecan tree. Apparently, the pecan tree's leaves and nuts contain tannin, an acid that hinders the growth of plants underneath the tree (perhaps because it keeps the plants from absorbing iron?). BTW, I learned all this from local experts that I have come to survey our property every now and then.

3. We've added strawberries to our perennial garden. We will also add a few blueberry plants this year. This is all part of an evil plan to turn our house into the Brick Street Farmer's Market.

4. The peas are growing extremely well, but need a trellis soon. I've got the posts in the ground, but need to put up the rest of the structure. Hopefully, I will be able to finish the trellis this weekend. Well, if it stops raining.

5. You won't notice anything yet, but keep your eyes on the broccoli and cauliflower plot. I'm conducting an experiment, testing Miracle-Gro against fish emulsion, an organic fertilizer. I will fertilize half with Miracle-Gro and the other half with fish emulsion to see what differences emerge, if any. I will then publish my findings and make millions!

In another news, Kimberly and I are another year closer to . . . 30! Whaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttt?!?!?!?!?!

Paid Child Star!

Sam has made his breakthrough in the entertainment industry! Below is a promotional video for Kimberly's company, InSite Solutions, posted on youtube.

Preparing the Gardens (pics included!)

Just to keep you interested, I'll go ahead and let you know that there are pics of Sam at the end! Now, on to the boring stuff. . .

This year, we will let you in on more of the details concerning our planting, growing, and harvesting the vegetables. I can tell that you can barely hold back your excitement! Me too! So far, we've planted seeds for peas and onions. The peas have begun to sprout, but we don't have a camera that will focus on something that small. However, the pics below do include the first signs of Spring springing as our phlox is starting to come up! Tomorrow I will build a trellis for the peas (which should be a very interesting endeavor for me). I'll try to document as much of the action as I can. Last year, we didn't build a trellis because we grew a dwarf variety. This year, we are growing Early Alaska pea that grows taller and has bigger pods with more peas; thus the need for the trellis. The great news is that even though this year's variety is bigger, the time from planting to harvest is actually shorter (56 days).

A wave of thunderstorms put a hold on planting the spinach and lettuce, though. After we wait for the ground to dry out, we will plant the spinach and lettuce. Next up are carrots (3/5), cauliflower, cabbage, swiss chard (3/10), and broccoli (3/15).

By the way, I'd love to hear if any of you have gardens, have had gardens, know any "tricks of the trade," or have any ideas for plants/vegetables we could grow. Please share!

Below are some pics of us getting the gardens ready, including many pics of Sam!

A time to plant . . .

Yes, you're right. It has been more than two weeks since I last posted. I'll say that I've got a good excuse, though. If everybody were to be honest, you'd all admit that you follow the blog to see pictures of Sam. Well, the camera's connection to the computer still isn't working, so we haven't posted anything. But, I think there is something exciting enough to post--even without pictures! No, we're not having another baby. Do you really think I'd announce something like that through the blog?

It's time to plant the vegetable garden again! I know you are just as excited as I am. Technically, today is the first day we can plant our Spring garden, but I will start planting tomorrow. Here's our planting schedule:

2/16: English Peas, Onion seeds
2/28: Spinach
3/1: Leaf Lettuce
3/5: Carrots
3/10: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Swiss Chard
3/15: Broccoli

It's time to get my double diggin' on!

And, yes, I'll keep trying to get some more pictures on here.

Growing Like a Weed: 15 Months

Sam is 15 months! We went to the doctor for a checkup and here are his measurements:

Head: Ginormous! (85th percentile)
Height: 32.5 inches (67th percentile)
Weight: 23.5 lbs. (33rd percentile)

The doctor said that these measurements were great because he is keeping on the same growth curve according to her chart. It's nice to see his weight jump a bit because he eats more than me! I'm not sure we could feed him any more than we do now!

