“Tell me, what is your plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” Mary Oliver, American poet

Hello and welcome to Blue Hues For You!
 
Gardening season has ended on a sweet note with cantaloupe! For the second year in a row, we've enjoyed this deliciously delectable fruit. 
 
Our children pitched in over Mother’s Day weekend as we cleared out the remainder of last year's crop, laid new soil and placed new seeds in the ground. As the month of September neared, we watched our fruit grow and grow. We harvested about 8 cantaloupes total in our small garden, along with many cucumbers, cherry and Roma tomatoes, sugar snap peas and a few husks of corn🌽.

If you've never tried growing this succulent fruit, follow this simple formula: plant seeds in full sun, water daily or as needed, then wait at least 16 weeks before removing them from the vine. Once a sweet aroma can be clearly detected from outside the cantaloupe's peel and the fruit nearly falls off the stem by itself, it's ready for you to enjoy!

Need some extra tips on how to keep the wildlife out of your garden? For years, we've had success by using hog panels supported by fence posts. Then, we wrap a row of chicken wire around the base of the hog panels to keep out hungry critters. 

If this is your first time visiting, let me introduce myself. My name is Josie Smith and a few years ago, I left my full-time career to spend more time at home with my children. Later, I ended up launching this space as a way to express myself creatively and support others who long to do the same. 
 
Along with my work here, I've been dabbling in print media, writing articles for various publications including Northern Gardener magazine, St. Croix Valley Magazine, Woodbury Magazine, Cities South Magazine and more: https://linktr.ee/bluehuesforyou). Thank you for being a part of Blue Hues For You. Enjoy!