Today's Tuesday Coffee Chat asks us to brag about our gardens and flowers.
I certainly wouldn't call what I have done in my gardens this year bragging, but I do at least have enough done to participate in the Chat.
I finally took a break from building our ark this past weekend to plant some flowers in most of my pots and to get a few things in my vegetable garden. I have NEVER been this late in planting. I always plant my veggie garden about the last weekend in April and my flowers on Mother's Day weekend. But if we weren't bowling at state tournament, graduating a child, marrying off a child, or on vacation, it was raining and I couldn't get out to get it done.
I went a little mild this year, just opting for getting something colorful into my pots. I only have two more to fill, and I am going to use some starts from some pretty yellow flowers that my mom has at her house. They are perennials so we will be able to enjoy them every year. Speaking of perennials, some of mine are starting to bloom.
A couple of weeks ago I did go out in a rain shower and plant some strawberry plants and sweet potatoes. They are growing nicely.
Yesterday I finally got my tomato plants and jalapeño plants in the ground. Other than my oregano (of which I have enough to season foods in the entire country of Italy) and my garlic chives, that's all I have in my raised beds this year. The only other thing I think I will try to plant this year is a squash and/or zucchini plant. I'd really rather find a mature spaghetti squash plant, but I would imagine things are slim pickens this late in the game. We'll see what I can find.
My garden was a MESS! I pulled weeds, and pulled weeds, and trimmed nearby trees, and pulled more weeds to get it into any decent shape at all. And I'm still not done. I have about another day's worth of work to do in there (hoping for today because starting tomorrow it is forecasted to rain for the next 10 days straight!).
And that's pretty much it for this year ... except for this little surprise ...
While pulling weeds I came across this prickly vine in the corner of my gardening area, appearing there out of nowhere. I think it's a wild blackberry vine! I couldn't believe it! It's on both sides of the chain link fence. So I cleaned up around them, directed the vines to the fence, and now I wait. Oh how I would love it if that would just completely take over that whole side of my garden!
My absolute FAVORITE are blackberries. I tried in vain to grow them in PA, but they just didn't like the climate there. Here in Washington State, they grow wild like annoying weeds, only I'm not annoyed by them - in fact, I talked the hubby into grabbing some from the greenbelt behind our property and planting them next to the chain link fence that separates our property from the lot next door that's a dedicated drain field - since teens like to hop the county fence and go through the field to get to wherever they're going, they keep using our back fence to assist in their vaulting over the fence next door, so we figured we'd utilize some natural razor-wire to cover the fence to protect it. I know, we're so mean. They're growing nicely, though! And the nice thing about blackberry vines is you can 'train' them like grape vines, so that's what we're doing. And blackberries are delicious. We used to go into the field across from the house I grew up in to pick bucket upon bucket full for my mom to make blackberry jam and blackberry cobbler. Mmmmmm, cobbler! :) So now it's nice to be back in the state where they run rampant - I'm gonna be loving me some blackberries! :) Hope yours thrive, too! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd next year we're talking about putting in some raised garden beds - this year came up on us way too quick. :)
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and now I am thinking about where I can do a raised bed in my backyard, and I think know just the spot!! Next year though. we shall see.
ReplyDeleteWe have wild strawberries growing in our yard, and raspberry bushes across the street. it's always a fun battle to see if the kids will get them first ... or our garages' resident chipmunk. :)
but blackberries are my favourite!!