The Day's Harvest

So we've got some green and purple basil for pesto tonight, and a couple of patty pan squash. That's the good bit.

Next to the bowl is a young potato plant, which I ripped out of the ground in the spirit of reckless experimentation. As you can see, we got one big potato and few really teensy ones.

The other reason I pulled it is because I planted a few potatoes in a wine barrel, hoping to fill it in as they grew. But this one grew about three times as fast, so filling around would've meant burying the others.

I hope it tastes good.

The Aphids Destroyed my Favorite Taco Ingredient

My cilantro has been sucked dry by rampaging insect hordes. A sad day.

The New Potato Bed

I built a new potato bed out of the random flat pieces of concrete we have lying around. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and I'm looking forward to building a larger bed out of the same material.

As the potatoes grow, I'll stack up more stone, until it's maybe three or four feet high, I hope. I'll have to learn to make gnocchi.

My Tomatoes are Amazing

My tomatoes have developed into a mighty shrub, and are planning their invasion of the other beds. My only defense: I deviously caged in the tomatoes with leftover fencing material.

As you can see, the tomatoes are trapped, and unable to invade the strawberries.

What is This Bean?

I have no idea.

Part of our back fence is covered with these guys. Last November, the previous year's crop dried out and popped open, flinging beans against the house. I was convinced that neighbor kids were throwing rocks at us. You can see one half of the old pod above.

The new pods are stiff and covered in velvet. Or it feels like it. I cracked one open, but the beans taste like grass. An inedible plant, or just not ripe?

Geranium Update

As promised in my first geranium post, here are some pictures of what I called the "candy-striped" geraniums that unexpectedly emerged from some older cuttings:





I love how the hot pink is only on the edges of the petals for a true two-toned effect. Gorgeous!

And just for fun, some portraits of two of our three kitties who were hangin' out near the geranium bed:


Linus


Mina & Linus

The Best Gate Ever Gets Even Better

Yesterday I installed a faucet at the front of the house. This involved running a pipe down the side, through the garden, and just past the gate. After I was finished, I discovered that the gate couldn't lean as it does with the pipe in the way. As building a proper gate is still procrastination away, I simply improved the existing gate with a big ole notch. 

Be amazed at the skill on display.