How Does Your Garden Grow?

Very well, thank you.  And I have pictures!

My garden plot on June 6

Purple hull peas in front of green beans












Squash and zucchini

Tomatoes

Watermelon above, green peas at right.  I planted these less than two weeks ago.












I still haven't thinned the garden yet.  The squash and zucchini are growing like crazy and need some room on their little hills.  I may wait a little longer on the green beans and peas.  They're just so lovely, and they don't seem too crowded yet.  By the time I get back from vacation, they and the tomatoes will probably need to be thinned.  The area I hoped to clear to transplant what I thin out is just too overgrown for me to clear.  Maybe I'll bring them home and put them in front of the house if the seeds I've planted in the front garden haven't sprouted yet.  The plants I'm growing indoors are coming with me on vacation.  I don't want them to die, and I don't feel right about asking someone to come into my house every morning to water my plants.  I'll probably ask someone to stop by to water the front garden a few times.

I'm already excited about next year's garden.  I've been thinking about starting seeds next March or April to transplant into the garden.  I'll get produce faster if the garden starts from plants rather than seeds.  And today I saw something online about starting plants in toilet paper tubes that have been cut in half instead of buying special cups to start the seeds.  The tubes can be planted with the seedlings.  The cardboard is biodegradable and the tube supposedly hinders pests.  I've already got soil and some left-over seeds to use next year, and I'm sure I can save up plenty of toilet paper tubes, so I'll just have to buy a few more seeds.  Next year's garden will be super cheap.  I may try out toilet paper tubes with herbs after I get back from vacation.  The seeds I've planted in the front yard garden haven't sprouted yet.  If they haven't come up by the time we get back, they probably aren't going to sprout.  I'm not sure most of the herbs I transplanted to the front garden are going to survive because their root systems weren't developed well enough.  The tube would take care of that problem, too.

I've been finding a lot of nifty information and free stuff online that I may share a bit of on my blog.  One nifty thing I saw at the church potluck yesterday was a portable picnic table that folds into the size of a guitar case. Very cool!  I may put that on my Amazon wish list.