Tag Archives: pergola

Its Pergola Season! Tips To Building Your Own

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Still my favorite...our barn pergola

Still my favorite…our barn pergola

The very first pergola we ever built.

The very first pergola we ever built.

Strong posts, like these 6 x 6's make for a strong pergola

Strong posts, like these 6 x 6′s make for a strong pergola

3 finished kits are loaded and ready to go!

3 finished kits are loaded and ready to go!

There is no mistaking it – we are in full-blown “pergola building season” at the farm.  Ever since building our own and then a few more for friends and family a few years back – our “hobby” has grown to making quite a few each year  ( See : Building Our Farm One Pergola At A Time)

Another one of our favorites - love the way they decorated to make it their own!

Another one of our favorites – love the way they decorated to make it their own!

Posts can easily be secured with anchors to a concrete pad

Posts can easily be secured with anchors to a concrete pad

A pergola adds an "outdoor room" to your landscape

A pergola adds an “outdoor room” to your landscape

We have been so fortunate to have met a lot of wonderful new people through the process – and, more importantly, it has really helped to build the farm  and fund projects like the sensory garden and new chicken coop.

So for today’s Sunday Farm update, we thought we would share some of the picture, tips and hints that we have learned when it comes to building a beautiful and durable outdoor garden pergola.

A Strong Base Is The Key To A Strong Pergola:

With any outdoor structure, everything starts with the base.  To put it simply, don’t skimp on your posts.

When working with wood,  a 4 x 6″ or 6 x 6″ post is your best choice for long-term durability.  4 x 4″ posts – although much less expensive than the thicker ones, simply won’t hold up over time.  They will begin to bend and bow – and within a year or two – your structure can start to look more like a curvy art sculpture than an outdoor oasis.

Choosing The Type And Thickness Of Wood:

There are a lot of choices when it comes to what species and thickness of wood to use.  It really comes down to personal preference.  We build all of our beams and top purlin boards from 2″ thick lumber. Although there are thinner and less costly options - the 2″ thickness gives the piece long-term strength and durability.

Almost all of our pergolas are made from treated lumber.  It’s a great choice when looking to handle harsh outdoor conditions.  It’s also very versatile – you can leave it to weather to a natural grey patina – or paint or stain it to match almost any wood species or decor.

Cedar is another viable option, but the cost of cedar is becoming astronomical, and it is very hard to find in  2″ thickness.  No matter the wood species, thinner boards tend to end up like the thinner posts, bowed and curvy over time.

Securing The Structure:

A lot of people ask us if its better to bury the posts, or to mount them on a concrete pad or footer.  It really comes down to personal preference, as both work well.

If you have an existing concrete patio – then by all means securing your posts with a bracket is the way to go.  You can find simple plate anchors (Simpson ties, etc.) at most home improvement and hardware stores that do an excellent job of securing posts to concrete.

If you choose to bury your posts – make sure to dig down deep enough to get below the frost line and prevent it from heaving out of the soil.  For ours on the farm we buried our posts 24″ and then back-filled with packing limestone gravel and dirt.

Quite simply, the important thing is to definitely secure it!  If it’s not secured, all it can take is one little serious windstorm to turn your beautiful little paradise into a pile of toothpicks.

Jim and Mary

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The Completed Sensory Garden Plan – One Step Closer To Helping Autistic And Special Needs Children

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The Sensory Garden Layout - full size picture at bottom of the post.

The Sensory Garden Layout – full size picture at bottom of the post.

Our sensory garden plan is finished! Most who follow along with the blog know that it has been Mary’s dream as an Occupational Therapist to create a space at the farm to help those with special needs find comfort, learn, explore and grow.  With a finished plan – the dream is now one step closer.  We have approached it as we have with every other project on the farm – using reclaimed resources throughout the design - including old windows and bricks that will become part of a new covered garden house pergola as the centerpiece.

The garden will sit at the top of the hill, overlooking the farm below. To the casual visitor, it will look like a typical space filled with herbs, flowering plants, a water feature and garden house.  And for many days, it will be just that – a place for us to enjoy, take a walk, or have a quiet evening dinner underneath the garden house pergola.

But for Mary and others who will use the space – it will also become a place to help those with special needs by appealing to all of their senses – especially those of smell, vision, touch, and hearing.

