First day of Summer! June 20, 2008

Ok, I think Mother Nature took up my challenge and is calling me a liar.  Today is the first day of Summer, and we had the weather to show it.  It was a high of 83 here at the house.  And unfortunately I'm still recovering and have little desire to be out much.  What little I was I spent time watering in my garden. 

Unfortunately, despite the confidence of two gardeners I admire, my tomatoes are still looking sorry.  I filled the reservior again (the water I put in yesterday just rehydrated the soil), so hopefully tomorrow it will be perky. 

The spinach however, is doing great, hehe if I wanted to save the seeds. But that's for another year... maybe.  Toasty cut hers down to the ground and maybe it will grow back.  I think I'll harvest the remaining leaves and hack away.  Hehe maybe then the lettuce will get some light.  Then I have to decide if I want to leave the roots in the ground for possible regrowth or replant something else.  I'm definitely not going to replant spinach there for a few years to make sure I don't make easy for the leaf miners.

Speaking of growing stuff. I've been rethinking my growing patterns.  I put tall stuff in front of low stuff, and successions in front of sprouts.  I did it all wrong.  Not only should the tall stuff go in back (and cauliflower maybe not grow in a SFG at all), but the first succession should go in back and the subsequent plantings in front.  I just wasn't thinking.  Next year I'll have to remember that.

Oh, before I forget, I did take one picture today.  Toasty was right (she normally is). I went out today and found not one but four snow peas growing! One even still was shrugging off part of a white flower that it grew out of (the one at the top of the pic).  They need to be tied back again.  Maybe I'll go out after the kids are down.



As for flowers, my roses are starting to bloom, just a few weeks behind Toasty, just like my peas.  Now I remember, the pink roses have center stage and the brilliant reds are on the sides.  Stupid planting if you ask me. White or red deserve center stage.

Lastly I found two partial bags of Starbucks coffee grounds that my wife picked up for me. I added them to the top of the compost pile and watered it down a bit.  When I'm feeling better I need to fluff it to get it going again.  I'm certain it's no longer cooking.

Lots to do so I better rest up for some serious gardening!

Enjoy your garden!