Wednesday, June 3, 2020

John and Abbie's Garden

Abbie Duggar and Gracie Duggar
 
"Since we're home, we might as well get to work on our garden that we've been thinking about doing for a long time."
-John Duggar

At the big house, the Duggars have a huge garden courtesy of Jana. You've probably seen us post photos in past years. She has been at it again this spring, and we hope to share pictures soon. Meanwhile, John-David and Abbie Duggar are trying to grow vegetables. They built a raised bed next to their mobile home and are looking forward to seeing their harvest. To watch a short video on the TLC website, visit the link below.

John and Abbie Duggar's Garden

Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com

84 comments:

  1. Maybe JD can fly over it and crop dust it.

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    1. Oh my.....was that necessary?

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    2. Is he a pilot?

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    3. Yeah. Throw a couple of bags of flour out the plane window as he flies over the garden. lol

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    4. THAT was funny!! ( and necessary)

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    5. Apparently I have no sense of humor....not funny at all.

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    6. I have a great sense of humor, and I didn't think it was funny. 😉 Disparaging other people isn't usually that funny.

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  2. I think most Americans might be gardening right along side of them! Love the pic of Abbie and her daughter!

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    1. Yes! We also started our garden.

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  3. On my goodness Gracie is sooo adorable!!!! It's nice to get an update on Abbie and John. I love this couple and just love hearing that they are so happy and doing good.

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  4. MO- Very sweet picture! :o)

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  5. I do not understand why you put tree limbs then dirt to make a garden. Is that an Arkansas thing?

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    1. I live in NY and saw a neighbor doing the same thing, without the big machinery. She takes branches and logs and builds a mound with dirt. The branches break down and supply the tree with nutrients

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    2. I'm wondering more about what that will do to the temperature under that black plastic as it rots (make everything so hot that it will cook roots?) and what it will do to the soil pH.

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    3. I think it's probably because they have a raised bed.

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    4. I believe it's called hugelkultur. It's very beneficial to the soil because as the wood decays it provides moisture and nutrients to their mound and plants. It will be a fun project for them.

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    5. I saw Joy-Anna doing the same thing. Probably in Arkansas they do it like this. Never seen before.

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  6. What a darling photo! When Gracie was born, I saw a lot of Abbie in her, but now I see a lot more JD. I'll bet Abbie is a wonderful mom.

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  7. Fresh vegetables are always good and it will give them something to do while the plane is grounded during the pandemic.

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    1. That plane doesn't seem to be grounded.

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    2. The PLANE! The Plane! The PlANE! What's up with the plane today on the blog? Wishing we could fly outta this mess!!

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  8. 2 Cuties!!!
    I love Gracie's sandals! HAHA!
    AND, Gracie's hair-bow matches her outfit and is just the right size to accentuate her face.
    Thank you for this lovely picture.

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  9. Gracie's big happy smile and joy-filled eyes remind me of the look on John's face ever since Abbie came into his life. Darling family.

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  10. Dear John and Abbie, I love seeing your vegetable garden grow. My Dad plants tomatoes every year. I would like him to plant grapes, watermelon and cantaloupe which I could make a fruit salad out of. Natasha b

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  11. Grace is a beauty. God Bless.
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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  12. Wow they live right on a main road , lots of taffic.

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  13. Wow they live right on a main road , lots of traffic.

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  14. Grace is such a happy baby!

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  15. So cool that the twins Jana and John-David share the love of gardening. The picture of Abbie and Grace is adorable. Grace is beautiful.

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  16. Lots of questions:
    Why did John fill the trench with branches?
    Why is the garden mounded so high?
    Are there trailers surrounding the garden? Do they live in one of them or is this the new RV park JimBob just bought?

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    Replies
    1. Maybe all the Digger kids will have places there.

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  17. Please share Abbie's hair routine! Beautiful!!

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  18. AWE!!!! What a cute, mother/daughter photo!!!!!

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  19. That is a very cute picture of Abbie and Grace!

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  20. What a cool way to garden. I've never seen one made that way. I can't wait to see the progress of it.

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  21. I just love seeing John & Abbie together, and little Grace is just as adorable as can be! I hope they have good luck with the garden.

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  22. Why not just put garden soil in the beds? Also, landscape fabric leads to sterile soil.

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  23. Aw-w, what a beautiful little girl Grace is!

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  24. John and Abbie have been thinking of building a garden for a long time? They haven’t known each other for a long time.

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    Replies
    1. Obviously, it's a relative term.

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    2. @6:16. I thought the same thing! JD’s comment made me laugh!

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  25. It would be nice if the links were available outside of the US. I miss out so much of different photos and info. It’s highly frustrating. I know it’s not your fault though.