The garden uses the familiar shape of the logo for Autism - the puzzle piece.

The garden uses the familiar shape of the logo for Autism – the puzzle piece.

Sensory gardens are places designed to help those with special needs to relax and enjoy themselves by stimulating their senses in a comfortable and safe way.  Their different way of learning sometimes can become difficult in typical environments. The sensory garden can incorporate what is taught in the classroom and apply it in a natural outside environment.

We designed the garden in the shape of one of the most widely recognized symbols for autism – the puzzle piece.  The main 6′ brick pathway extends straight through the center of the puzzle piece, with a large 20 x 10′ pergola and garden house structure that will anchor the center area.  It will have a gabled metal roof, with four reclaimed windows used to create an open-style covered structure. Benches on each corner will provide a shady quiet place to relax, rest, and take in the environment – with a reclaimed 10′ barn table directly in the center.

We use ornamental peppers almost everywhere at the farm to add color to the landscape

Bright vibrant plants like the beautiful ornamental pepper plants will be used to stimulate the senses

Herbs such as basil will be used to stimulate the senses

Herbs such as basil will bring smell, texture and taste to the garden

As you walk under the arbored entrance – there will be vibrant, colorful plantings. Flowering bulbs, sunflowers, marigolds, petunias, ornamental peppers, swiss chard and chocolate ruffles will be among the many plants that give an explosion of color for the eyes.

From the main walkway, there will be six paths leading to different areas for the senses.  To the right, an area for sound and hearing – filled with bamboo and bamboo wind chimes, along with rustling plantings of grasses, popcorn stalks and more.  To the left, an area for smell and taste – filled with an assortment of fragrant, tasty plants and herbs such as chives, mints, dill, rosemary, basil, strawberries and blueberries among others.

From the main garden house – two more paths will extend to the open areas of the puzzle piece.  To the left will be a big water pond feature full of sounds and sights.  To the right, a platform therapy swing installed on a pergola frame,  located underneath the shaded canopy of an existing large oak.

Bamboo wind chimes for the sound

We want to add bamboo wind chimes like these to add sound to the garden

Finally, at the back, there will be two sensory learning areas dedicated to touch.  On one side a covered potting shed that will be used to learn about the feel of soil, sand and plants. Allowing children to plant their own seeds to take back with them.  The other side will be home to a covered and elevated sand box area that allows children to work and play with sand, marbles and other materials of different textures and shapes.

Over time, the entire garden area in between the “designated” areas will be filled in with hundreds of plants that can stimulate all of the senses.  Colorful annuals and perennials like curry, lavender, Jerusalem and silver sage, lambs ear and hens and chicks to name just a few. It will be full of plantings that celebrates the senses and seasons.

Completing The Project:

We will use reclaimed brick for the 6' wide main walkway, adding beauty, color and texture to the landscape

We will use reclaimed brick for the 6′ wide main walkway, adding beauty, color and texture to the landscape

We will a pergola garden structure to the center of the garden, matching the style of our garden pergola but with some added touches like a gabled rood and reclaimed window walls

We will add a pergola garden structure to the center of the garden. It will match the style of our garden pergola but with some added features like a gabled roof and reclaimed window walls

March will mark the start of the first phase of the process – laying out the bed space, seeding the grassy areas around, and installing the crushed limestone base for the walkways. It will take a little time, but over the next 6 months, we hope to complete the remaining 5 phases :

Phase 2 (April) Transplanting – using all the available plants we have secured and saved and installing them in the given areas.

Phase 3 (May)  Planting remainder of annuals and perennials

Phase 4 (June) Installing reclaimed brick paver center walkway

Phase 5 (July) Installing the water feature

Phase 6 (August) Installing the Pergola, Potting Shed area and Swing area

Hopefully, by mid summer, a lifelong dream for Mary will come to fruition with the completion of the garden!  We will post updates and pictures along the way.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Jim and Mary

**If you would like to receive our Sunday Farm Update each week – be sure to sign up to follow the blog via email in the right had column, “like” us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

The Sensory Garden Layout - full size picture at bottom of the post.

The Sensory Garden Layout

The Barn Pergola And The 1 Year Anniversary Of The Blog

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Our finished barn patio and pergola - built mostly from recycled materials (furniture included!)

