some notes

Came across info on growing potatoes, realized my failure last year probably wasn't all due to bugs. Potatoes are a cool-weather crop. When I bought my slips, I picked varieties that sounded good, not thinking about my season. I may have planted them too late, I definitely didn't choose a variety that would do better in the heat, and I should have tried growing them in fall. Heat stress may have made them succumb to the insects faster.

Some of my plants have died: all the rosemary I tried to start. Not surprised. My aloe vera. I had moved it into a sunnier spot, but it was out of view on the opposite side of a shelf. Forgot to water or pay attention to it. All droopy and brown. Tossed on the compost. My third group of creeping charlie cuttings. I didn't change the water often enough and the stems got moldy. The older plant in our front room is looking a bit pale, I've moved it back from the window. The one in my upstairs bedroom is doing very nicely. Its stems are reddish, unlike the others. Does this have to do with the light exposure? It gets the same water.

On a good note, it looks like the bugs are vanquished on my rue cuttings. I check it every few days, have several more times dabbed off the tiny bugs. Last time I only found two, and then none. My stevia has come through the winter fine! It has more new leaves and they remain healthy.

I started another small tray of sweet basil, since I have so few.

I had to lower the water level in the 20H. Two shrimps got into the fry box. They were hidden in the subwassertang, picking super speed at stuff to eat. I noticed their waste first- lots of it. Netted the shrimp out, siphoned out their mess. They must have crawled over the top. I made sure the water level is at least a quarter inch below, and they haven't got in again yet. My little cories have definitely doubled in size now. Will take pictures soon.

season finality

Nights are getting colder. I did a final harvest from the garden. Paltry, except for the green (bunching) onions!! Had plenty enough to share around with friends and family.

I've been cutting all the lemon balm. Stored a ton more leaves in the freezer, and several handfuls are stuck in jars of water, see how long they will keep fresh for my evening teas.

the plant outside is cut back hard, and mulched with leaves against the cold

I also cut all the parsley- finally looking nice with the temperature drops.

Still out there, some young volunteer dill. They like the cooler weather, too.

As I cleaned up the beds, I was surprised to find a very healthy-looking potato plant! This tells me it really was the bugs all along (gone now due to the chill), making my potatos sickly.

This was the carrot bed. It's full of borage now, that sprang back in the fall with vigor. There's even a few flowers.

some of the leaves are huge

In other part of the yard, nicotiana also has impressively large leaves.

lush plants

some pictures from the garden in the heat-

Lemon balm. Curiously, while this plants helps me relax and sleep well, for my husband it does the opposite. Makes him feel alert. Not a bedtime beverage in that case!

Cosmos flower among the sensitive fern that invaded the garden.

Carrots! They're doing better than I hoped, now the whitefly is all gone.

Potatoes are sprawling out of the bed.

More cosmos, above the beets, which are starting to shoulder above the ground.

I have been cutting cosmos for a little vase in the kitchen, with a sprig of hydrangea flower. They don't last long- start to drop petals after a day or two, but then I just go and cut more!

Very bright.

My gladiolas are blooming. I have twice as many flowering stalks as last year, and a nice vase full. This photo was of the first stalk I cut, will have to take another- the vase has seven or eight beautiful stems of pink glory now.

Tithonias are larger, but no torch flowers yet... . . .

my little garden

Side view from under the deck. I have moved most of my pots and containers off the upper deck, because my husband has plans to pressure wash, strip and stain or paint sometime this summer. Easier if most of the plants are out of the way beforehand. So there are more pots sitting around the garden space. Here in front, next to the nasturtium stump- basil and my 'kiwi fern' coleus.

from the front. The left-hand bed there all lush is full of greens-

arugula- so hot in taste now from bolting I can't eat it- swiss chard growing like mad- we've eaten it twice already this week- sliced thin in a teriyaki chicken dish, and in a fritatta. The rest of the bed is volunteer borage, invading sensitive fern, and bolting lettuces.

Here's the fern side of it-

They are so lovely I really don't mind the spreading behavior, I'm actually looking forward to digging them up in fall or spring so I can enjoy them in another part of the yard

First marigold flower is opening-

It's the velvety red type I like

Mini geranium 'bonsai' pot is temporarily sitting next to the beets- which are finally looking decent. In the back there's where some borage collapsed in a rainstorm- next to my pink 'watermelon' coleus.

