gardening update

Some of you have been wondering "how my garden grows".  So, here goes!

Before we get to the veggie garden, check out my white rhodies in the front of the house.  They aren't super full of blooms, but this is the first year they have bloomed, so I'm excited.  We planted them awhile back and they should have bloomed last summer, but they must have been too traumatized to do so.

 A close up of one of the rhododendron flowers. The pattern reminds me of intricate henna tattoos.

 I like this photo because of all the different colors in it. We have a purple rhododendron up top, and all kinds of different plants in different colors. 

So, here is the east-most raised bed/box.  From L to R: Spinach, Romaine, Kale, and Brussel Sprouts in the back.  I think the Kale is just about ready to use! And the romaine would make a nice young and tender Caesar salad.

 Middle box.  L to R: Buttercrunch lettuce, basil, sage, cilantro (about to bolt), cherry tomatoes, and bush beans along the back.  I've got some tiny lettuce seedlings, not visible in the picture, coming up along the front edge of the bed.

 West-most box.  L to R: Beets, cilantro (kind of sickly, but seem to be growing slowly), rainbow chard, and two different kinds of big tomatoes in the back.  One is a yellow heirloom and the other is big beef.

The pumpkin/squash patch.  We planted 6 mounds, but slugs have eaten all the plants that were in the mound in the back left.  We recently had to re-weed the whole area, which was such a pain in the back (truly!), so we decided to put down some mulch in between the mounds to help cut down on the weeding.  We'll see how that goes!

I also recently went to a "how to grow tomatoes" seminar at Swanson's Nursery. I was planning to write up and summarize some of my notes, but I'll have to do that another day, soon.

So, here is the long-awaited update. I can't wait to compare these pictures to the ones I posted back in May.