I Have Been Working in My Garden Bed

 Sorry not to post sooner but I have been busy, busy with one thing or another.

Lately its been my little garden bed.  I had to add compost and removed the old straw and level my bed.  Then I marked it off in squares so I could do the square-foot garden method, which I have always preferred.

I had ordered my tomato and pepper plants and also and English thyme from Territorial Seed in Oregon.  I had done so in the past and been very pleased with them.

This time I received one Galahad tomato with a top lopped off and a broken top branch.  They are sending me a replacement.  They are a good source for buying started plants that you cannot get from the normal box stores around here.

This is my 4' by 8' garden bed with all the tomatoes and peppers in.  I also tuck in radishes, carrots, and lettuce seeds here and there to use all my space with things I like to eat.  In two towers I have Bush Pickle cucumbers and some Straight 8 cukes seeds sown.  The Bush Pickle have broken thru the topsoil but I have yet to see the Straight 8s.  If they are not thru by tomorrow, I will sow a few more replacement seeds for that tower.  I have parsley planted but have also sown some chives and scallions as well as Nasturtiums flowers (Nite N Day and Jewel Mix) to bring in bees to pollinate.  My Salad Burnet from last year is doing very well.  Its in the top right-hand corner looking bright and green inthids photo.  It has a slight celery flavor in its leaves which you toss in your salads.

In this photo above you can see the French Breakfast radishes along the front have popped up along with some of the Alkindus (red) and Thom Thumb (green) leaf lettuces I sowed behind them.

My neighbor gardeners are getting in their crops as well. 

We are lucky to have many flowers in our patio garden.  Among them are some young lilac bushes.

These are still young but the aroma in our patio area is marvelous right now.  I noticed that the younger bushes that mark our property line between us and the dam property are starting to bloom on their young branches as well.  

We have lovely Creeping Phlox growing alongside some of our flower beds.  It makes a lovely blanket in the spring.

Here in one of the flower beds are some pink and white Columbine, another pretty spring flower.  Too bad they do not last too long since they are all so lovely.

Here's a view of the left side of our garden path of flowering beds with more Creeping Phlox.

I got out this morning to sow a few more radishes and lettuce seeds among the squares in my bed.  We got nearly a half inch of rain last night which pleased me.  I did not have to water my garden bed.

Have a good day. 

I WAS OUT IN MY GARDEN TODAY

 It was such a lovely day and in checking the next 15-day weather forecast, we should not be having any frosty nites.

My Salad Burnet made it thru the winter and is growing just fine.  Its the only perennial I have in my garden.  I may not keep it.  I had some in my salad the other day and it tastes slightly of celery but I just do not like soft leaves to chew.  My salads can be pretty meager with very few vegetables, mostly tomatoes, cukes, celery, onions, Iceberg lettuce (because its firm), radishes, and carrot slivers.  I am thinking of sowing some Nasturtium seed ( a flower) in that corner instead.  It will help bring in more pollinators along with the other Nasturtium and Marigolds I plan to sow.

I had worked in my garden bed over the last several days.  I removed the straw laid over it to keep down weeds which worked great.  I had few weeds but got rid of those.  I then spread Black Kow, a composted manure, several days ago and worked at banging out the clods to make my bed smoother.  Earlier today I marked by squares  with string and popsicle sticks in my bed so I know what to sow and plant where and added my 3 tomato cages, one for a small tomato and 2 for cucumbers.  I have tall wooden stakes for my other tomatoes and some smaller green stakes for my peppers.

Its difficult to see, but if you look for the white plant markers in the front lane, you will find some greenery.  In this section I transplanted my flat-leaf Parsley and in the corner my Onion Chives.

In the front here from left to right are Garlic Chives and Scallions.  Above the chives is my English Thyme.

Tomorrow is scheduled for sowing seeds for carrots, radishes and a few leaf lettuce in the open squares in the front.  Along the wooden frame in front of the other transplants will go more radishes which can fit in anywhere.

I have 7 tomato and 4 pepper plants on order from Territorial Seed which expects to ship on May 16th.  I also had ordered one English Thyme transplant since I did not think I would be starting ANY seeds this year indoors.  I love thyme so I will use it.  I may sow a few cucumber seeds and hope they sprout early this year.  If we do not get any frosty nites, its a possibility.  If I lose them to cold, I can always sow more replacemnt seeds when it warms up more.

What produce I cannot use myself I share with my kids and the residents here in the building.  There are only 4 of us that garden here so fresh produce is accepted from others just fine.

Wishing you all a fine day.