Summer is upon us...

It's been about a month since I last posted here, but this time it was a conscious decision.  I just have so very much on my plate these days, that I decided I needed to let something go for a while.  I'm still very busy, but I actually missed blogging.  The funny thing is, I had decided I wanted to "grow my blog" this year, but in making that goal I put unnecessary pressure on myself and started to resent it.  So yeah, that kind of backfired. 

Today I thought I'd share what I've got going on with my gardens.  That's been kind of top priority of late, so that's what is on my mind.  I have two decent sized gardens: One here in my back yard, and one plot I rent from Lands End.  I also have a teeny tiny container herb garden.  More on that later. 

Here in my back yard I planted scallions, lettuce, beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, green beans, and peppers.  I need to have the green beans here because I need to be able to check them every day.  All of the cooler crops I planted here because there is a section of my garden that is a tad on the shady side later in the day. 

(Flower box I built.  Still need to build another.)

At my Lands End garden I have yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes and potatoes still need to be planted.  I like to put the things that take up a lot of space there.  This is my first time growing my tomatoes at that location, and I'm hoping the all day sunshine will help them do better.  I have not had much luck with them here in the back yard garden.  Fingers crossed. 

A couple of days ago I built a planter box for my herb garden.  I've mentioned a time or two on this blog about some barn boards I hoarded....er, salvaged a couple years ago.  Little by little those boards are becoming useful things.  Some of them became the planter boxes for my deck.  They are just kind of thrown together, which is totally OK with me.  I love the rustic look of them.  The feet on the herb garden box are from an old couch we just threw away.  I knew I would find a project to reuse them on!



(I think the lemon thyme is beautiful.)

In the herb garden I have planted dill, lemon thyme, greek oregano, sweet basil, rosemary, and cilantro.  I absolutely LOVE the smell of the garden and I'm happy to have it right here on my deck where I can go out and sniff it whenever I want!


Meet Me Monday Party @ You're Talking Too Much

I love when this happens...

Yesterday my clematis decided it was time to burst into bloom. This may finally be the year that it really establishes itself so that next year it will be much more full. I love this time of year!

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Here's how my garden grows:






When we first moved here there was no garden spot. I very much wanted to have a garden, so the following summer we broke sod and put in our first decent sized garden. It was so exciting! I LOVED learning to can the produce I had raised in my own back yard. I canned salsa that first year, and a few green beans. I ate delicious tomato sandwiches and Lincoln made a few quarts of pickles.



The next year, I planted more beans, and brother, did I get more beans! It was fantastic! I canned between 40 and 50 quarts of beans. I was also the happy recipient of extra tomatoes and cucumbers from friends. I pickled and canned and preserved like a mad woman. I was in heaven! In fact, I took inventory at the end of the season.

The following year, which was last year, I expanded my garden by a few feet. I tried planting a few potatoes and was excited for another banner year. But then my garden died. I went on vacation and by the time I got home, it was beyond saving. I froze a few quarts of green beans, made a stew with the potatoes and carrots and that was it. It was so disappointing.

Well, this year, I'm hoping to get back in the game. I have doubled my garden size by renting a plot at the Lands End garden. In that plot I have planted:

One pumpkin plant. This is my first attempt at growing pumpkins. This is an experiment to see how it goes.

One yellow squash

Two zucchinis

6 cucumbers

A row of onions

6 rows of potatoes

Here in the backyard garden I have planted:


A row of lettuce

A row of mixed greens

A row of carrots

green onions

cilantro

basil

20 pepper plants

3 rows of green beans

32 tomato plants

And this year, I am finally trying to grow a pea teepee. (And one row of peas in the garden.)


I am still very much a beginner, but hopefully the addition of some nice, aged horse manure this year will help provide the boost my garden needs. I am determined to get some mulch in there as well. I need all the help I can get keeping the weeds down!


A great pair of Wellies make rainy days fun!


So, fingers crossed! It's time to build up my green bean supply again! Last year my tomatoes did nothing...I really need those to produce well. Any tomato growing tips for me?