Scrumptious Snap Peas

I'm so looking forward to the pea harvest. I thought I had lost my peas because it appeared that they had a fungus near the ground. They have rebounded nicely and have been so happy because we have had regular rain. Everything in the garden has been so green because we have had a wet, cool spring. I'm so looking forward to this summer and not being pregnant. The garden work will be even more enjoyable because I'll be a lot lighter. Things are finally starting to come together. By the fall we will have made a lot of progress. I am not expecting a surplus in harvest. This year the goal is just to have one.

Nature's generosity

Suprise! A tomato has appeared out of nowhere in my compost/blackberry bed. I had spread out the compost from last year and planted the blackberries in it and now there is a lovely tomato, happily lapping up all the nutrients. I love that all over my garden there are these prolific plants that I didn't put there. Nature has more than we can consume. I think often we don't give nature enough credit. There is s0 much life in the earth despite all of human destruction.

Herbs and Tomatos

This is a new glorious bed. I planted two brandywine tomatoes. I transplanted mexican mint marigold, anise hyssop, oregano and will plant basil seeds. I may try to work in some cucumbers. This next week my high priority is mulching this area. I'm excited because I feel as though I am getting my style together. This year things have been easier to decide, there hasn't been as much crazy frantic overhauling (although I am still in the habit of spring rearranging). The bush in the top left corner is covered with sweet smelling flowers that have brought many bees. I'm hoping that the bees will stick around and pollinate my squash and other assorted needful flowers.

Ready for more.

Other fun goings on. The bottom pick is my fluke experiment with potatoes. I didn't realize that they were so easy to grow. We bought the seed potatoes at the garden center (they were very inexpensive) but I didn't have a plan for them. They were an impulse buy that the kids and Dave thought would be cool. They were so cheap I didn't argue but when we got home and I didn't really know what to do with them, they sat in a bucket for a couple of weeks. We had read that dusting them with fireplace ashes would help prevent rot so there was some ash in the bucket. I finally got tired of it, and needed the bucket so I took a few out to the garden and just stuck them in the ground. I don't even remembering watering them in or anything. Now a month and a half later they look great. I don't know what they are supposed to look like but at least the foliage is nice. I planted some bush beans next to them. And will add several more squares of beans next week. They are supposed to be good companions. I cleared an area the other day (the soil is nice and moist and easy to work) and have plans for herbs and butterfly type plants. I have sunflower seeds too and think I might put some on that side of the garden. I venture out there a few times a week and just do what I can. I usually don't work long but its enough. I have so many things I want to buy that it is making it difficult to be patient and do a little bit each month. Plants get expensive and we need a huge load of mulch. As long as I don't think about what I haven't done and focus on what I have I do ok.

Greens!

I love this first burst of spring. The weather has been a little wacky and I was worried last night that the hail would damage my tender plants but no one is injured.The lettuce I have up looks really good and I may be snipping some in the near future. We managed to do some staggered plantings so we will have a steady harvest for a while. The oregano was a wonderful treat. I didn't think it had survived but it is doing really well and I will probably dig some up to give away by the end of the summer.