How Does Your Garden Grow

Beans and LOTS of 'em!! I knew I should have chicken wired my cucumbers. They're growing wild and it's hard to find them to pick, so I keep tripping over HUGE yellow cucumbers that I have to throw away. A fair amount of summer squash is growing, but my zucchini isn't doing so hot. A goodly amount of sweet peppers are growing and I believe there are monkeys in my tomato plants. Why? Because it's a jungle in there!!

A few things I've learned about my garden that I need to remember for next year are these:

1. Plant the mint somewhere else! It grows worse than the weeds!

2. Use something stronger than weak pine branches to string up pole beans.

3. Leave even more room than I ever imagined for tomato plants and buy bigger, stronger cages

4. No matter what, thin those carrots!!

5. Cage in those cucumbers!

6. Don't bother planting lettuce. I only eat spinach anyway.

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We just went through a triple diget heat wave!! To help keep the house cooler, I rigged an awning over the west-facing picture window in the living room out of 3 yards of fabric and ropes and stakes from our re-enacting tent. It worked!! The sun wasn't beating into the window, baking the house.

Next year, I'd like to make an arbor and plant a vining plant there. That way, in the summer, the plant will shade the window and in the winter, the plant will be dead, allowing the sun to shine through.

Housekeeping lately has been some more declutter (books) and preserving foods. I pickled peaches yesterday! :)

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News on the Baby Front! Bubby has started rice cereal! Also, I'm not making enough milk, even with trying all the increase your milk techniques. I'm still doing all I can to give him mostly breast milk, but he's on a bottle 50% of the time (of breast milk) and I'm pumping nearly every 2 hours! I'm sad, though, because I know it won't be long and he won't be breast feeding.

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I've got my eye out on Candy www.myblessedhome.blogspot.com

She's due to give birth soon, if she hasn't already!

Comments

Stephanie said…
FENUGREEK...It is great for improving a lagging milk supply (and great for breast health in general) and has saved my milk supply twice.
You can easily find it at any natural food store and it's not that expensive. Take 2-4 580-610mg capsules 3 times a day until your milk supply improves...if your sweat and/or urine smells like maple syrup it’s a good indication that you have reached the right dosage. It will usually increase you milk supply in 24-72 hours.

Another helpful herb, that can get you engorged if you are not careful, is Red Clover. You can usually buy it in loose dried form at a ntural food store. It's 62 cents an ounce at mine. All you need is one ounce. Add 4 cups boiling water to it and let steep 4 hours. Strain out the herbs and drink the liquid, in my experince it will increase milk supply with 12-24 hours. It's also highly nutritious :-)
Tiffany said…
How can you tell that you are not making enough milk? I am breastfeeding my 10 week old - and half the time I feel I'm making way too much, and the other half of the time I feel like I'm not making enough! Thanks!
Mimi said…
I can relate to your garden experiences. I love to have mint around. I have fond memories of my mother putting sprigs on mint on a small serving dish along with lemons for guests to use in their iced tea It's a Soutehrn thing. And, last year, I even made mint jelly. But, it does grow faster than weeds. I stuck some mint in a front bed as a temporary holding place a few years ago, and I'm still fighting to get it out of that bed. My father used to plant mint in a pot and stick the pot into the ground. That contains it at least for a while.

DH and I didn't cage our tomatoes this year, and they're all over the place. Back when my father was gardening, he had great success with tomatoes by letting them grow uncaged. But, our garden is too small for that, I think. Next year, we'll definitely cage them.

Elizabeth
http://elizabeth-themerryrose.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Besise the Fenugreek, Brewers Yeast also works very well.

The other problem is if you are expressing in addition to breastfeeding you need a good pump.

I can tell you from experience, I had to go back to work earlier on with both babies (due to husband health problems) that one relively cheap pump that works in the Avent Isis pump. It works better than the cheaper Medela mini electric simple or double. It also helps stimulate milk production.

I tried several pumps and this was the only one that helped increase my milk production.

There is some good advise at the La Leche League website.

I was a working mother and with my son I stopped breastfeeding at 5.5 months (I had a goal bladder removed)but was able to express until he was up to 15 months.

Even some breastmilk is better than none so just keep it up.

Also at the La Leache League website there are some self massaging techniques prior to expresion that increase milk production.

One other big thing is that we do not drink enough water therefore aim to drink 8 + glasses of water daily.

Good luck and God bless...

From SANDRA

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