Midsommer

     Thanks to my grandson Al for the beautiful photo of Amber's garden in front of our house, and thanks to Amber for making it happen.

Amber's Garden:  Thanks for the Photo, Al.

     Every year in the spring, Amber makes hanging baskets that bloom throughout the summer and early fall to compliment whatever other perennials that are in their season.  This year there are five baskets hanging along the front of the house.

One of the five hanging baskets Amber made this spring next to the wild roses in full bloom

Vegetable Garden, Blame it on the Weather

     Here it is, only one week left in June, and everything is way behind schedule in the vegetable garden.  I guess I'll keep blaming the cold, wet spring for the rest of the year.  The cabbages don't look too bad, the broccoli is a little spindly, and the corn will have to concentrate to be knee high by the fourth of July. 

South Garden: Cabbages and Broccoli with corn in the back.

The Cutworm Cometh

     I used to cut both ends out of a tin can and put it around each tomato when I planted it to protect it from the cutworm. For the last few years I haven't done that, and I paid the price this year.  They just eat the stem next to the ground and move on to the next one.  After losing about a third of my plants, I put cardboard collars around the stems of the survivors and replanted.  I still have high hopes for a descent crop.

East Garden: Tomatoes and Peppers off to a slow start.

Taters and Peas

Potato and Pea Patch in the East Central Garden

    I planted three kinds of potatoes in the potato patch.  The red potatoes in the front were from last year's potatoes.  Rejects that were still in the bin this spring because they were only an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, and no one wanted to peel them.  The sprouts on them were all longer than the potato itself.  I wasn't sure how they'd do, but they look like they're doing OK.  I saw a flower bud on one of them yesterday.
     I bought seed potatoes for the Yukon Gold in the middle and the Kennebec in the back., which I planted in late May, about 4 weeks later than the red potatoes.  The Kennebec look fine, but the Yukon Gold is not progressing as well.
     In the middle, I planted peas next to the sunflower stalks from last year.  I figured I wouldn't have to build a support for them to climb on like I've done in previous years.

Siesta Time

     More on the other gardens and crops in a future post, but it's time for a break under shaded awning in front of the garden shed.  I have plans for the future to contemplate.

Shaded Break Room

Future Expansion to the North