Y'all, I totally did not anticipate that I'd enjoy my garden so much. I'm not sure how best to describe it; the word
cathartic often comes to mind, as well as
peaceful and
satisfying. There's just something about watching stuff grow. Not having completely processed the way it makes me feel, I can't exactly put it into words, but I will say that I go out to the backyard about twice a day just to check everything out (again), pull a couple weeds, etc. And doing that somehow restores something in me.
Now, ask me how much I enjoy watering my garden when it's 90 degrees at 9am in August. I might have different feelings then. Ha!
Anyway, I know that not everyone who reads this blog is as inspired by my garden as I am (of course!), but you will just have to bear with me on the frequent postings right now. I promise I will move on to something else soon--in fact, I have a few posts partly written--but for now, this is where my mind often is. Actually, I tend to do this soaking-all-aspects-of-something-up kind of business every so often when I get into learning something new (crocheting and cooking come to mind). I soak up all the information that I can, and I learn a lot in a short amount of time. Perhaps, if I were always like this, it'd be a little unhealthy to be too focused on one thing at a time, but it works for me because I don't often get this way. I won't have another bout like this for a couple of years, if my past is any indication of my future, so I've decided to just go with it, learn all I can, and allow myself to be absorbed for a little while.
You, lovely readers, are bearing the brunt of that right now. I can almost promise it will be short-lived, though. :)
On to the update!
Here's our garden today:
You may have noticed that I planted some things in the row closest to the camera. I put some cilantro and parsley plants in the ground that I bought at a garden store the other day, even though I have a bunch of basil and cherry tomato seedlings I need to find space for.
When I planted my basil seeds, I brilliantly just kind of dumped several at a time into these little pots I bought. Well, guess what happened. Big surprise: a whole lot of little basil plants grew in a clump. Rather than try to unwind all the roots, I just decided to put one of the clumps in the ground to see what happened. I'm not sure if they'll duke it out for superiority or if one day I'll just decide to clip most of them off and give a few a better shot. It doesn't really matter to me; I have two other healthy basil plants, and growing basil from seed was just kind of a fun experiment.
My sugar snap peas aren't doing so hot. They're growing, but very slowly, especially in comparison everything else in the garden. They also always appear a bit dry and elbowy, and they don't have a lot of foliage. There are some peas on them, but I'm not sure how prolific they'll be and whether or not they'll be worth the garden space they're taking up (I'd plant something else in their place, otherwise). I pulled a couple of dead ones up and planted some seeds for some yellow wax beans in their place. I figure something ought to get some good use out of that trellis. :)
I am constantly wanting to plant yet another something in our garden, and, as you can see, we are out of space. So yesterday, as I was fingering this newly purchased packet of yellow wax bean seeds, I scanned our backyard, looking for a possible home for them. Then I saw the perfect spot:
This is a telephone pole in our backyard (isn't that on your home wish list? Ha! No!). The previous owners/renters put this trellis on it, I suppose to make it more attractive. It occurred to me that some leafy bean vines would be quite lovely growing along that trellis. And Nathan completely agreed with me--I
did think it was one of my more brilliant moments, myself--so we are going to pull out those weird bird feeders, clear some space near the bottom, and plant a few bean seeds.
Look at all the strawberries growing!
This one was totally white-green yesterday morning. By the afternoon, the seeds had turned red, and by the evening, there was one little red spot. This is what it looks like this afternoon.
The peppers are making progress.
Now on to the tomatoes, or "today-toes," as Noah calls them.
Remember that first tiny tomato that I showed you? Well, that largest one is it. It has a lot of friends now. :) There are 15 on this cherry tomato plant so far.
This one is the largest, though. This plant is supposed to bear 1-lb. fruits, eventually.
Hopefully, Nathan will have time this weekend to clear out this little corner so I can plant a few more things . . .
. . . like zucchini seedlings! Their little heads just rose out of the dirt yesterday. The weather is so nice that it almost seems to me that they're smiling at the sun.
And that's that! Hope you enjoyed the update!
Thanks, Grandma Tanner, for the race car helmet!
After we ate, we walked around a bit and then headed into the stadium to see some rodeo events.
It doesn't take long before those kids slow down significantly. I mean, that's a lot of space to cover and a lot of running to do. It made us tired just watching!
I am constantly wanting to plant yet another something in our garden, and, as you can see, we are out of space. So yesterday, as I was fingering this newly purchased packet of yellow wax bean seeds, I scanned our backyard, looking for a possible home for them. Then I saw the perfect spot:
This is a telephone pole in our backyard (isn't that on your home wish list? Ha! No!). The previous owners/renters put this trellis on it, I suppose to make it more attractive. It occurred to me that some leafy bean vines would be quite lovely growing along that trellis. And Nathan completely agreed with me--I did think it was one of my more brilliant moments, myself--so we are going to pull out those weird bird feeders, clear some space near the bottom, and plant a few bean seeds.
A sweet strawberry.