Our finished barn patio and pergola – built mostly from recycled materials (furniture included!)

We started with some simple 4 x 6 beams

We started with some simple 4 x 6 beams

The Purlins all up and stained - time for the patio.

The Purlins all up and stained – time for the patio.

tetetetete

Putting down the reclaimed bricks.

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of our blog.  So we thought for today’s anniversary post – we would feature our favorite project of the last year – our recycled barn pergola and patio.

Everybody always seems to have that one spot in their yard that becomes their favorite.  Maybe it’s the view from your back porch, a bench in the garden, or sitting under your favorite tree. For us, it’s enjoying time on the patio of the barn pergola.

There are a lot of reasons it’s our favorite. For one – it has great views of the entire farm.  Sitting on the patio you can see the upper pergola and flowerbeds, the chicken coop and garden areas up behind the barn, as well as the hillside planted with grape vines, and apple and cherry trees.  It’s also our place to rest and sort vegetables after picking, play cards with friends, enjoy a meal straight from the garden, or sit with a glass of wine or cold beer to watch the sun slowly set to the west.

But beyond those obvious reasons - the barn pergola is our favorite because it represents the heart and soul of what we try to accomplish at the farm.   We have tried to base the farm on creating something new and lasting from something old –  to re-use and recycle, live simple, and enjoy all the outdoors has to offer.  To us, the barn pergola patio area is just that.

The patio is made from reclaimed bricks from my dad’s old barn floor, which he first reclaimed from an old railroad station.  The posts and many of the purlins we cut for the overhead beams of the pergola were left-over rafters the barn roof.  The sliding doors to the barn were crafted from reclaimed barn floors.  The plants that fill the surrounding landscape beds are all transplants and divisions taken for free, and the outdoor kitchen is made from recycled roofing and lumber.  Even the patio tables and chairs are a “rescued-from-the-trash” project that Mary completed.

The pergola patio has become a great place to spend with friends and family

The pergola patio has become a great place to spend with friends and family

The barn patio after a recent snow

The barn patio after a recent snow

The barn pergola was our first “fun” project of the farm.  It wasn’t a necessity like the barn was for shelter, or the garden and compost area for food.  The barn pergola is simply a place we enjoy – and always will.  Much like we have with the blog.

When we started with the blog a year ago – it was honestly a way to keep ourselves motivated and a way to chronicle the building of our dream.  We began with a few articles and followers – most of which were friends and family we coerced into following :) .  But for some reason – it has grown and it continues to do so.  Yesterday, on the eve of this post, we passed the 400,000 visitor mark, and added our 5,000th follower.  In fact, there are many days where Mary and I are amazed that so many people want to follow along.  For whatever the reason, I can tell we you that we enjoy every minute of it.

We would like to thank everyone who follows along, comments and shares their own stories with us, as well as share our stories with others.  We have grown to love working on the stories and projects almost as much as we love working on the farm.  Here is to another great year at the farm – and to a lot more sunsets underneath our favorite pergola patio!

Jim and Mary

The Launching Of Old World Garden Vintage – How Pergolas, Farm Tables and Canning Cabinets Will Help To Build A Dream!

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Our Old World Garden Vintage Logo we designed..what do you think?

You can visit our new store by clicking on the store icon to the right. We hope to add more plans and special items throughout the year

Today’s Sunday Farm Update marks a big milestone for Mary and I and the Farm.  With the click of a button late yesterday, (and a lot of work over the last few weeks) we opened the Old World Garden Vintage On Line Store to offer detailed building plans of our pergolas, farm tables and canning cabinets for DIY’ers to build themselves.  With its opening, we complete one of our top 5 goals for 2013.  In the process, OWG Vintage will now help us get closer to completing another one of our top 5 goals – Mary’s dream of a sensory garden for autistic and special needs children.

