heat and thunderstorms

Lettuce bed with borage near the back edge, sensitive fern coming up inside too. 'Scat plant' on the stump and turtlehead behind it. The garden doesn't look like this now, though- I just made the floor of all green with grass clippings (which will soon dry out and look tan).

I remembered a bit too late that there is another good reason for using the clippings as mulch, besides water retention

It also keeps the soil from splashing onto everything in heavy rain, which is what happened to this borage during a thunderstorm last night!

I tucked the clippings around the lettuces and young swiss chard, the beets- which are nicely spaced through their bed- and the buching onions. I transplanted the leeks and moved around a few little cosmos plants. My carrot seedlings came up but got dug and tossed around by a mammal pest. Gah. Not sure if the scat plant and rue are doing the job.... I might dry some rue and sprinkle it into other beds, or see if using the citrus scented geranium would help deter visits as well.

And I planted potatoes. Bought seed starts- they are awfully shriveled but supposed to be okay.

Also planted two russets (organic) that sprouted in my crisper drawer.

I didn't quite realize how much space potaotes need until I read the instructions and measured it out in the garden. Not to disappoint my oldest (who loves potatoes) I did plant them all (it will probably be too many)- but used two entire plots. So the cucumbers, basil, tomatoes and green beans are going to grow in containers. Which is a shame because I think green beans belong in the garden, so their nitrogen-fixating properties can benefit the other plants that follow...  I am scheming to make another two or three raised beds...