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  26. Grace is cute and petite. I see the resemblance of John.

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  27. Why on earth are they in a trailer?

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    1. Because that is where they choose to be.

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    2. It is right next to a church--so close it looks like a pastor's residence. Maybe the Duggars own the church property and rent it out?

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    3. Well, I think it's a step up from living in an RV like Joy and Austin did for quite awhile. It is rather puzzling, since the whole family is all about house flipping and buying up real estate.

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    4. John has a plane to support.

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    5. Anonymous @ 10:37- It's not really that surprising that the "whole family is all about house flipping and buying up real estate", as Grandma Mary was a realtor,Michelle & Jim Bob both held(hold) real estate licenses. It's an easy way for them to set their young adult children up. My biggest issue with this is not jealousy (as many poster will claim); it's that since the beginning with "14 Kids and Counting", we've been told for years how responsible the Duggar children are and how their parents have raised them to stand on their own two feet, to leave and cleave, and on and on. In reality, Michelle and Jim Bob have paved their childrens' way the whole time and continue to do so even after they're married and supposed to be independent of their parents. If you can't afford to pay your own way (housing, utilities, groceries, health care, buying & paying to insure and repair your own cars, and post-secondary schooling), then you are definitely not ready to get married, much less to procreate (because you can't support those children yourself). All of those things are adult responsibilities and handling them yourself is what defines an adult.

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    6. @10:03 There's still the unanswered question about whey they were living in a tiny church-owned house if they were supposedly such wealthy real estate moguls. Whose idea was that?

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    7. Anon 3:39. The answer to that question is pretty obvious. JB made what would in most cases would be a comfortable living for a normal sized family but couldn't support his mega family on his real estate and used car lot earnings. It wasn't until he hit the TV jackpot that they were able to live better.

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  28. I have to say that I was taken back a bit at the weedy unkempt 'yard' they have. Their trailer does not look like a very good one. Why are they cramped up in such a place? If I were Abbie's mother, I would not be happy with the conditions that my daughter is living in. I'm not a snob but John is supposed to own a nicer home. Why not live in that one?

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    1. Doesn't it have some connection to a church next door? Like it was the church's trailer?

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    2. Do they rent that one out to maybe pay for the trailer so they don't have to pay for two mortgages? That would be smart finances. Abbie is a grown woman and it's not her mother's choice where Abbie lives. It is up to Abbie and John.

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    3. If they are happy with their living situation then who else should care. Some people are happy to live with love and what they have while others need materialistic things and houses that are too large just to say look what i got.

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    4. John was a single man for a long time, he probably did not need more than a trailer. Then he married very quickly, and I guess they decided to start their lives in what John had already. Then they went on honeymoon, then Abbie got pregnant and was very sick. Then the baby came along. I'm sure if it was some awful living conditions, they would get another house, but seems like it's enough for them at this point.

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    5. 6:11, their home may not be a palace, but in the things that matter, their treasure is beyond measure! If they have eternal salvation from the Lord, that is the greatest treasure of all, and then a happy home is a close second!

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    6. I wonder what happened to that brick house the Duggars used to say John owed.

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    7. Anon 1:22. Salvation can be called a treasure, but it doesn't feed, clothe or house anyone. A happy home is great but living in small cramped quarters when it's not necessary isn't some sort of "blessing"

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    8. 4:16, a happy home is something under the control of the people who live there, even if the home is small and cramped. And that is a blessing, because your attitude can make or break you!

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    9. 4:16, did you know that the average new home in the 1950s was under a thousand square feet? I just learned that! I think we have become pretty spoiled in general, and there's nothing wrong with living more modestly. Really, your attitude plus your willingness to keep clutter to a minimum are the keys to living happily in a smaller place.

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    10. @12:02 It was a different economy then. Three million WW2 GI's were returning, marrying, and buying houses in the 1950's faster than they could build them. Of course they kept the houses small so they could build more on the available land. That didn't mean that it was pleasant living in such small spaces, especially when the children came along. Most 1950's houses were added on to in the 60's and 70's (see what has happened to the original Levittown houses), and the ones that weren't added on to were left behind for newer, larger houses. I grew up in a 3/1 house with 1100 sq. ft. and we couldn't wait to leave there for something larger with another bedroom, another bathroom, and a family room. We were on top of each other in the first house, there was a line for the bathroom, and it all created family tension. "Attitude" did not give us any more living space. Only moving did.

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  29. Grace is so adorable! And what a beautiful and natural smile Annie has!

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  30. there in a trailer because they are the duggars. why would it bother her mom? abbie is an adult. cant see how they wanted a garden for awhile didnt know each other long before they got married

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    1. It would bother me if MY daughter married a man that owns an airplane and doesn't provide her and their daughter with better housing than a small trailer on a busy street. As far as I'm concerned John has his priorities mixed up.

