~Progress~

I see squashes!!!

Look at those squash blossoms!

The tiniest cucumber you'll ever see.

I'm very excited to finally start seeing progress on my cucumbers, squash and beans. The vines on this bean plant are getting a little out of control though. I think I'll use more garden twine next year.

Mommy's Helper

Alayna was a big helper digging in the pea gravel as I pulled out my green onions and shallots. I think I may have pulled the shallots out a bit early. Oh well, I'm sure they'll still taste great and I'll know better for next year.

Cucumbers & Beans

I admit, I'm getting impatient waiting for my vegetables plants to produce. Today I just noticed these little vines coming off the main plant. Does this mean cucumbers are on their way? (hoping, hoping) My bean plants are getting full and a few of the vines have made their way to the top of my tepee....I'm slightly afraid they are going to attach themselves to my fence, so I keep redirecting the vines back to the pole. I have much more of an appreciation for the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk!

What IS that?

Ok, my expert gardener friends, I need your help. When I walked out to my garden this morning, this is what I saw at the top of one of my shallot stalks. Is this "seed"? What do I do with it? Does this mean that the shallots need to be harvested? Thanks in advance for your help on this.

Ok, I admit it...... I'm a cilantro-neglecter. I've had it flower before, but this is ridiculous, I know. To be honest, I'm not sure why I chose to grow cilantro. I never use it. Now I'll just have to find uses for it.

Today in My Garden

How Exciting! Are those little squashettes? They are so small its still hard to tell whether those are the squashes or leaf buds.

Climbing Pole Beans

Sweet Basil

Grand Bell Peppers
Have you ever seen them look like this? I'm kind of wondering because every time I see pictures of bell pepper plants, the leaves are totally different.

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Lessons of a 1st Year Gardener

This is my very first year of gardening and I am just LOVING it! I have made plenty of mistakes and have learned many lessons along the way and I am sure there is a whole lot more to learn.

Lesson #1: Do not attempt to grow cauliflower. My great friend and more experienced gardener Melissa tried cauliflower last year with weak results....I don't know what made me cocky enough to think that mine would be any better. In all the reading I have done since I bought my initial stash of seedlings, everyone says that cauliflower is one of the hardest vegetables to grow. It is very picky. If the conditions aren't just perfect, the crop will most likely fail. Well, I planted in April and by June the plants either just died on their own or were eaten by ants. So, next year, I'm not even going to attempt to grow cauliflower.

Lesson #2: Spiders are your friends. I'll be honest, I really don't like spiders. I even cringe a little watching my son's Charlotte's Web movie (although I admit the movie has helped me accept spiders for who they are). However, in the garden, spiders help keep away (meaning, they eat) all the other little insects that might otherwise attack my plants. I have noticed many spiders in and around my plants and after an initial surprise, I try to see them as my little security guards, keeping other insects away.

Lesson #3: Lettuce is fast and fun. I have had so much fun growing lettuce. It is so easy and it grows so fast. I've had to learn to be patient with all my other vegetables, but lettuce grows very quickly and will go from seed to harvest-ready in just 6 to 8 weeks.