Come see my garden

It's been pretty quiet around here the last couple of weeks. Nothing much going on and I feel like I've been faffing about, and not accomplishing much. 

Can I keep blaming the weather? 

Seriously, though ... 

The area had a week of warm weather.  I don't say hot, because it wasn't really *hot, hot*. Maybe hot for this year, perhaps, but it didn't really feel like it. 

Instead ... that darn humidity.  That is what was drying up my desire to spend any time outside. 

It almost feels like I've just been doing work stuff and then housework-type stuff. 

I've been so boring ... 

So lets talk about homesteady-type stuff. 

Well, ... This is not my year, it seems. I'm in a few gardening groups for my state and quite a few people are dispairing about their gardens. 

I thought it's good to have company for this. 

No garden tour videos this year, unless my garden decides to go wild in the next several weeks, which I don't think is going to happen. 

I've been admiring my friend's gardens when they share photos. Their gardens are further along than mine. They are also down south of me. 

Photos were taken last week.  

My two Christmas Cactus are in the greenhouse for the summer.  This agrees with them because one of them is blooming. 

The flowers are so delicate. 

This is probably my only coleus that grew this year, despite all the seeds I planted. It is also in the greenhouse. This time of year is should be huge and glorious.  Nope. So weird. 

My little mini field of violas.  For years I've wanted violas growing all over the garden and yard.  Last year I was successful with them growing and blooming.  This year they took over the onion patch. Yikes! I have a tentative idea of pulling them out when they start going to seed and tossing them along the tree line and see if they come back next year. 

My small patch of sugar snap peas.  My first decent crop in a few years. I tried an experiment this year and it was successful. 

Not my first broccoli head. Pretty. 

Raspberries trying to creep into my garden. 

My carrot patch.

The pepper patch. Insert a sad face.  The weather was too cool and wet for them this year. 

Brassicas.

Celery and a peek at the squash plants. 

A hollyhock that self-seeded and is getting ready to bloom. 

Tomato flowers.  These are a welcome sight. Definitely a bit behind schedule thanks to all the coolness. 

Mini zinnia. I had no idea they'd be so bitty.  They are a pretty little pop of color. 

More tomato plants. 

I think these are calendula plants.  I collected seeds last year.

Squash plant after I watered with a hose. I tried planting zucchinis in fabric pots this year.  This seems to agree with them. I got the idea from the Chicago Gardener. 

Pears! 

My SIL gave my hubby and I money to buy a peach tree a few years ago.  At the time there were no peach trees available for purchase in my area. 

This year we practically did handstands to get the pear tree pollinated.  It was a success and I'm confident we will have pears each year from now on, barring any major weather events. 

More violas. 

A calendula getting ready to bloom. 

Speaking of peaches, guess what else we have? 

YES! This year there were peach trees available for purchase.  We bought two trees and one was successfully pollinated thanks to our efforts. 

Last year we purchased a few (several) more apple trees. It was a pleasant surprise to see a few apples on some of the trees.  Fingers crossed this continues.

When I was weeding a particularly thick patch of weeds in the garden I found this when I pulled a handful of grasses up. 

I said I didn't remember planting marigolds. Another fun surprise. 

I thought it might have been a seed that dropped last year.  It looks like I planted a few in a row by the garden edge. 

Earlier in the month one of our cherry trees had a huge bounty. 

This cherry pitter was a great investment.

Have I mentioned that I've been dabbling a little bit in ferments? 

I decided I LOVE fermented radishes.  I'm in the only one in the house who loves them. 

Each growing season has it's lessons.  The main one this year might have been a lesson in patience and that a person isn't going to have success every year. I thought this was going to be *the* year to have all the things. I had a game plan, I had started seeds based on past years, etc., etc., 

Then life had other plans.  Mother Nature had other plans. ... I keep reminding myself that I will get a harvest this year and that's the main thing.