Back to the greenhouse

While the vegetable/herb garden is in (with the exception of the Rosemary), the flower plants are all still in the greenhouse.  They'll go in the ground Memorial Day weekend.

Some plants are definitely ready to go in the ground asap!

Dolcissima Fragolino Petunia

Another Dolcissima Fragolino Petunia

I love the feathery look of my Ipomopsis

More viola blooms

Slow growing Rosemary.  Should be getting big enough for transplant soon.



First Garden Growth

I mixed all my different type of lettuce seed together (kind of like I would in a salad bowl) so while I'm labeling this row merely as "lettuce," true greens connoisseurs would probably flip out. 

 Beets! 

Even though I've eaten beet greens and therefore know the stems are red, this still surprised me when they came up red. (First time growing them obviously.)  The picures also don't do the color justice.  It's gorgeous.

Snap peas

Radishes

My dogs got in my garden!  Big paw prints, and a squished Marjoram and Spearmint plant. :-(



Garden is in

I know it's a little early to get the whole garden in, but I'm taking a risk. Russian roulette.  Big money. 

Ok, so it's not as serious as that. 

I do have two very good reasons, only one of which I can share in public.  We're supposed to get rain from tonight until September.  We're building an ark as I speak.  Well I'm not. I'm typing.  Ok, no one is building an ark.  But the weather does predict rain every single day until June. 

Not that I really trust the weather forecast that far out, but I'm going with it. 

Broccoli

Marjoram in the foreground, Spearmint in the background

The Marjoram has an amazing scent even this young.

Spearmint

Thyme- no comments from the peanut gallery on how I can't plant straight rows.  The 2 year old and 4year old were helping me plant, and I care WAY more about giving them opportunities for "creativity" than I do about straight rows.

Another favorite photo

Two different tomatoes.  And if it looks like I watered funny, it's because I planted the tomatoes sideways.  Last night when I planted them, they looked totally tipped over.  Overnight they righted themselves.  They're also planted off center of the bed because on the right side of the picture, I planted basil and cilantro seeds.

VERY happy tomato plant.

Here is my list veggies, fruits, and herbs that are in my garden this year.  Check it out!

Flowers!

Holy hot sauce, my very first homegrown flowers of the season!  I feel like such a good plant Mama.

Shock Wave™ Rose Petunia

Amber Kiss Viola

Over and Done

Getting older is no fun.  Nor, as a friend stated succinctly, does a desk job adequately prepare one for hard, manual labor.  I don't recall being that sore before in my life.  And while I put sunscreen on the usual suspect parts, I forgot the back of my calves, and they were still stinging two days later!

My "incredibly rich soil basically free of rocks" seemingly turned to hard pan clay with nothing but rocks. :-(  I started with my little Mantis, but that was barely scrapping the top.  I then switched to this sturdy relic, but it broke. 

To its credit, it did a great job, albeit slow.  My Dad then brought in the 4-wheel drive tractor with a tow behind rototiller.  Ahhh... That finally did the job.  Four passes per bed later, and I finally had 6 inches of tilled soil. 

Dad and I then hauled too many to count wheelbarrow loads filled of aged manure. 

I also tossed in a bale of hay and some grass clippings from the latest lawn mow for good measure.  Ran the tiller over it again, and I now have 4 beautiful beds, ready to go.

Yes, this took 3 days of work minus one rain storm, one neighborhood party, church, and a mother's day lunch with the family.

I spent a lot more time prepping the garden than anticipated and was only able to get the following planted: asparagus, strawberries, snap peas, chives, parsley.

Chives

Strawberry

Parsley

Proof that I actually rototilled my own garden.

I live in a beautiful place, even if I do say so myself.

There is an apple tree in my garden, and the weather has finally warmed up enough for the blossoms to start.

Setting sun.

Sun is finally shining!

With the sun shining, I thought it was a good day to go out to the greenhouse and capture some photos.  And you know what?  I'm thinking of taking tomorrow off of work and spend the day in the garden!!  Mental note to oneself:  Don't forget to buy some sunscreen!

The black thing hanging down is actually mesh fabric (like screen) that is folded in half.  The Begonias on the bottom shelf are shade plants.  After I took this picture, I unfolded the mesh to let it hang down. It will protect the Begonias from direct sunlight.

Another favorite photo of my Geraniums.

Almost makes one want to pluck this baby Rosemary and crush between fingers and dreamily inhale the pungent aroma.