Potatoes! I took time the other day to level out their bed. Forgot they were still sitting in a shallow trench. I hope it's not too late, to keep the growing potatoes shielded from sun. I removed all the mulch, used a garden fork to loosen the soil, and leveled it with my hands back into the trenches the plants grow in. Replaced mulch. (One of the very few times I've used my garden fork, actually).

In the herb bed, my largest, handsome borage plant just fell over (rainstorm).

Lemon balm has got too large- it is spreading over, crowding the young basil and leeks. I ask myself now why I wanted to grow this plant again... I need to learn to use it in the kitchen.

Lemon verbena, on the other hand, is neat and upright in its pot. It's looking healthier, I think (frequent soap sprays).

I still love rue just for its pretty foliage. And its blue is a nice complement to the sage. Which suffers most in my garden right now- from leafhoppers as far as I can tell. I've sprayed this one too, at least once a week.

In the corner pot, ginger mint is blooming. Curiously, it doesn't make flower spikes like other mints I've grown. The flowers are little bells clustered above the leaf nodes on the stalk. This one so far I've just enjoyed the scent of it, but next time I make that teriyaki dish I'm going to experiment adding fresh ginger mint at the end.

around the side yard- I finally have a baby tomato!

and plenty of tiny cucumbers forming

I've started picking green beans! Not much yet- a good handful every third day, but I have to save them up in the fridge until there's enough to use for a meal. Maybe next year I should start twenty or thirty green beans... I am pleased they seem relatively free of disease so far.

I've squashed the only two japanese beetles found in the yard, and am more diligent about getting the stink bugs, leafhoppers, katydids, using soap against mealybug and haven't seen any whitefly since the first few weeks. Also using soapy dishwater on the garden as often as I can- which means no garden-picked bugs for the fishes- but my plants look a lot healthier this year all around.

Up on the deck I've kept just a few plants: sweet potato vine and salad burnet decorative on the table, chocolate mint and stevia- I use them frequently for tea.

a few pictures from the garden

The few borage I left in place in spring have done far better than those I moved. This particular one on the edge of herb bed suddenly got huge leaves for some reason.

Boston fern under the deck is doing better and better!

I moved my two pots of 'Gay's Delight' coleus out into the garden (end of potato patch). The one on the right had been kept on the upper deck, the one on the left had been growing indoors. Thus the color difference.

Closer look- already the lefthand coleus is growing out new leaves with the brighter green that can deal with stronger sunlight.

I took a few cuttings to keep inside, just in case some insect disaster strikes them outside.

I started weeding out the perennial/flower bed. My newer monarda started blooming already, even though it is just a third the height of the established ones.

Daisies don't seem to be doing as well this year. The clumps are thin. Perhaps I should have divided it? No big loss- I'm not terribly fond of white flowers anyway.

outside

my astilbe are blooming! (yes, I need to do some serious weeding)

other side- it has a close companion I didn't plant. I think it's viburnum

The others in the row are coming along-

This one is a lot taller than the rest. Not sure if I unknowingly bought one that grows taller, or if its because it receives a lot more sun

I used them to make a bouquet for my seven-year-old (she performed in the school's talent show)

which included some of my ferns- looking better than ever! Nice thick wall of monarda on the right, there

black/blue salvia has more flowers. I spotted a hummingbird visiting the borage- from my bedroom window- and at first thought what is that huge insect? can't be a bee- then I realized it was a hummingbird and ran downstairs to see closer but it was gone

sedums I transplanted last year bloomed a week ago-

the 'autumn joy' grouping is budding up! I think I planted them too close to the lilac, though. May have to dig up and resituate in spring.

Daylilies!

I've been wanting to get a few more kinds... these are actually a bit more mauve than the photo shows

Milkweed! Buds forming last week:

I saw them opening for the first time today. This is silly, but I didn't expect them to be quite so pretty.

This post turned out to be all flowers, so here's one more- my potatoes!

I recalled they had white ones; didn't expect them to hang their heads

and.. . while I'm still doubtful about the tomatoes- though I think I see a few tiny green fruits- I am pretty sure I'll have cucumbers!

more pics coming soon