Garden

I planted our vegetable garden on Memorial Day. I decided to get it all done on that one day because I didn't want to feel compelled to do anything at all during the rest of the week. It worked out nicely because it ended up being in the 90s all week and I could barely tear myself away from the fan.

Things didn't start out well: we had seed trouble, cold snaps, late frosts and often felt like it would never, ever be summer. And yet, here it is:

Some day I will convince Len to go with raised beds, but this was not the year. From left to right: row 1. green (bush) beans; row 2. Edamame (soy) beans and purple (bush) beans; row 3. cabbage*, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and habeñeros; row 4. sweet red peppers, someday there will be cayenne and jalapeño plants; rows 5 and 6. heirloom Beefsteak tomatoes; rows 7 and 8. Amish Paste (heirloom) tomatoes; row 9. Supersweet 100 tomatoes (hybrids, but too good to pass up); and row 10. watermelon and pickling cucumbers (especially for my friend K and my sister, Krista). I still need to find room for leeks, considering we lost a bunch of tomato plants last night (damn rabbits!), that shouldn't be a problem.

*The cabbage was a mistake, we meant to get more broccoli plants, but the leaves look exactly the same. Oh well, we will make sauerkraut.

And besides all of the grass that's coming up, we have real plants coming up, too!

I love how the shoots come up with the seed pods still attached. This is the row with purple and soy beans.

We also have an herb garden: here are sage, tarragon, chives, oregano and mint. Cilantro plants are coming up, and I also have rosemary, thyme and Thai and Sweet basil planted.

And just because it's so darn pretty!