Summer 2021 Garden Update

Once again, someone was throwing something out. Some things. Several of these galvanized windowsill planters, originally sold with seeds and peat pellets for themed herb and vegetable gardens, were in the trash, seemingly unused, now just empty little troughs. Len had some length of chain left over from a project or some long-ago dismantled item, so he made for me this cute, hanging herb garden. We faced the planters backward to hide the labels "Cocktail Garden," "Italian Garden," and "Taco Garden," since those do not accurately describe what's growing in the containers—and, yeah, for a cleaner, unified look. 

I'm certain the Italian and taco gardens would have come with tomato seeds, and I just don't believe a tomato plant would grow very heartily from such a small container. Maybe that's why they were thrown out. I'm sticking to herbs, small hot peppers, and edible flowers.

I have been enjoying this herb garden, which includes my hopeful perennials on the ground (marjoram, tarragon, thyme, rosemary that I will try overwintering indoors, oregano, parsley, and a probably dead sage) and some annuals in the cute hanging arrangement (marigolds, chamomile, cilantro, basil, and a late-arrival tabasco pepper plant that is only just now getting buds). I find reasons to use fresh herbs in most recipes these days, and almost daily I pick 5 or so chamomile blossoms and lay them on a newspaper in the basement, where they can dry out before I store them in a little glass container (for making chamomile tea later, if you couldn't guess).

Spearmint and lemon balm are sequestered elsewhere in the yard, since the mint family tends to hardily take over any space within reach. 

The herbs are probably my best performers in the garden this year. At last, in late summer, our tomatoes are beginning to ripen.

Meanwhile, the strawberry plants have not spread as vigorously as I'd hoped and even seem to be dying back. It's hard to tell. I see new leaves grow and other sections go brown. Same with the rhubarb. We didn't eat any this year, as the shock of transplant stunted its growth and spurred flowering, but I do see new stalks appearing while others seem to be dying off. I don't know what's normal. As usual with my haphazard gardening, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a strong reemergence next spring.

In the category of fun stuff, we got some volunteer sunflowers from seeds left behind by last year's sunflower patch. They were conveniently growing on the edge of our now-designated apple tree space, so I let them stay. None of them seem to be the mammoth variety, at least not in flower head size, but they are taller than last year! (And there, below them, our espaliered apple trees are beginning to take shape. I need to fix those guide wires, which are all loose and wonky after someone bent one of our posts! Can you believe it?)

Speaking of trees, I've been spraying a homemade concoction weekly on the cherry and apple trees to combat what is either a fungus or an insect putting holes in the cherry leaves and potentially affecting future growth. I guess I'm not seeing further damage, but observations are ongoing.

Our other gardening of late has been toward ornamental goals. When the nursery/greenhouse near us put flowering perennials on discount, I bought some cone flowers, larkspur, asclepias, and coreopsis to add to the previously "installed" dianthus and creeping phlox. I also transplanted some tiger lilies from my aunt's yard, which she originally transplanted from my great-grandmother's yard. Then, Len found free hostas on an online marketplace, so we drove to the neighboring town to dig up some plants from a generous stranger's yard and further beautified the bare soil around our back patio.

All of this, including the still-fragile grass we planted in our lawn months ago, I've been diligently watering solely from our rain barrels. It takes more time and effort (especially time) than just using the hose, and as a result, I'm certainly giving the plants less water than the people who soak their gardens daily with a heavy stream from their spigot. I'm sure that's why they have such lush gardens comparatively, but my plants are alive (mostly), and I'm happy to know we can enhance our green space without the toll on natural resources. 

The rain barrels have reached near empty during a couple of especially hot, dry spells, after which we audibly cheered on the rain storms that broke the temporary drought (and watched some neighbor kids danced in the downpour). Here's to the bursts of rain that offset the heat these past couple of weeks. Maybe we can enjoy an actual tomato and pepper harvest before cool weather comes. Say it with me: Fingers crossed!

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