How Does Your Garden Grow?

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

I have a small vegetable garden, about 6' x 10' and always have fun planting it full and awaiting its gifts! I look at it each day and it hardly seems like anything is happening in there, other than the lettuce that we've been enjoying the last few weeks. Well, we were away last week and came home to find that the garden has been hard at work! Here's what I picked:

There were a few tomatoes too, but they were eaten before I got the idea to take a picture!

So there's plenty more cucumbers and green beans coming in, lettuce is still there and we will finish it all, and then I'll try planting more when it's cooler out. The zucchini is looking great and should be ready to pick any day:

I just wish the tomatoes were doing a little better. Last year they were huge compared to how they look this year, although they seem to be doing better and I did pick a few red ones already! Here's the garden:

Lettuce is in front, zucchini to the left, then the cucumbers to the right. Far left would be tomatoes and green beans along with basil, parsley and dill. I always planted the dill seeds in careful lines, but then my Mom reminded me how my Grandmother would just toss the seeds where ever in the garden, and so I tossed too. Now when I cut the lettuce, there's always a little dill in there with it and we love it in the salad! When I taste it, I always smile and think of my Grandmother! 

So as I'm picking my goodies from the garden, I'm wondering what are you picking from yours?!

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

It is good for lots of plants, but crops like tomatoes seem to prefer cooler (ha!) climates......;  )

[Sally, Ditzy Mitzi & Sgt. Pepper]

Can't use our chives, Pepper loves the pot, like a fire-hydrant!   However, we placed a plastic wading pool on a garden

table, filled it with potting soil and planted herbs and some non-productive tomatoes in it.   Still waiting for the tomatoes to

survive, doesn't look like it.  

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Oh Pepper! Too funny! What a genius idea with planting in the pool! Maybe those tomatoes will come around, mine seemed to be sleeping for the last month, but have finally woke up!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Janie, your veggies look wonderful!

My yard is really too small for a vegetable garden; I've had tomatoes and herbs in pots at various times, but this year is so hot and dry I don't regret not having planted anything.

But I am picking raspberries from my garden this year!

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

This heat is unreal! I usually rely on our sprinkler system to water everything and I just touch up a few flower pots here and there, but not this year! I'm out there with the hose all the time! You made a wise choice!! 

Those raspberries must be sweet and delicious! I have never had one right off the bush!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A lazy choice, but it turned out to be the right one. 104 here yesterday, 101 today.

The raspberries are tiny but delicious. I eat them first thing in the a.m., right off the bush. :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm still only watering pots but I just try to keep things from keeling over. Tomorrow I'll water one little transplanted tree to but I hope it really rains tomorrow night. I don't have a sprinkler system so I'm happy when Ma Nature cooperates.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I got four delicious blackberries today, hooray.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

lol F!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

OMD! Your garden is SO far ahead of mine! I got mine in late due to a really wet spring and laziness too much time on DK!  I am picking spinach, Swiss chard and zucchini.  Picked my first Patty Pan squash today.  I've been getting raspberries for a few weeks! YUM!  The beans and cucumbers have just started blooming. Carrots, turnips and parsnips are teeny. I planted Quinoa grain for fun this year because the plants looked so pretty on the package plus I thought the birds might like it. Later I found out the birds hate it so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it now. They have come in to eat the leaves off of my sunflowers though. I didn't realize birds ate sunflower leaves but I've been watching them do it!  My tomatoes plant is all leaves and no fruit, I guess I used to wrong fertilizer and the sweet pepper plant got stunted during a cold spell and is still just sitting there in a daze!

I love my garden though and always feel so happy and peaceful there! :) At least until I see a slug...

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Ricki, you have so much in your garden! It must be a pretty good size! I'd love to see a photo! Funny you mention Quinoa, I was just at a farmer's market and they had a new quinoa salad to try.. made with chick peas and honey and I don't remember what else. It was interesting, very grainy! They also use it in a rice pudding type dessert that I liked much better! : ) Good luck with it all! I love being in the garden too! : )

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks Janie! It isn't really that big I just have small amount of a lot of different veggies planted. I like Quinoa  once in a while but I've never had to harvest it before I could eat it! LOL!

Here is a couple photos of my garden.  It's L shaped so it's hard to get it all in one shot. I have 5 8x4 raised beds and one 8x2 bed. Also have a few things in the ground and some pots with flowers in them. The raspberries have their own bed and one of the raised beds has blueberry bushes but I rarely get any berries due to the birds beating me to them. I planted mint years ago and can't get rid of it. It keeps popping up everywhere so there is some of that too. Also a few strawberry plants in one corner also for the birds. :)  There is a heart shaped flower bed where the roses are growing and that is where Amber our cat likes to spend her days.  DH sprayed the pathways today with clove oil so you can see some dying weeds in the photos too! We put down a weed barrier but apparently the weeds weren't notified.

And here is a "before" shot when I was planting with the help of my assistant: