Ethan, the Caterpillar Whispererer just now

They ate all my parsley!  But he was thrilled to discover them.

Not so wee garden...

Our little garden has been keeping me busy this summer.  Click here for a comparison from when I planted it on March 22.  The fish or fish sticks or tomato food or covering these babies during frost or maybe a combo of all has really paid off.

May 10.... waiting to turn red!

our first crookneck squash

More May 10 beauties.  Just waiting....

This bounty was posted to fb on June 22.  We had a few previous harvests, as well.  Lots of friends gave great suggestions for freezing and stewing and the like.  And we have given to neighbors, friends, and family.  Go, fish sticks!

The remaining photos were taken July 6.

Every day, I can pluck 4-5 ripe beauties off of these plants.

Dora is glaring at me because the sun is in her eyes. I made her pose by the drooping sunflowers.

Grandma's kettle

perennial garden and poor droopy sunflowers

cucumbers are the bullies of the garden

love this mandevilla and plan to get an attractive garden hose container...

Summer Life

Thinking about summer life right now and figured I'd post this photo I just took.

We have been to the beach and back.  Hundreds of photos to go through there.

Also, there are a few more fun swim camp photos to post.

And, we just celebrated 11 years of marriage. There is that.

All not posted yet, but it is summer! Yay!  And the postings will come.

Summer life has taken over.

So, this photo from our backyard.... on the bottom left is a super heavy iron kettle from my grandparents' house in Pennsboro, WV; I remember seeing geraniums in it from the time I was super small.  You'll see Dora there, digging in her pit beneath the playset.  She loves that. My million bells are hanging there.  And I know you didn't miss the sunflowers Mom planted when she was here time before last.  Both boys are napping, so they didn't make the shot!

This is summer life.  Right now.  Loving it.

Wee Suburban Garden, Year Two, Day One

The gorgeous weather inspired me to do the annual Home Depot pilgrimage this morning and plant this afternoon, a couple of weeks earlier than last year.  Made a few changes; no lettuces or broccoli this year, since those belong in a winter garden.  Also, bought more varieties of peppers and tomatoes and planted the tomatoes on the sunniest side of the house, in front of the gate this time, rather than keeping everything in the back yard.

Bought some aesthetic things, too, but those are going in tomorrow.  Mom did use all the sunflower seeds I had harvested from last year, and planted them along the other fence line behind the boys' play set, so I am excited to see how those turn out!

Here's the backyard, containing rosemary, oregano and parsley on the right that lived from last year.  I added basil, dill, English lavender, and cilantro to the mix again this year, hoping I have more luck with them than in previous years.  One early girl tomato is living here, as well. Mom is here and hoed this for me which was awesome.  I told her to leave the weeds in the back for now, so that's what that is.  In front are green, red, yellow, and Serrano peppers.

This side of the house is already ugly, so why not add some rainbow-colored tomato supports? In an attempt to avoid interfering with the tankless water heater, I planted one yellow squash below it.  Otherwise, from left to right, there are 3 early girls, 2 romas, and 2 beefsteaks. I think they will do better this year due to my proper spacing (last year's fail) and knowledge of the special nitrogen-rich tomato food (another previous fail).  Also, as advised, I added "a fish" to the bottom of each hole before planting.  I put that in quotes because, in some of the holes, you would find outdated tilapia from our freezer.  And then in most of them, you would discover some fish sticks I threw in for lack of other "real" fish meal.
Yeah, I am a gardening EXPERT.

Ah, the early girls: tomato plants for the impatient, unprepared, procrastinating gardeners of the world.

Here's to suburban garden, year two!  Can't wait to taste this home grown stuff.

The Bumbles Are Back!

The rain has stopped! All living creatures are happy!

tomato update (because I know you were wanting to know)

See the beautiful, healthy-looking tomato plants that have overtaken our window?  This was taken Tuesday, June 25.  The tomatoes are not turning red.  Remember that I said I was a total gardening amateur and I preferred to learn as I go, rather than research?  Well, after some research, I learned that the tomatoes need nitrogen.  So, Tuesday, I fed them some special Miracle Gro tomato food, right before another torrential downpour... hope the food didn't get too diluted.

Even though they are not red, I was happy to see my wee garden's progress in the following collage:

Broccoli is long gone, and I am getting ready to remove the lettuces, too.  The cucumbers, most herbs, and peppers are doing well, though!

And there you have it.... the most exciting blog post you will read today.

Despite what I DON'T know about gardening...

Exactly seven weeks from planting today, we have...

green tomatoes SO close to ripening we can taste them

baby broccoli that I hope I can harvest before "bolting" happens

baby peppers that are close to being shadowed by giant broccoli leaves

baby cucumbers

a crazy little amount of crowded food = LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Wee Garden

Planted during spring break on April 3... "early girl" tomatoes, red and romaine lettuce, sweet peppers,
cucumbers, broccoli, and some herbs around the side

Curious Dora wanted to help.

First harvested lettuce in a salad today, April 28.  yum.

April 28. What a difference 3.5 weeks makes! (the askew tomato supports add character, yes?) 

Rainy April 28, making use of the gravel-filled drainage ditch Jon added for me