Don't you love volunteers!
I don't have any this year, being the first full gardening year in this spot, but I received some pepper starts today from a friend, from a pepper she composted last year!
And she gave me a soft, delicious lettuce too, which was new for her last year, and she let one go to seed and planted a whole patch this year from last year's plant, which I will do over the next cycle as well.
I still have seeds from deadheading at our last garden, and I'm looking forward to seeing which plants will thrive here (I know some will have finicky roots--our last place wasn't friendly to basil, for some reason). But I have to plant them in weed-free spots. After they come up I can transplant to less ideal locations when they will have strength to battle the weeds and win. My nice garden space is becoming premium space. As usual, I overestimate the area I have to plant. I'm already planning where I will expand for next year!
A local grocery had English cucumbers on sale today. I'm going to see if they have any viable seeds inside to grow for this year. The Japanese prefer the seedless variety (which may make it hard to produce :), they make pickles just by salting and draining them overnight? longer? Ahem, I am the daughter of an Idaho potato farmer/dairy farmer. I am not a gourmet chef. Unlike the Son of a Dietitian who I married (whether or not that is a curse or praise depends on the tone of voice...)
Garden walk
Here is my almost completed brick walk, 15 cents a brick, from the salvage section of Lehi Block
Got kids?
I had a round spot for the kids to dig, but they're busy making tiger traps. I'll have to hose off the walkway eventually, and shore up the end by the sandbox somehow too. But that's okay. Childhood is fleeting, and I remember digging under the pine cone tree in NJ when I was small too...we made tiger traps and tunnels for our matchbox cars. Nowdays kids call them Hot Wheels cars though. Guess the leader of the market has changed.
Sprinklers in the vegetable garden
Still working on getting water to all the hedges and all the garden plants. Here's this year's attempt. The garden will have a walking path down the middle this year, instead of the four beds of last year. Here the sprinkler glue is still drying. The lengths have screwed in sections that will let me rearrange in future years if I decide to change the layout. I haven't checked for leaks yet though...and I have the chance to borrow a neighbor's tiller (carefully avoiding the sprinkler lines). I might do corn along the sidewalk edge this year, or maybe sunflowers like I did last year. People seemed to like them, and they sort of protected the garden from adventurous feet.
Front Hedge
The front hedge, freshly weeded. Grass roots aren't completely eradicated, so I'll need to come back probably once a month. Last year we killed some grass off with a cover of cardboard and grass clippings. Actually, I might not weed. I might fill it in with zinnia seed or marigolds. It'll look pretty. We have broken sprinklers in here too because someone kindly plowed our sidewalk of snow in the winter with their four-wheeler, but the snow was too deep to see where the sidewalk was, and they carved off part of the lawn. At least they didn't take out any of the hedges. We also have some gaps that need filling. But I'm supposed to be looking at what I've done, not what I have yet to do...
Flower hill
My husband showed interest in the flower mound behind the Maeser Building at BYU (where many get their graduation pictures taken...or engagement pictures). I mounded up sod from various spots in the yard (paths, new garden sections), covered it in cardboard and a layer of clean earth (I probably need more clean earth), and moved the corner sprinkler to the center of the hill. Tulips are already coming up, and I plan to put in some petunias, and maybe miniature roses, come warmer weather.
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