One of the fascinating things about kids is how they learn. It has been a lot of fun to watch Sam learn as he gets older. For example, he has somehow learned that keys open doors. He loves to take mine or Kimberly's keys, walk to the different doors in our house and see if he can open them. So, we made him his own set of keys. If you ask him to get his keys and unlock the door, he will find his keys and try to open a door in the house. Amazing! Of course, this makes me wonder what else we're teaching him that we're not even aware of!

Sam apparently also has a very active imagination. He is the new chef in the house. My neighbor recently gave me a toolbox that sort of looks like a rolling suitcase. I brought it inside and put it just inside the back door in the kitchen. Before too long, Sam began to use it as his own personal stove. He went to the tupperware drawer and put some "pots and pans" on top of Sam's Stove. Then, he went to the pantry and pulled out the Rice-A-Roni and pretended to pour it out into the "pots and pans." He even went so far as to get a spoon out to stir it all up! I have to say that it wouldn't be a bad deal to have a chef for a son! [For some reason our camera connection is not working, so we'll have to post pictures later. Sorry.]

He is learning all the time. Sometimes I find myself sitting back and watching him, just wondering what he'll do and learn next.

Showing Some Resolve

This year I've made three New Year's resolutions.

1. Run another half marathon

I ran the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem, MA in September of 2009, although using the word "ran" may be stretching the term a bit. I lost 40 lbs. training for that half marathon, going from 235 lbs. to 195 lbs. I have gained back 25 lbs, weighing in at 220. It's time to start training again! Below are a few pics from the first half-marathon.

2. Be more organinzed

This one sounds a little vague, but I need to be more organized with every area of my life (including the covers, according to Kimberly!). So, I am making a concerted effort to structure my schedule very carefully, mainly so I can be a better husband and father. One of the projects we have been working on around the house will help with structure and organization. We own a small building that used to be a store, which is on our property. We have been working to make this building into usable space for an office/craft room/play room/man cave. Below are some pics of the remodeling.

3. Communicate more with friends and family who do not live nearby 

I could always do a better job of staying in touch with friends and family who do live near us. I think many of you could provide ample evidence of my lack of communication. Part of the solution will be posting on this blog once every two weeks. I haven't posted anything to the blog since July 27! You'll notice that it's January 13th, which means two things. First, I'm cutting it close on breaking this New Year's resolution. Second, it's Granny and Mom's birthday today! Happy birthday Granny! Happy birthday mom! To catch you up on just a bit of what's been going on at Catlin Farms, I've provided some pics below.

Happy New Year!

4th of July Extravaganza

It's a little late, but must be noted.  We had an excellent 4th of July celebration with our awesome neighbors, Jane and Daniel (I just realized we don't have any pictures of them!).  First, we went by Daniel's farm that he grew up on, and then went to Jane's family's lake house for the rest of the weekend.  It was a really rough weekend of eating food fresh off the farm, riding jet skis (as well as a Super Mable), and soaking in the rays by the lake.  Below are some pics from the extravaganza.



I have to admit that I was tempted to post the pics of Daniel's farm to pretend that they were new developments to Catlin Farms.  On second (or maybe third) thought, however, I voted against it for one main reason: Forcing Daniel's farm to pose as Catlin Farms would be a grievous insult to Daniel's farm.  Their farm is actually a farm and needs to be honored as such. Well, that and the fact that you would see about three pictures and figure out that we did not suddenly jump into cattle farming (or suddenly buy several hundred acres of land)!

Sam is 9 months old!

Catlin Farms is busy this time of year. We could tell you stories of vine borers, Catawba worms, tomatoes as big as basketballs, Mickey Mouse in the garden, or even a Big Foot sighting. But more importantly, we must update you on Sam. Sam is already 9 months old! Time is going by quickly and it seems like he is learning how to do new things every day. The doctor is happy with Sam's development in height and weight, too, which is a relief. The pediatrician is also happy that Sam enjoys eating so many different foods. The harvest from the garden is beginning to provide enough food to be able to feed Sam squash and carrots straight from the farm! Sam has now mastered crawling on his hands and knees, and even stood on his own for a few seconds.  Most people do not think he is going to walk soon - they think he will run.  Hopefully we'll figure out how to get some videos on here soon.  Until then, these pics will have to do. . . 

