Garden tour
I took these photos about two weeks ago, so some things are a bit bigger now. Sadly, not a lot bigger thanks to our craptastic summer.
Shall we?
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| Kale (that has been growing since October of last year!), garlic, beets, and peas. And an errant carrot) |
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| The bed that holds 8 tomatoes, a small strawberry pot, zukes, more carrots, more beets, lavender, and cukes) |
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| Cukes. The day lilies behind the fence are going to be torn out after they’re done blooming this year. They take up WAY too much room and block the sun from the cukes. |
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| My 4 blueberry bushes that replaced some old yucky bushes (before picture here), pumpkins (they’ve tripled in size since I took this photo), and a watering can that makes you think that I actually water my garden. I don’t. I’m too lazy. |
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| Baby pickling cuke. Will I ever get enough to actually make pickles? Only time will tell. |
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| Garlic, dying back so almost ready to harvest! And I still need to harvest some of those scapes! |
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| Our raspberry bed, built by Troy and Jack. We planted 6 plants, and only 3 grew, but they’re already shooting off and slowly filling out the bed. I have high hopes for next year! |
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| Zukes. I doubt I’ll ever harvest one at this rate. |
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| Box o’weeds needed to be dumped |
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| Potato experiment that was a big stinker. |
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| View from the stairs, and a few more potatoes shoved in an opening. That’s what she said? |
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| More tomatoes, blueberries, and my asparagus (hidden) |
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| Just pulled the peas, but there are some spuds left. |
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| Peas desperately needing to be harvested. And more spuds |
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| Raised strawberry bed by the road that Troy built. It’s a bit janky with the blocks, and the cages used to cover strawberries as they ripen. The big one is something my dad used to trap raccoons, and the bird cage came out of someones garbage that Troy found. |
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| Rhubarb that is slowly recovering from the “Battle for the Garden”; Rhubarb vs. morning glory and lilies. |
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| Some roses that desperately need to be trimmed back after blooming this year! |
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| Lavender that needs a good trimming, but I can’t bring myself to do it this year. We had to kill a bumble bee nest in the attic this year, and I can’t help but feel awful, so I let the lavender get huge as an “I’m sorry” to their bee cousins. This lavender is douched in bees in the evening. |
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| What I call gardening “fast food” |
Things are plugging along, but I’m hoping that next year we get some actual heat for the garden.
Thanks for stopping by!
That looks fabulous! My strawberries are so full of yellow jackets that I can hardly harvest any! I quit planting zuccini and squash because no one in my family ate it and it was a waste. Kills be me because I was raised on a big family garden that will feed a family. My kids are ingrates.
Kids are ingrates!!! If my zukes ever produce, I’ll have you over for dinner.
I am so jealous–but happy for you. I live half an hour from Dallas. It is freakin hell hot here. Plus our soil is toxic, so no gardens for us. I just go give my money to farmers from 2 hours south (where the soil isn’t janky) and get so-so produce. We are one day retiring to a good climate just so I can gro my own damn fruit
Toxic soil?!?! Could you do raised beds (like the strawberry one Troy made me) and put in clean (purchased) dirt? The cost would be expensive up front, but put in a soaker hose, and you would probably get really good results!
I’m also from north Dallas – and the soil here is mostly red clay. It takes years (10+) to get good black soil that isn’t a solid block. Literally – the ground cracks open in the summer because it’s so hot and dry. However – if you water everyday, sometimes twice (what a chore!) in a raised bed with purchased soil you can grow stuff that is heat-tolerant, such as tomatoes. If you plan on staying in one house for a long time, definitely invest in some good quality soil and gradually mix it in with the crap-Texas soil. In several years you will have a decent garden mix that will get better with age. Now if we could only get some rain.
That’s just what *my* garden looks like!! (but only if I buy all the stuff at Whole Foods and then hide it around the yard)
HA!
Love your little garden! Are you going to dry the lavender and do some “hippy shit” with it?
Perhaps, but I haven’t figured out just what that is yet.
And I’m super lazy and let it dry on the bushes!
I wish I could get my lavender to look that good. I planted mine two years ago, and I’m almost ready to yank it out. It just looks “woody” instead of lush and pretty. Sad!
They were the size of big dinner plates when we moved it last year. I have pictures! I completely ignored them and they got monstrous. They have been in the garden for years though, so were already well establish. I’m just wondering if all the compost I added to the garden bed helped?
Your garden looks great compared to ours! The Kansas heat was so bad this year that everything has shriveled up and died. Have you ever tried to grow potatoes in straw? Just lay the cut seed potatoes directly on top of the ground and put a nice, thick layer of straw over the top. They grow like usual but, when it’s time to harvest, you just rake the straw up. No digging. It’s the fastest, easiest way to grow potatoes, at least out here.
I can’t believe your heat and our gloomy skies! I wish we could each give each other a little to even out the weather.
This was my first year growing potatoes, but the straw method is intriguing! I need to rethink my tactic for a lot of things next year, and will definitely add this to the list!
I’m soooooo jealous!!!
Garden, oh is that where veggies come from? We don’t eat those. Alas! One day I will get my toddler to.
Jack won’t eat veggies either, but if we put them in smoothies, he’ll pound kale, beet greens, and spinach.
I don’t push the issue too much because I hated veggies growing up, and here I am eating brussel sprouts, asparagus, beets, etc.
Your garden is beautiful. I’m jealous. I just grew things in containers this year because we’re moving; but even if we’d had one, the summer heat has been terrible. I doubt it would have done well.
Thank you! I started with container gardens, and they work great! I hope your move goes well and you have excellent garden space at the next location.