Wandering in the Garden

I'm very pleased to have my rain barrels full for this dry week. My new transplants and dirty van appreciate the water and washing, I appreciate the price.

My veggies are doing well. I've got peas growing up an unused return net from our softball and baseball days. (It didn't get used much then, either.) This is a new patch of ground. Mr. GAIN and I are the only ones in the house who eat peas.




My potatoes are doing well. Garlic, onion, tomatoes are also in this bed. I have more potatoes in another bed. You can see the compost heaped around the plant -- from the bottom of my cold composting heap.





I can have a lettuce salad soon. I think the unpredictable picture rotation is how blogger shows its love for me. Garlic also in this picture.

I also planted bush beans, but something (I'm thinking slugs) eats the leaves as soon as they emerge. Once the lettuce is finished, I plan to move the bunny fence to protect some pole beans. I have not had good luck with beans in that bed ever. Why did I think this year might be different?


"I" of GAIN decided yesterday in the high heat of the afternoon that she wanted a garden of her own. Tomatoes (free from Campbell Soup), yellow summer squash, and zucchini or cukes (I don't remember which -- has to be the heat). The American Girl books probably inspired her.




Strawberries. We've had one or two berries every day this week, but I expect three cups every day in a couple weeks.







Coreopsis Moonbeam. This grew a little every day this week from tiny stems to what you see here. I could really see growth every day, which was fun for me. Its pale yellow flowers will be a wonderful sight all summer long.






Irises from centraliowaplantexchange, an offshoot of the DMMetroReUseIt Network, run as a yahoo group. I have more in the back yard. I am really trying to develop my back yard and north side yard.

In the shady part of the side yard, I divided some lamium (purple flowers and silver-and-green leaves) and lily of the valley this week. The Solomon's Seal has multiplied nicely (some transplanted from the homeplace and some purchased). The Jack Frost Brunnera (I labored to find it for two years) that was lovely last year has not shown itself yet. I accidentally found its taproot while putting in the lamium -- it appears to be alive but not visible above ground. I am hoping that the plantings will fill in enough by the end of this year to make mowing the area around the window wells unnecessary.