Summer Garden Update!

Hello everyone! Here's just a quick update on how the summer garden is growing. I looked at some of the old blog pictures and realized that I've not been keeping you updated on how everything looks.  I finally figured out how to put the pics into a slideshow so you don't have to scroll for miles.  Enjoy!

Said on the Farm: I must not look like a farmer

If you ever want to experience southern hospitality to the billionth degree, you should just sit out on our front porch for about 30 minutes.  As people drive, run, walk, bike, scoot, or stroll by, they almost always wave or actually say hello.  If you doubt this, just ask my dad.  Or, you could just come work in the garden with me one day.  On top of the fact that people 'round here are nice is the fact that they have to slow down as they drive by because our house is situated between two speed bumps.  Occasionally when people drive by as I'm working in the yard, they will yell something out the window like, "Dat's real purdy right there!" or one of my favorites, "Git it boy" (said by a man at least 70 years old in an equally-as-old pick-up truck - classic).

So far, though, it was a guy walking by that provided the most fitting statement for the blog.  I'm not sure how long he'd been standing there, but when I looked up from working in the yard he was standing by the side of the street looking at the farm.  So, I figured I'd break the ice with "Hi."  He just stood there for a while until he finally said, "Well, you don't remind me of a farmer, but yer doin' pretty good with yer garden there, boy."  I wasn't really sure how to take that, so I just said, "Thanks!" He then continued to walk down the street without saying another word.  Strange? Yes.  But a fitting comment for a wannabe farmer.

Here are a few pics of the view of the farm from the street and of the street from the farm.

P.S. I'm gonna stop trying to predict what I'll post next, because it's never right.

New Design

I just changed the design of the blog! Let me know what you think.

Comments Welcome!

I haven't replied to comments made over a month ago! So, I decided to step up my blogger game and actually respond, so that you will be encouraged to post more comments. I'm new to this whole blogosphere, so bear with me.  Please comment, and I promise to respond! I know some of you are replying through email, so I will try to step up and respond to all those, too.  Thanks for following the blog!

Fatty Sam

Sam is 8 months old! When we took him for his six month check-up, there was a tiny, little, eency-weency cause for concern because he went from being in the 50th percentile for weight to the 25th.  So, we have been pumping him full of sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, avocado, pears, peaches, apple sauce, rice cereal, multi-grain cereal, and breast milk.  Sam is a big fan of pears, peaches, apple sauce, and the cereals.  He seems to just grit his gums (he still doesn't have any teeth) and deal with most of the vegetables.  Surprisingly, he just won't eat bananas.  We think it may be the gooey factor, but the face he makes when eating bananas is priceless. 

Well, all of our hard work has paid off! Sam gained over two pounds in 6 weeks, and the doctor is no longer concerned about his weight.  Our pediatrician is also impressed with how quickly Sam continues to develop.  Sam can pull himself up to standing.  We usually find him standing in the crib when we go to get him in the morning, or when he wakes up from naps.  He also says "mama," "dada" (though we're not sure if he really knows what he's saying), and is generally very vocal (randomly raises his arm in the air and says/screams nonsense). Well, here's what you're all waiting for - more pics of Sam.

You Say Tomato, I say Brandywine . . .

. . . Carolina Gold, and Better Boy tomatoes.  Here's what they looked like when we first planted them.

They have since grown into the beasts of the east (yes, they are actually on the east side of the garden).  Check 'em out below.

This is the Brandywine tomato plant.  We became interested in growing this tomato because we heard that it can grow anywhere from 7-12 feet tall, and each pink tomato grows to be 1-2lbs.! Right now the plant is about 4.5-5 ft. tall and has 8 or 9 small tomatoes growing on it.  Here are some pics of Sam in front of it to give you an idea of how big the plant is.

