Another 3 weeks since my last garden update because of vacationing and other adventures!

For those of you just starting to follow along...a few years ago, I began reclaiming lawn space building raised boxes, and blogging about my adventures in gardening. This might be year 7 of the ever-growing garden that officially launches May 2-4 Weekend every year. The community that @GardenHive has become is for us green thumbs and there are contests my gardening friends can play along with by following them.

This week, I am checking out what has grown in the last 3 weeks and there is plenty of green!

Herbs

We started with a couple weeks of hot & dry followed by a couple more with plenty of rain. This has made for some pretty nice growth in the deck boxes with herbs. Italian parsley with basil and some dill with cilantro. They were drooping a little because the soil was too wet from the rain but I poured them out so they should perk up for thje next update.

Pots

Some of my other potted plants have faired about as well. Nice growth and even a few little seedling sprouts before collecting all that rain. The flowers are loving it but the hot peppers seem to be taking a break while things dry out.

Cucumbers & Greens

This year, I moved the cucumbers to the end of the greens bed and used the same Guinea pig cage trick to protect them from the birds while sprouting. They are growing nicely now and you can see the first English cucumbers starting to grow. I have moved the cage over to protect the newer strawberry plant and there are plenty of mescaline mix and other salad greens constantly ready for harvest.



Along that line, it is so-far-so-good for Pickleman's pickles. They are battling with the morning glories a little but I keep trimming those back so there is enough sun for all. With any luck, I will have 4 vines of pickling mini cucumbers I can ferment with the Dill I am growing in the box. Pickleman's gotta pickle right?



Back to the greens a sec, we are seeing some great growth for the third year in a row with the kale. I personally think kale is bullshit bitter leathery crap to eat but the ladies love it. It is nice and green with constant growth so I recommend adding this to your garden if you like it.

Tomatoes

I moved the tomatoes to where the peppers did so well the last few years. My girls did a great job of picking the suckers while I was away for 10 days and I returned to knock the bottom branches off a bit to keep the growth focussed on the fruit. I do need to put in some stakes for the growth over the top of the little cages and trim some more branches but they are all growing well. I even have Greek oregano growing between the tomatoes for some future sauces.



I have a tall tale saved up regarding my peppers and the beasts of the garden. Besides the unspoiled plight they are experiencing, I should have plenty of sweet green and orange peppers, and even some jalapenos if not habaneros is I am lucky. There have been casualties I am not pleased with but such is the challenge of the garden that is shared with the ecosystem.



It has been the month of incredible zucchini growth. The leaves are starting to take over that section of the garden and I am trimming them sparingly when I can. I recall knocking off some big fan leaves last year and having the plant not enjoy that too much. Being a little more conservative, I am seeing some of the little yellow veggies starting to grow beneath their flowers. These are a hit when the yield is good and we should have some to eat in a week or 2 for the rest of the season.

The Blooms

Perhaps my favourite perennial flower is the orange lilies scattered throughout the garden. I don't think my better half likes them as much as I do and the dog enjoyed running through them destructively when there is a ball or critter to chase. Still, I love how they fill the flowerbed with green early in the season and toss up dozens of these nice big orange flowers early in June. I see them along the side of the road in random places so I think they might be native to the area.



I am definitely the only one who likes the rose bushed in a couple places in the garden. I just let them run wild and don't harvest the blooms so they open fully and splash colour around the yard. Damn sharp thorns though!



One of the newest additions to the garden this year is Bee Balm https://www.almanac.com/plant/bee-balm Besides being great for birds, butterflies and bees, they look like little fireworks explosions to me. With any luck, they will continue to do well, feed some birds in the fall, and return again stronger next year. This is the first actual bloom.

Mom started me along my path of growing stuff when I was a kid. Motivated by so many blockchain blogging gardeners, I figured I would plant and share and learn as I reclaim as much grass space as I can. It has turned out to be a fruitful experience and I hope to inspire others to sow and grow no matter what your location or experience level is.

Just make sure you tag #creativegarden and check out the latest @gardenhive post to see if you can get in on the contest.

Wherever you are...JUST GROW!

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How is your garden doing?!