Ever since building our first pergola for the farm a few years back – we have been asked many times if we would sell our plans for those wanting to build their own. The same goes for the canning pantry cabinet and the big farm trestle table and benches. Many of you who have followed along know that much of the farm has been built from the proceeds of selling our pergolas and farm tables.  With creating OWG Vintage, we can now make those plans available to everyone, and in the process of doing so,  have perhaps found a way to help build another dream.

sensory garden project1And that is where the sensory garden project fits in.  It has been Mary’s dream to create an area on the farm that will become a complete sensory garden for autistic and special needs children to come free of charge and experience and learn from all that can be found in nature. Over the last few months, we looked into several ways to apply and work with various grants and programs.  When it came right down to it – we decided by the time we applied and waited – we might be able to complete it sometime before the year 2050!  So, much like the pergola’s and farm tables we make to help build our farm – we’ll use the proceeds from the OW Garden Vintage shop to power the sensory garden project.  With each sale from the Etsy shop – we will continue to add more to the sensory garden and farm.  This will allow us to go ahead and start the garden layout in early spring, and as we can – build areas along the walkway for all types of therapy and sensory stimulation opportunities.

The OWG Vintage Shop will also carry detailed building plans for our pergolas

The OWG Vintage Shop will also carry detailed building plans for our pergolas

So last night, very quietly at about 9 pm, we opened up our Old World Garden Vintage Etsy shop – complete with detailed plans for our Pergolas, Farm Tables, and the ever popular Canning Cabinet.  (Isn’t it funny, that simply out of a need to store our canned goods, something made from scrap materials on a whim becomes what everybody loves!)  The OWG Vintage Store is a great way to reach people that either want to build their own items or are too far away for us to reach locally.  At the same time – it  becomes a great way to  fund the Sensory Garden Project.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!

- Jim and Mary

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One of our trestle tables we built last summer

One of our trestle tables we built last summer

Our Canning Cabinet that can be made from pallets or traditional lumber.

Our Canning Cabinet that can be made from pallets or traditional lumber.

Opportunity Comes Knocking On The Farm…On The Table

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The original pergola that helped build the farm a little quicker

Trestle Table I

Trestle Table II

Stacks of the old barn rafters and wood we saved from the old barns

The trestle base structure really add the strength to carry the heavy top – and gives the table the “vintage” look

When you are trying to build a completely self-sufficient farm – you have to be able to think outside of the box for opportunities.  Most who follow along know that through the summer months, we build pergola kits and garden structures to help the farm expand a little quicker. Pergola kits that simply grew out of a few friends and family wanting us to replicate the one we built for the farm. All in all – it’s allowed us to get the orchard and vineyard purchased and planted ahead of schedule, not to mention purchase Betsy, the farm truck.

Well, when we built our 12′ trestle table for the barn back in the middle of summer – it certainly wasn’t with any of that in mind. We just wanted to build a big ol’ farm table with long benches to use for dinner parties in the barn. There was just something that appealed to Mary and I about that throwback concept of having a huge table that everyone could sit around to enjoy a family style meal. As it turns out, that idea is shared by many others too – leading us to a really neat opportunity for the farm this past week.

It wasn’t too long after building the first table we had an offer from someone who wanted it for their carriage house. We decided to part with #1 in order to put a little more into the farm – and then built trestle table II to replace it – with my promise to Mary that it would stay put.

That leads us to a few weeks back when we received an email from some really wonderful people inquiring about the farm tables, and a request to come look at what we had built for the barn. They were in the process of outfitting a new business, and wanted the “vintage old wood” look. They had noticed our tables while searching on-line – and wanted to see what they looked like in person.  So last Sunday – we had the pleasure of showing them our little farm, along with the barn and farm table.  Now before I go any further – let me say that the promise to Mary is still in tact - our big barn table remains in place.

However, the end result of their visit has become a really unique opportunity for us. After looking at our old farm table – they asked if we would build replica tables to furnish the interior of a new growler pub business they are opening up in the Columbus area.  I have to admit it will be pretty neat to know we have our farm tables being used by people everyday!  They are scheduled to open at the end of the year – so we will keep you updated and hopefully show you pictures of the finished tables in the pub when completed.  On a sad note – this may mean a slight delay in finishing up the silo in the next week!

In other news – for those of you who haven’t been to the farm blog this week – you probably noticed today that the site has undergone some big changes.   We freshened up things with a new look, which allowed us to add category tabs for finding all of our old posts.  We hope you like the new look – and please feel free to let us know your thoughts  -  it’s always good to get feedback on what you like, and what we can do to make it better.

Have a great Sunday!  Jim and Mary

The Farm In Photos – Fall Version.

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I can’t believe it’s that time already – another month has flown by and it’s time for October’s version of “The Farm In Pictures”.