 OK, so maybe some of those pics are so you can see how cute Sam is.  Enjoy!

We are also growing Carolina Gold and Better Boy tomatoes.  Here are some pics of the actual tomatoes growing on those.

These are the Carolina Gold tomatoes.  The Carolina Gold was producing the most tomatoes, and may have been the healthiest plant. . . until I freaked out about some of the leaves curling up on the bottom half of the plant and decided to go Edward Scissorhands on it.  Check this out.

What you see is not an optical illusion - there are no leaves on the bottom half of the plant, only tomatoes.  Way to go me.  I guess I'm still a wannabe farmer.  Hopefully she'll survive.  I'll keep you updated with any signs of hope.

Here are the Better Boy plants and tomatoes.  These are fairing a little better, since they didn't suffer the Edward-Scissorhands-fate of the Carolina Gold.

Coming up, the first hope-to-be-weekly installment of "Said on the Farm."  Stay tuned.

The Brussels Sprout!

Well, I know you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for the 1st Annual Spring Garden Awards, but there has been a bit of a delay.  Kimberly and I went to Charleston, SC for Memorial Day weekend to see family (who have an amazing garden, by the way!).  While in Charleston, we were lamenting the fact that the brussels sprouts had produced absolutely nothing.  We were ready to award them the "Don't grow me in the spring because it gets too hot too quick and I don't produce anything you moron" award, until we got back from Charleston and found these scrumptious sprouts . . .

They literally went from nothing to having full blown sprouts on them over the long weekend.  So, we've gotta wait, see what they do, taste the sprouts and reevaluate our awards. 

Stay tuned, though.  We've got a lot of catching up to do.  There are big developments with the summer garden at Catlin Farms.  Oh, and there are some pretty sweet pics of Sam coming up!

R.I.Peas

Well, the peas are the first from the spring garden to wilt under the summer heat.  The fact that they lasted this long, however, is a pleasant surprise.  Allegedly, when planted from seed, peas should sprout within 7-10 days.  After our peas didn't come up for nearly five weeks, we were ready to give up on them until these appeared . . .

So, we decided to see what they would do.  We didn't expect much because we didn't think they would be able to produce any peas before it go too hot.  Peas love the cold and hate the heat.  So, we thought that even if pea pods did begin to form, they wouldn't produce any peas.  Well, we were wrong.  Check these bad boys out . . .

From these we reaped a decent little harvest.  We were even able to have enough for dinner and still have leftovers to freeze for later!

But now this is all that remains . . .

R. I. Peas.

Coming soon - The 1st Annual Spring Garden Awards!

"Growing Like a Weed"

We're also growing this little guy at Catlin Farms . . .

My Granny and Paw-Paw always told me that I was "growing like a weed."  Sam is definitely growing in a weed-like pattern.  When we took him for his six month check-up last Friday, he measured in the 90th percentile for height and the 25th percentile for weight.  The doctor was not alarmed at the weight classification, saying that he is a beautiful baby who is perfectly healthy! Now to gain weight, we've started him on a special diet . . .

And, yes, that is a single broccoli stalk grown on our farm!

Introducing Catlin Farms Part 2: Summer Garden

And here's our summer garden (including a beautiful picture of me!). We've planted tomatoes (carolina gold, better boy, and brandywine), black-eyed peas, okra, bellpeppers (yellow, green, red, and purple), and jalapeno pepper.

Introducing Catlin Farms Part 1: Spring Garden

Here at Catlin Farms, the plan is to have a spring garden, summer garden, watermelon plot, and pumpkin patch. Thus far we've made our spring and summer garden. After briefly introducing the spring and summer garden, we will update the growth of the individual plants, as well as the harvest we get for each vegetable. Who knows, we may even post updates concerning other things we're growing here at Catlin Farms (like Sam, maybe?). So, here's the spring garden. We planted broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, and peas.