Oops....

It's a really long story [excuse] as to why I didn't get the garden pictures taken OR posted yesterday.  At about 9 o'clock last night I said to the Irishman--CRAP! I forgot to take my garden pictures today!  And he looked at me like I was nuts and said, so take 'em tomorrow.  You can imagine the look I gave him when I said, WEDNESDAYS wonderful world of garden????  On THURSDAY ????  And he just shook his head.

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SO, here it is Thursday morning. And cool, cool, cool.  Looks like it's gonna rain any minute, which would be fine with me. Not that anything is in dire need of watering right now. I just like rain.

 The chickens are out and fed and watered. The other assorted and sundry critters are tended. The coffee is made and I have finished off the cantaloupe. Last nights supper was a big plate of potatoes and eggs and toast and chunked cantaloupe that needed eating. It was heavenly. However, when Mr Man got it out to put some in his lunch this morning, he left it out on the counter and rather than try to find a spot for it, I just ate it. Wasn't really that much of it left anyway...

  Okay--here's the garden this morning...

Lettuces-the bronze romaine and the green leaf are both doing fine.

Between last weeks storm and the cats, the onions get a little bent out of shape, but are growing well.

French Breakfast Radishes

Edamame !!  (weeded and everything)

Potatoes are starting to flower...this one is one of our seed potatoes from last years garden.

Snow peas..climbing the string trellis

 Blue Lake Bush Beans..mmm...we love our green beans around these parts...

I love the look of these garlic chives flowering...

The tomatoes all snug in their little straw bed mulch.

One of two eggplants I put in a few days ago..

Butternut squash

Butterbeans!!  Growing up the teepee poles just like they're s'posed to !!

These little cukes are planted in the center of the teepee, because cucumbers love pole beans...they're in both teepees...

Close up of the butters!!

OKRA!!

 And that's the end of the vegetable portion of our program. I didn't get a shot of the quinoa, because it's out front and the grass was wet. lol

 Here are some of my deck pots though...

Rosemary

The Mothers day Herb pot

Mixed pot with ivy, geranium and million bells petunias

And the colorful hardy vincas that can weather these hot dry summers like a miracle.

And there you have it...Thursdays Wednesdays garden tour.  lol

  I'm off to sit with my neighbor for a few hours...it's still chilly here and hasn't rained yet. Looks like any minute though....the AC is off and the windows are open...ahhh...midwestern summers.

Namaste.

Wednesdays World of Gardens

  The first [real] daylily of the year...(not counting the Stellas, of course).  Blooming right down by the cherry tree.

  I was out this morning in the cool of early, and letting chooks out, filling water bowls,  cleaning up chicken-poopied nesting boxes (young ones don't get (yet) that the nesting box is NOT their personal toilet...) and of course, taking pictures of the gardens.

 Here they are, scratching their little chook hearts out...

 And lets not forget the "big girls" who are still chasing and pecking the errant chick that happens to come over the fence onto "Their" part of the yard. sigh....

Interestingly, it's only the black one (Australorp) that chases and pecks the chicks. My beautiful Goldie (Buff Orpington) could care less.

  So, onto the garden tour, shall we??

 Okra is up, spotty, but up. This is one of the bigger plants. I love okra--I dry it, freeze it, pickle it...yum!

Bell Peppers of all varieties, as well as 4 jalapenos.

Onions !!!!!!!  

Edamame (and weeds) and marigolds!  The beans are finally coming up good, be able to safely weed soon! 

"Maters! 16 tomato plants might not be enough, but it's what we've got. And they look healthy.

Herbs in front (parsley,oregano,hyssop and chives (3 kinds) and 'Taters in the back. They are huge!!

 Blue Lake bush beans...we love green beans!!

 Oregon snow peas and my brilliant string trellis endeavor (except in the early stages and wind) lol

Butternut squash.  Germination is very spotty and slow, but they are finally showing them selves.

...look at these beauties...growing like gangbusters! and in case that's not enough butterbeans for ya,

I'm going to plant a circle of zinnia seeds around the very edge of these beds. Won't that be pretty?

These are quinoa sprouts. So far, so good.  We'll see-they are planted in front, between the apple and cherry trees.

 Cherries are starting to ripen. Can we beat the birds to 'em ???

 The apple tree is loaded this year, and so are the peaches, which I did not take a picture of, for some reason.

 This is one of the walking onions, with a full head already! Here is the bed:

...and we conclude today's tour with a stop by the transplanted wild yarrow bed. 

   Have a great Wednesday, y'all... I'm off to the market for some honey and stuff!!

Namaste.

Can it be Monday???

  Here's what we've been up to all weekend...no wonder it whooooshed right by!!  We got all the garden beds manured and turned over and composted and ready to plant. On Friday we went plant shopping for tomatoes. I never start them from seed, although I could. But this time of year it's a joy to visit the farms where people are selling garden plants...to catch up and see how they've survived the winter. One lost their greenhouse in a January windstorm, one had a new baby lamb trailing along behind him, the mother dead from a mysterious viral outbreak in the barns. One man lost all his chickens to a fox over a two week period... New grandbabies,  one death, a fire....all this, just life in the country. The circle of life can be brutal, but is always met head on with a brave stoicism that perplexes many.

  Anyway, on Saturday I spent all of the morning in the dirt, planting tomatoes and basil and okra and peppers.  This morning I put my salad bed in--radishes, onions, spinach, kale, swiss chard and a "chef blend" lettuce.  I also transplanted all the squash I started...26 butternuts, 6 zucchinis and 12 yellow crooknecks. Then I mowed the front yard (under the threat of rain). But besides a few sprinkles, there was no rain and the temps soared to 90 degrees.

  On Sunday, my son came over at 8:30 AM and cooked me a wonderful breakfast. He stayed until noon and we laughed and walked around looking at stuff and just enjoyed each others company. Then at 1, Patrick and I went to our neighbors, where we had been invited for lunch on the patio. It was a lovely afternoon, all around.

  Tomorrow I will put in green beans and corn and edamame.  The Irishman put the sugar peas and  potatoes in tonight after he got home from work. It will be another week before the sweet potatoes are available. And then, gentle readers...the garden will be IN.  lol

  It is a busy time of year. Locally the rivers are rising...creeks are full. The weather is seesawing back and forth between hot and reasonable.  This is the nature of spring. We've sure had a lot of water. My irises are ready to bloom. The clematis is blooming is huge purple blossoms. There are tiny little nubs of apples and peaches and cherries on the trees. The chives are in full bloom. The Egyptian walking onions are getting heads on them too.  We planted a new bed of asparagus, as our original one is being assimilated by blackberries...I planted it too close to the edge. I can still get a few stalks of asparagus out of it, but not much.  I noticed the big blossoms on the blackberries today too, while mowing the front yard. Even the rhubarb is in it's glory...all green and red and pretty.

  I'm grateful to be feeling that good bone-tired feeling I have from toiling in the yards and garden.  I will sleep like a baby tonight. Working the dirt feeds my soul....



Namaste.