The temperatures continue to edge down each week, and the farm is showing more and more signs that winter is close at hand.   The ornamental grasses have all come into full bloom, and the rows of tomatoes and peppers in the garden have been replaced with the thick green growth of annual rye cover crops.  Mums now bloom in the planters that held wave petunias all summer – and the only annuals left to bloom in the landscape are the poinsettia and sangria ornamental peppers – which continue to amaze us with tons of blooms as well as their hardiness.

We did manage to get the rest of the boulder and stone laid at the entrance this past week. We laid in about 100 feet of drain tile under the rock – and we should finally be able to enjoy a mud free entrance after hard rains. In the spring – we will fill the area up with more transplants of ornamental grasses and perennials.

For those of you new to the blog, we post 3x’s a week. We have a farm update each Sunday, a DIY or Gardening tip post every Tuesday and finish the week on Friday with our recipe post. So without any more words from us :) – here is the farm in pictures for October…

Shared On The Barn Hop, Savvy Southern Style

The Clematis is still in bloom and working it’s way slowly up the upper pergola post.

The ornamental grass transplants have really grown into the privacy wall we wanted at the upper pergola. This past week – they sent up their fall plumes and really set off the area.

Up close shot of the feathery blooms of our maiden grass.

The Garden is green in the fall – but not from vegetables. The rows are full of thick green annual rye grass planted as a cover crop.

Cayenne peppers hanging in the barn. We had so many on the vines, we just pulled the entire plant and hung upside down to dry in the barn. Later – we will grind down to make more hot pepper flakes.

The Sangria Ornamental Peppers have turned bright red and orange for fall

The last of the banana peppers are picked. These are destined for the freezer to be used later to make more hot pepper mustard.

Mums have replaced petunias in the front flower pots.

Fall has brought out the best in the Poinsettia Ornamental pepper plants – they are in full bloom

The front entrance work continues laying in tile, stone and rock

All that is left now is to fill it up with plants – a task we will tackle in early spring with more grass and perennial transplants. For now – we are just glad the wall and the drainage tile are in place to keep our driveway entrance free of mud every time it rains.

Fall is here! Here is a shot taken a few miles from the farm overlooking the valleys and hills.

Whats up doc? We keep our carrots in the ground and just pull them as we need them – they have produced well this year.

Picking Peppers


And finally, as always – the view from the top. It’s amazing how this picture that we take each month changes so much!

The Chores Of Fall On The Farm

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Fall At The Farm – clear blue skies and brilliant red and orange blooms.

It pains me to share this picture – the entrance as it looked early this week. Hopefully this looks really different by next year. We are adding stone edging to the hill, a pergola behind the sign at the top of the hill – and 50 to 60 tranplanted grasses and perennials in the early spring.

This was taken after laying a total of 4 ton of boulders in this week – still a lot of work to go on this project!

Betsy got a good workout this week – hauling 4 ton of boulder rock to the hill. She will get more this week as we bring in more stone.

The last of the green beans cold packed and ready to be canned this past week.

A single clove of garlic. Fall is the time to plant garlic in Ohio. It’s a simple process – separate your bulbs into single cloves and plant with the pointed side up a few inches down in the soil

The garlic row is all planted (front row) – the rest of the garden is in fall mode. Peppers are still coming on – but many of the rows have now been planted with a cover crop of annual rye.

Fall.  It’s like the best of times and worst of times.  On one hand – the great temperatures and clear blue skies make it great to work long days without the tiring effects of the burning sun and sweltering heat.  On the other hand – those cooler temperatures and falling leaves are a reminder for us in Ohio of what is soon to come – snow, ice and freezing temperatures.

So with that in mind – we have a lot of chores that we need to get wrapped up before Mother Nature drives us indoors for most of the winter.   This week we began to tackle the most neglected part of the farm – the entrance.  For the two years since the farm project started – the entrance has been little more than a narrow gravel hill with a giant pile of dirt and a thicket of trees.  Every time it rains – we get half of the driveway covered in mud. That needed to change.

Betsy (the old farm truck) got a work out this week. We used her to get a couple of two-ton loads of boulder rock.  We will use the rock to match the rest of the stone that we have placed around the farm and create a wall for the driveway entrance.

