A Dry Garden Report

 This evening's photos are kinda dark.  This has been a hot, dry spring & first week of summer!!!  The garden has been abysmal.   However, after 3 years of trying to grow sunflowers, I finally have a bloom!

 Yes, it is really taller than me!  There is one more plant that is even taller, but it's not ready to bloom yet - it's still growing up!

I took photos from the same positions as I did last time, so you can compare if you'd like.  In the first photo, the onions have been harvested, the corn (which did not make any) has died, and the squash is still alive but not producing any more.  The green bean tepee is there but empty because the green beans died without producing.  One lone zinnia is blooming in front of the playhouse.

 From the opposite side, you can see the spaghetti squash plant on the trellis is dying, but it was my best producer of all!  We have eaten one and I have 9 spaghetti squash put up for later!  The tomatoes are hanging on, and believe it or not, still making some little tomatoes.  The pepper plants are doing likewise.  I put up a shade cloth over the peppers and the tomatoes are benefiting from it in the afternoon as well.  I am starting to believe "full sun" does not mean "Texas sun" for many garden plants.

Here is the lizard house David & I built beside the asparagus (in it's 1st year) after spotting a Texas Spiny Lizard there one day.  Of course, we haven't seen one since, but David enjoyed making the house for him.

 I have tried to make the garden a fun place for the kids to be with me, since I like to spend so much time out there.  I just wish this year had been a better year for gardening!  Just too, too hot and dry... too early!  Notice the large crack in the ground coming out from under the playhouse?

The girls were waiting for me when I came out of the garden.  They're the reason it's fenced off... them and the other wild critters that would get in there & dig it up.  I have decided to try gardening again, this year, in the fall.  I've never tried fall gardening.  We'll see how it goes.

First Garden Report of 2011

This has been the driest spring.  Seeds were planted and just sat there.  I watered, but still nothing sprouted.  Then all of the sudden, things started happening!  And today...

The first tomatoes!!!  These cherry tomatoes were actually growing in a hanging bag on the back porch, of all places!  Here's how the garden is looking:

 As you can see, we also have a bit of playground in the garden.  I can fence the little people in with me and not worry about a certain someone going into the barn to eat chicken poop or something like that.

 More tomatoes are turning!  Cherries above and Roma's below!  So exciting!!!
 

 I need a good crop of tomatoes to make our salsa to last for a year.  I only have one jar left of last year's salsa.  Will we make it???

 I had no idea what to expect when Dad's uncle gave me these "Sweet Spot" pepper plants.  That long one is not what I was expecting!  I thought they were going to be a bell type.  The pepper below is "Garden Salsa" which will also be used for our salsa.  I also have some jalapeno and Anaheim peppers.

 I have never, ever had onions that actually made a bulb!  And this year, I do!  Even the purple onions!

 We will have squashes running out of our ears soon, but that's ok!  I planted zucchini, yellow squash, butternut, and spaghetti squash (below)! 

 I had to plant seeds 3 times, but finally have some Swiss chard growing.  Not fabulous, but at least it's there.

Beautiful days for being outside lately and we're all enjoying our time in the garden!