Order Returns To The Garden
This week’s theme for Six Word Friday is “return”. It is a good description of my daughter helping me plant the garden this last weekend:
Order returns to the garden again.
I ended last year’s garden feeling pretty discouraged. The tomatoes either rotted or got eaten, and while we picked a fair amount of winter squash, over half of it rotted on the vine. The green beans and peppers were barely productive. What peppers we harvested tasted bitter. I didn’t do much to clean out the beds or maintain them over the winter. As a result, they looked like this prior to Saturday afternoon:
Even the herb planters were a mess:
My daughter encouraged me to think differently about what I did. I put in tomatoes again, but cherry and plum. They ripen faster and there should be less time to rot or get eaten. I’m skipping the squash and am going to try watermelon instead – the small, individual size ones. I also converted one of the beds into more herbs so I’ll have eucalyptus, fennel, dill and more parsley.
Last year, I didn’t plant anything until the end of May. It had already been warm and frost free for a while. Getting an earlier start this year might help me start harvesting before it everything burns up in the summer heat and rots with the humidity.
Everything seems to be doing well except for the tomatoes that came as part of a four-pack. The other tomatoes that were in 3″ pots are doing just fine. I got rid of the dried up sticks and dead branches in the herb planters. I kept the bigger clumps of herbs that came back.
The tomatoes and basil are not frost hardy. If we have another one, I’ll be replacing some plants. We’ll see. The lowest temperatures this week are 36 degrees (Farenheit), after which the nights go back up into the 40’s & 50’s.
I also planted salvia, lantana, a butterfly bush and some lacecap hydrangea’s to attract bees and butterflies into the yard. Of course with all the parsley, attracting butterflies is not a problem. Having enough parsley for myself after the hungry caterpillars eat it is the problem.
So now. . . if he stares long enough, can he will a bee into existence? That’s what my daughter and I thought he was doing, but it turns out he was chasing flies. Bees, flies, what’s the difference? It keeps him entertained for hours.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments on enjoying time with my daughter. I very much appreciated it. Even with the work on the yard and replacing some light fixtures, there was time to relax and just visit.
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I am a backyard adventurer, philosopher and observer, recording my life in journals and photographs. Visit my blog at www.livingtheseasons.com.
Living The Seasons 
You did a great job. It does so-o-o help to have a friend at your side to get you going and keep you at those tasks you don’t want to think about. :) Hurray for your daughter/friend.
Thanks Jane. It really does help – and both of us have a daughter who is a helpmate (or at least that’s how it sounds with Lora).
I am sure the gardening was more fun with your daughter. The results look great.
It made a huge difference that she helped me with it. Thanks for the compliment!
my sister planted some more herbs for me after my attempt last year failed miserably. This lot are in the sun so should grow… your’s look pretty good now. Fingers crossed everything grows well for you :)
Thanks Jen! I planted an herb garden for my daughter last year. It didn’t do so well, but it’s come back in gangbusters this year. She’s thrilled.
that’s cool. I am so hoping mine work…
Herbs need water and that’s about it. Most of them are weeds and will grow about anywhere, anytime. I don’t fertilize very frequently as I don’t want to ingest it and the caterpillars in my parsley will die if I put anything on the herbs.
You garden looks beautiful now! I haven’t even made an attempt at a garden the last couple of years, but I’m hoping to at least get cherry tomatoes planted this year. It could happen. :)
It could! (happen) But if not, try again next year.
Your garden prep is an inspiration. I’m waiting for a nice day to get outside to work. This afternoon would have been good, but I had other things that needed tending to first.
I’m glad it inspired you! It’s hard finding time for everything – I can sympathize, although our weather should be nice the rest of the week. Cool, but that’s okay for working outside.
We have wanted to plant an actual garden for a few years, but have been limited by the amount of shade in our yard. we have some ideas and this just inspires me to actually make it happen. We will see.
LOL! I’m glad I made you think about it more. My daughter loved the garden when she was little. I didn’t harvest too much as she was eating it faster than it grew.