It’s a slow process – digging out the edging and then rolling the boulders in place.  But one by one we got most of the boulders in place.  This week – hopefully we can use the truck to get a final load of boulders and a few loads of large gravel to complete the entrance.  It is amazing how much having the old farm truck has saved us already.  A typical load of the boulders would run $200 to $300 to have delivered – and we spent a grand total of $40 this week getting them ourselves.  We really want to have all of the hardscaping in place by the end of fall – so we can be ready to fill all of the bed space with more ornamental grasses and transplants in the early spring.  Hopefully we can get the same results we got from the back barn area transplants we did this spring.

Other Happenings Around The Farm This Week…

The last of the green beans were picked this week and canned.  I would put our green bean crop in the “OK” category this year.  We need to do a better job next year of succession planting and protecting the crop from the deer – but we were still able to enjoy quite a few meals of fresh green beans with enough left over to can a dozen or so pints.

Fall is the time to plant garlic in Ohio – so our crop went in this week.  We use a ton of garlic in our house – so we expanded our planting this year to 100 cloves in a raised row bed.  Hopefully – it’s another crop we can eliminate having to ever buy at the grocery store again.  Garlic is super easy to plant – as simple as taking apart the cloves of a large bulb and planting them pointed side up – covering the bulbs with 1 to 2″ of soil.  Garlic does really well in well drained and nutirent filled soil – so it’s another crop that benefits from great compost filled soil.

The cover crops of annual rye we have planted in some of the rows are coming up strong – they really help to retain the soil from washing away in the winter months – and add a lot of nutrients to the soil when we dig them under in the spring. Hopefully we can get the rest of the rows cleaned out and planted this week and be one step closer for being ready for Winter.

- Jim and Mary

Shared on The Barn Hop

Creating Your Own Outdoor Paradise

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This space has become a great place for the couple that purchased this one to enjoy their morning coffee and watch their fish swim in the ornamental fish pond they installed

Creating An Outdoor Room – We were blown away when we saw what Robin and her husband created with the pergola

Beyond getting to meet so many spectacular people – one of the most rewarding aspects of building our pergolas is knowing that they become a special place for people from all over to enjoy their own backyard space.

I am always amazed at the creativity of people and how they can take something and make it completely their own.  Although the basics of how we build our wooden pergolas are the same – each and every one looks completely different once someone takes it into their own space.

This past week we received an email from one such couple that truly blew us away with the space they created.  Robin and her husband contacted us back in the early summer after building a patio from reclaimed brick, and wanted an outdoor pergola structure to go over it.  So, over the next few weeks, like we so often do, we traded emails and pictures and worked our way through the design and size of it.  It ended up being a large pergola –  16′ x 14′ with 12′ posts to be sunk in the ground. On a sunny Sunday in early July, they came down and picked up their pergola kit.   What they did with it from there is simply amazing – building an outdoor paradise – complete with curtains, lights, tables and chairs.
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Our Garden Pergola - the very first one that started it all

Our Garden Pergola – the very first one that started it all

It’s neat really to think sometimes where all of the pergolas have ended up.   They have been installed on the top of a 40 foot deck overlooking a small forest – on top of a loft in the middle of Cincinnati -and in backyards across Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Pennsylvania.  We never get tired of getting pictures back from those that have purchased – telling us how they have “made it their own”.   We love the stories of enjoying their morning coffee outside, having  an outdoor dinner, or enjoying a glass of wine at night under the stars.  It makes us happy to see others enjoying their own “little slice of heaven” – just like we enjoy ours at our farm.

Jim and Mary

Landscaping and Extra Features Can Make All The Difference

Our Finished Barn Pergola And Patio

Our Finished Barn Pergola And Patio

The Farm and Garden In Pictures – August Edition

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Just like that – July is in the books and here we are already in August. That means it’s time for our monthly picture taking walk around the garden and farm. We still have had consistent temperatures in the 90′s – but we are getting a few more timely rains to help green things up a little. The garden is in full pick mode. Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots and Peppers of all kinds are being picked daily now – and almost every night something is being canned.  So without any further delay – here is the Farm and Garden in Pictures – August verison :

This  post Shared on Little House In The Suburbs DIY,  Shared on Simple Lives Thursday

Big Bertha Green Pepper just waiting to be plucked from the plant

Here is the morning’s take out of the garden – Needless to say – canning season is here!

