Garden Friday

zinnia bud

 Welcome back to Garden Friday!

This first week in June has us enjoying spring-like weather.

Here's what's happening in the garden.

The hugelkultur bed is in a state of transition.

With a lot of the lettuce and kale bolting,

and the snap peas gone,

we are savoring the bits and pieces we can get out of the garden.

The tall bolting lettuce is green oakleaf,

and I am hoping to save seeds from this plant for next season.

It's very interesting to me to see how poorly the leek in this bed have done,

compared to the others that were planted in a tall storage bin elsewhere.

These are about 10 times smaller. 

Lack of sun?  Not enough room?

 Look at the color on this Red Salad Bowl.

This was my favorite until I sampled the green oakleaf.

Having a mixture of different types of greens is a real treat.

 Although we've had some hot temps in the last couple of weeks,

and there is obvious critter damage on the leaves of this cabbage,

it seems to be growing and doing just fine.

This is the first time I've ever grown cabbage,

so I hope that I get to make some slaw with it.

 There is absolutely nothing to complain about with this Swiss chard.

It grows without problems from heat, cold, sun, shade or pests.

It's one of the new things I've added to my diet recently.

 The green oakleaf is my favorite lettuce at the moment,

but this Freckles variety is close behind.

It is so tender and juicy, and seems to be tolerating

the changing weather conditions.

A couple of lettuce varieties and some Lacinato (dinosaur) kale 

have been sown in the shadier part of the hugelkultur bed.

With squirrels constantly digging in the soil,

I've taken to adding panels of wire over newly-sown seeds.

So far, so good.

 The nasturtiums add a pop of color in the beds,

as well as helping with pest control.

The flowers and leaves are both edible.

What more could you ask?

With the garlic and shallots harvested,

the beets have more room to grow,

and they are.

They will stay right where they are

until I see signs that they are ready to stop growing.

Good news on the bean front!

The October beans are grabbing onto the arch

and forming flowers.

I'll be sure to give them a dose of turkey poop to encourage them on their way.

The newly-planted sweet potatoes are nestled in their crate.

We've been promised rain for two days now,

with nothing to show for it.

Hopefully, over the weekend, we will be gifted with a downpour.

 The Yukon Gold potatoes are growing out of their towers.

They too, will soon be ready for fertilizing.

This is such a fun way of growing potatoes,

and the harvest couldn't be easier.

No digging required!

The basil surprised me by coming up in just a few days.

I guess the temperature was just right. 

Notice the wire is on these cell packs too.

 Even the eggplant,

which has given me a hard time germinating,

seems ready for summer to get growing.

The tumeric I planted a few weeks ago

suddenly popped up out of its containers.

What a rush!

This will be a new experience for me,

as I've never even seen a full-grown plant before.

 The loofah has decided it is ready to grow as well.

Each plant knows its time and season.

Sometimes we are just too impatient.

There is still not much going on with the straw bales,

and I'm thinking I will most likely transplant

some cucumbers and eggplant into them.

It's been a bit disappointing, but it's the best way to learn.

The oregano that was here when we bought the house is blooming.

What a pretty, delicate flower it has.

It reminds me that I need to be better at harvesting and drying my herbs.

Elsewhere, the butterfly bush is almost ready to burst into color.

It was trimmed back fairly severely earlier in the spring,

and it has bounced back quite nicely.

The Vitex in the front yard will soon be covered in purple blooms.

This is another plant that was severely pruned,

after most likely, years of neglect.

These stems will be used in flower arrangements.

Across the yard, the butterfly garden that was installed last year,

has filled out nicely.

Everything seems quite content,

although I do plan to add just a few more things.

 Can you ever have enough echinacea?

 I think not.

I'm not sure if you can see the bee in the center of this shot,

but I could have sworn it was tagged.

I saw a small, yellow circle on its body as it flitted from flower to flower.

So exciting! 

It's obviously enjoying the lavender.

 Another favorite, black-eyed Susan is filling in under the crape myrtle tree.

The pollinators love it,

and with its abundant blooms,

there is plenty to go around!

It's been such a blessing to be able to create flower arrangements for the house 

with the selection in the butterfly bed.

 This is the first year that we have had spot-free apples.

As I choose not to spray, I had pretty much given up 

ever getting any fruit from it.

Although I'm thrilled at the prospect,

they are a bit tart for me,

so I will leave them to the squirrels and deer.

 The front porch bed is filling in better now.

The alyssum makes me so happy with its delicate blossoms and sweet smell.

It was marvelous to see these milkweed plants come up.

Many seeds have been sown,

so that we can attract the monarch butterflies.

We are a certified Monarch Way Station,

and so, support them by furnishing their host plant.

I'm hoping that the number of butterflies we see this year increases.

 The pollinators are enjoying our garden.

This sunflower,

which has over a dozen blooms at a time,

is loaded every day with bees, wasps, and other frequent fliers.

It's a busy time in the garden.

And that's just the way I like it.

Enjoy your weekend!