My Garden is Progressing

I have always been intimidated to grow lettuce, but for some reason it is doing quite well.  The other side of the bed will be zinnias and black eyed susans.  I have enjoyed watching the lettuce grow.  When I plant something, I always wonder if it will take root and grow.  One of the strawberry plants I planted in another bed was uprooted when one of the kids accidentally picked a strawberry from it with a little too much force.  It has been interesting watch the strawberry plants struggle to take root.  What's on top is deceptive.  Sometimes the roots are not as deep or strong as they might seem.  But, they're surviving.

This is my azalea that is not doing so well.  It is not the heat of the sun that matters most but the length of the sun.  I fear that this poor azalea needs more shade and less sun than it is getting.  I have been faithfully watering it daily.  I knew I was taking a chance in this spot.  This hosta typically dies later on in the summer.  I think I need to look for some different plants for this area, don't you?

These are my tomatoes.  I'm curious to see how they do.  I planted marigolds around them and garlic.  Basil is nearby, too.  All of these are supposed to be helpful to one another.  We'll see...  

This is the old laundry sink from our basement.  Really, it is.  It's made of cement.  It is the heaviest thing I've ever tried to move.  When we took it out of the basement, I didn't think we could persuade any trash man to haul it away.  So, my husband drilled a few holes in the bottom of it and I've turned it into a planter.  It turns out that it misses the shadows from the roof and the deck for quite a long time during the day.  So, it is one of the spots in the garden with the best sunlight.  My husband did explain to me that I need to water it more thoroughly and often because the container heats up and the moisture evaporates more quickly.  I know there also can be issues with drainage.  Last year I planted a cucumber plant in here and it produced a few, but it didn't thrive.  I'm hoping my parsley and tomato will be a better fit for this container.  I have been told by many friends that gardening is a lot of trial and error.  

Which reminds me of an interesting thing I read in a fiction book this morning for young girls.  In the context of the story, the girls were planting two peas, two squash, and then three corn seeds.  The squash run along the ground and prevent too many weeds from growing.  The peas bush out and support the corn.  The Corn seeds sprout to give the other plants shade when they need it.  It was simply part of the story, but I think it is a very interesting idea.  Gardening is really rather complex.  I grew up with a large garden.  So, when I look at my garden it makes me feel like it's so small.  But, I know that it was a lot of work to put in!  I am reminded that how we see things often depends on what we are comparing those things to.  I have bad memories of the garden I grew up with.  I don't want to feel that way about my garden now--I want it to be a joy, not a heavy burden.  For me, this garden is just the right size.  I have enjoyed going out to water and lightly weed each day now that the bulk of the work has been done.  

One last note, I discovered that a remnant of my peppermint survived last summer in a hanging pot I had put it in.  We'll see what becomes of it in the months ahead!  I am told Peppermint is like a weed.  Once it's in the ground, it's very difficult to get it out.  So, it's wise to plant it in a pot rather than in the ground.  I discovered that Lemon Balm is the same.  though I didn't take a picture, my lemon balm looks like a bush.  It's 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet.  And I have no idea what to do with it!  I wish I did.  

Please forgive my random gardening notes.  I'm afraid they are quite disjointed tonight!  Soon I will post about our composting efforts...

My Garden's Progress

My strawberry plants are in full bloom.  Every day we've been collecting a small bowl for lunch this week.  My girls have loved hunting for berries that are ready to be picked and then picking them.  

In my backyard, all my plants are finally in.  

Although after this picture was taken, I added 2 jalapenos and a cherry tomato near the basil.

My strawberries do seem to be surviving after their near death experience with the leafrolling caterpillars.  I did decide to spray them with an organic spray I had been given to sample.  I read on the web that you should simply kill the caterpillars and not spray unless there is a big problem, but since this spray was organic and I needed to see if it works, I thought I might was well try it.  I haven't seen any caterpillars since...but I'm still checking every day.  

Here's a picture of their progress:

What I remember about my strawberries from my front yard is that the first year, the plants produced one or two strawberries and seemed to gain their strength.  It was in the second year and now in the third that they really began to produce berries.  So, my hope for these little strawberry plants this summer is that they will gain their strength.

My bean seeds are beginning to sprout.  They are one of the few seeds that will grow pretty easily outside without being started inside.  I think they grow pretty easily considering that I've only planted them in a small mound of dirt around the trellis.  Last year, I planted them very late (June) so they didn't bear any green beans until late August.  My hope is that they will climb the trellis earlier this year so that we might enjoy the beans longer.  Here is a picture of my yellow wax beans that I've planted beginning to sprout:

When I was a little girl, I did not like our garden.  I think I've shared before how it only meant work and chores to me.  My dad didn't believe in God and so he didn't see the beauty of the garden as God's creation.  As an adult, this is what gives me a sense of joy when I see something beginning to grow.  It is the realization that it is not me that has made this plant grow, though I have planted, watered it, and weeded around it.  It is God who makes these plants grow.  It is He who sends the sun and the rain.  I trust Him to care for these plants just as He does for me.  I am thankful for the innocent joy that I find in my garden and weeding my small beds that seem like so little on one hand, yet just enough to take care of on the other.