The Ornamental Poinsettia Pepper plants planted at the upper pergola are FINALLY starting to turn. The peppers should start to become a beautiful mix of red, yellow and greens. The plants have really held up well to the hotter, dryer conditions.

The view from above the garden…The Tomatoes and Peppers are really taking off – we are picking over a bushel a day now.

A colorful bowl…The Mini Bell Peppers have proven to be a great addition to the garden. Beautiful colors and super sweet to eat. The orange peppers in the picture are our Tequila Sunrise – they pack the heat!

Continuing on with the recycle and re-use theme – here is our new address sign – made from one of the old barn windows.

Our Rosebush is really coming into it’s own…a farm warming gift from my sister last year – it has grown from 6″ high to this!

The Hot Banana Peppers just continue to produce – really one of the best overall performers in the garden

We have started to dig the Yukon Gold Potatoes…

Two “to do” projects on our list we got to cross off last month were the barn trestle table and the Farmers Market sign. We printed and cut out huge stencils to paint the lettering on the old barn door to use as a sign.

The Barn Patio – quickly becoming one of our favorite places to relax

The Cajun Belle’s after a light evening rain – still our favorite edible pepper.

Serrano Peppers turning red on the vine….we use these to make a hot pepper grind.

The Sangria ornamental peppers are now showing their full array of colors – from purple to orange to red

The Mariachi Peppers – You can pick them yellow or orange. A really good tasting, mildly hot pepper – great in salsa’s or just to eat.

One of the other accomplishments for July was getting the outdoor kitchen finished. Here is a view of the finished kitchen from the upper pergola.

The compost bins – the backbone of the garden. On the left – ready to go finished compost. On the right – Our active pile we add to daily.

Speaking of Compost – here is a great picture to show it’s power. If you notice the tomato plant in the upper middle right of the photo – it is the same as all the others in the row – except that it was planted directly in a spilled pile of compost from last year!  It is over a foot taller than all of the other plants.

Fresh from the garden – tomatoes, onion and green peppers cooking down in a large stock pot for a batch of salsa.

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Tip Junkie handmade projects

The Barn Party In Pictures

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Well – #25 finally got crossed off the list! Host a Barn Party. We had our first of what we hope will become an annual barn party event for our family and friends. We couldn’t have been more fortunate with everything : great weather – great help from friends and family setting up and tearing down – and great food!  It certainly made all of the work of building it seem worthwhile to finally have it be enjoyed.  The pictures tell it best – so here is the our first barn party in review :

One of my favorite pictures of the day was taken by friends Britt and Jonathon as their  kids looked in on the chickens

Mary’s Dad (Dick), Brother (Rich), Sister in law (Teresa) and Nephew (Greg) enjoying the barn pergola patio.

The just finished 12′ trestle table got a work out from family and friends!

My Mom with the newest edition to the family – her 13th great grandchild

Mary’s Mom (Candy) and Dad (Dick)  sitting up at the upper pergola area. Visiting from Florida – they were so helpful getting everything ready for the party.

Nolan (son) was taking on all challengers in corhole

A Cousin Reunion – Loryn (daughter) and Erin (Niece)

Friends Scott and Amy who have a little farm as well – they informed us they almost jokingly brought us a barn warming gift of a new baby goat that was born on their farm the night before!

What’s better than a galvanized stock tank to ice down and hold all the drinks!

The day brought lots of tours of the garden – thankfully it was prime garden season so there were plenty of samples to go around

Our neighbors Dave and Debbie enjoying a day at the farm. They are wonderful people and fantastic neighbors!

The barn held up well – here my brother Bob tests out the sturdiness of the loft ladder. He had plenty of practice on it when we put up the roof rafters! Hopefully for next year’s party we can have the brick floor installed inside.

My nephew Ryan, Brother In Law Brian and my niece’s future husband Andy

All of the commotion didn’t seem to keep the bees from their job of pollinating

Mary and Sarah take a moment to pose

Wes (son) and Olivia get the campfire going

The view from the upper pergola – It was nice to see people on the patio!

Morgan (great-niece) enjoying herself at the barn party

Our Friends Kelsey, BJ and their son Leighton pose for a picture behind the barn

Dave and John enjoying a beverage in the barn