garden v.2013

Ti tree - very happy against the back fence
with that ancient wreath for company.
I quite like the bright pink against
the weathered wood of the fence.

Another spring, another garden. I love spring with all its hopes and plans. More tomatoes! Less basil! Hotter peppers! Better peaches!

Over the winter we took out the white Babcock peach that neither of us liked (that I mistakenly bought when my eyes were blinded by garden lust that day at the nursery) and replaced it with a yellow peach that promptly burst into gorgeous bloom and will hopefully provide us with bushels of peaches.

Apricots!!! Tons of them.
The apricot tree went berzerk this year
and is covered in fruit.
Fingers crossed that the birds leave us some.

To date we've planted <drum roll please> tomatoes (12 varieties), peppers (12 varieties), spinach, fava beans (just cause), zucchini, cukes, cauliflower, Brussells sprouts, onions (3 kinds), oregano, basil, and cilantro. 

Still got lots of space out there so on the kitchen in small pots are yet more tomatoes, peppers, and cukes, plus some broccoli. Soon as they're big enough, out they go.

Nectarine tree in bloom. It has the most gorgeous flowers.
Large 2" dia pink blooms that remind me of a moss rose.

So far, the Excel Garden Plan is holding up well. I dutifully consult the Plan when needing to plant something because the family who gardens together eats lots of good meals together!

Planting the onions sets was a pain. 80 of them. Hands and knees. Scrape bark aside. Poke hole with dandelion digger. Stuff onion set into hole. Scrape dirt back over hole and tamp down. Fluff bark over dirt. Scoot foam kneeling pad 4" backwards. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The backyard. It and the kitchen are why we bought this house.
Further to the right is a covered patio with our table and chairs.
Along the back of the house are the kitchen and family room,
both with lots of windows so that you can always see the yard.
Maggie is watching Mabel the cat who's looking out the door at us.
That's my $2 garden cart in the middle of the patio and
our 5gal paint buckets that now house 6 of my 14 (!) tomatoes.