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    2. If Abbie is happy, it's really none of my business.

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  31. That trailer looks rather run down. John is a wealthy reality TV star, not a poor man. He should provide better housing for his family. His married siblings all have nice modest homes that are suitable for their families.

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    1. How do you know he's wealthy? Jill and Derick seem to be saying that they didn't even know JB was getting paid, that it was a ministry.

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    2. Too late now. Abbie should have demanded similar housing to what her sisters and brothers in-law have prior to marriage. lol

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    3. I think perhaps the Duggar help their children with obtaining their first homes....at least that's what it seems like. Since John David did not marry right away, maybe they helped him buy a plane? I'm sure they will upgrade to a larger place if and when their family grows.

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    4. Anon 5:53. John OWNS his own plane and flies around in it all the time. Poor people don't do that sort of thing. He's been appearing on reality TV for YEARS. People get PAID for that so he has plenty of money. He just doesn't choose to spend his money on housing.

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    5. @12:27 The question here is WHO gets paid for this reality show. Ask Derick. He'll tell you what happened, and why his "unpaid volunteer" family is no longer on the show. Don't be so sure John David has "plenty of money." Someone has it though...

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    6. Anon 10:32. The Duggars are paid, but you're right there's no telling WHO is controlling the money. It seems odd to me thata a 30 year old man would be so passive that after appearing on TV for many years he would let his parents control his income.

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    7. 1. How John and Abbie spend their money is really none of my business. If they're happy, that's all that matters.
      2. Derick seemed to be happy on the show and making the money it provided. It was only when he started voicing his opinion on an adolescent "Jazz", who is also on TLC that he got into trouble. Sometimes when a person is in the public eye, personal opinions are better kept to one's self. But, he still continues to try to make money off the Duggar name....he's writing a "tell-all" book? I wouldn't think he has the time if he's attending law school. As much as I like the Duggars, Jill, Israel and Samuel, I don't waste my time reading anything that Derick has to say...that's just me. And, I think back to the time he took Jill and Israel to Central America when so was so far along in her pregnancy...you could see fear in her face and words. In my opinion, that was a selfish and thoughtless thing to do.

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    8. Anon 10:41. I'm no fan of Derrick, IMO he's an opinionated young man who was unkind to Jazz. However, I don't think he's untruthful. He said that they were "unpaid volunteers" on the show and JB had claimed the show was a "ministry". I believe Derrick on that matter. As for Jill. She WANTED to be a missionary. It wasn't until they were in the field that reality sunk in for her. She wasn't cut out to be a missionary and they returned home. Derrick seems to realize that and has moved on to pursue a career that will support his family without being on a TV show. I doubt he's depending on some book to generate an income to pay for his life.

      As for Abbie, I think she's playing second fiddle to an airplane. I wouldn't be happy doing that but I'm sure she'll be OK.

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    9. Anon 10:41. 1. I doubt Abbie has a choice on how the money is spent. She should have known she was going to spend the rest of her life supporting a plane.

      2. I don't think Derrick should be blamed for Jill's issues in the mission field. Jill had an unrealistic idea of what being a missionary involved. When she got to the field she was genuinely terrified and so they returned home. Derrick appears to have come to terms with the fact she's not suited to be a missionary and is pursuing another career. Derrick may be tactless and unkind but IMO he's truthful. I believe his statements that the children in the Duggar family didn't know that JB was being paid for the show and that he and Jill were "unpaid volunteers". I doubt Derrick has any plans to write a book at the present time.

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    10. @9:02 Derick has said multiple times that he's going to write a book. He also said that filming the show interfered with their mission work schedule.

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    11. Anon 2:22. I doubt Derrick will write a book before he finishes law school. I would be interested in what he would write. I didn't know about the comment about filming while they were on mission field. Having a TV crew underfoot would be distracting to say the least.

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    12. Yes 2:46. Add to that having to drop everything when the crew came, or having to jump on a plane to come home to film when the family said to, plus not getting directly paid for all that. You can begin to see why Derick left the show and took his family with him. Those who said TLC "kicked them off because of some comments" are far from correct. This was brewing long before the comments.

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  32. I doubt very much that Abbie would look as happy as she does if she were "playing second fiddle to an airplane!" I think some people just recognize what really matters in life, and it isn't always a lot of money!

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    1. I think you're right.

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    2. Yes. But I don't see a plane as one of the necessities of life. IMO adequate housing is more important than owning a plane.

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    3. 4:41, obviously their housing IS adequate for them at this point. They certainly have resources for alternate housing in his family if they thought that was necessary.

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