An Ever Learning Experience, That I Love! :)

Come on back to the garden! :) I'm so glad it's that time of year again to tend the veggie garden! :)

Everything's now planted, including the strawberry plants that I totally revamped this spring! Since field grass took them over before, I dug them up, Rud 'tilled the area thoroughly, and I replanted them in a raised double row! I'm making a point to keep them well weeded, though I need to hoe the walkway, on either side, still! :)

The raspberry plants that were just starts, a short 2 yrs. ago, are already established and will be producing again this fall! :)

This is the first year for the young tayberry plants to produce for us, and I can hardly wait to taste them! It's been years since I ate a tayberry and I'm very anxious to have that riot of flavor dance in my mouth again! :)

The flower pot is successfully drawing the honey and bumble bees into the greenhouse where the tomato plants are now in  bloom! :)

It's been years since I last grew lettuce, and this years I have 7 types growing! I'm hoping to find a favorite to grow in future years! :)

 This is the first year for growing Fava beans! We'll use them as a dry shelling bean! :)

Even our corn is one I haven't grown before! I hope it's as good as the catalog said since I have 5 long rows growing! :)

 This is the first time for growing this tomato, too! :) It's called Moby Grape! :)

I past by a full fruited plant at a nursery, last year, and the moment I popped one in my mouth I knew I'd be growing it this year! It's flavor is everything I want in a tomato, and even the skin dissolved in my mouth! :)

I started using empty juice jugs to protect the young squash plants from slugs, this year, and have discovered they work like mini greenhouses and boost the growth of the squash plants! I'm planning to use this technique in the future! :)

 Bodacious corn! :) Have any of you grown this kind, and did you like it!? :)

The cranberry plants are starting to bloom! I love that this is now a normal part of our garden experience! :)
Every year we try growing new things, in the veggie garden, as well as the "tried-and-true"! It keeps things exciting out there, and is an ever learning experience, ... that I Love!! :)

Garden Goal! :)

 One of my garden goals is to have color in the yard season round! :)

 Now that the Siberian Iris, Peonies, and

 Rhodies ...

have finished blooming, I felt a little pang of sorrow and panic! I was enjoying the Spring color so much and now wondered what is going to happen now that the Spring color is gone!? :)
Did I fail to make sure I had enough color in the yard come June/July?
At one time I'd had several rose bushes and other flowering shrubs in the yard, that started showing rich colors in June, but sadly a couple unusually hard winters did some of them in.

 So I took a walk around the yard and was pleased to see the new flush of Summer color coming on! :)

 I was surprised to see some Spring blooming bleeding hearts still blooming, too! :)

So while there's always room for improvement, and I've made some mental notes on how I can improve the Summer color in our yard, I'm pleased to see that, overall, I'm not doing too bad on this garden goal! :)

Precocious Peonies! :)

"pre-co-cious (adj.) Showing and developing skills and abilities very early in life."
I think this describes the peonies that I purchased the end of 2009, pretty well! :) This is only their 3rd year to bloom in our yard, and they're already showing promise! :) Each year they will develop more blooms, and will add even more beauty, as they mature! :)

 ... Enjoy! :)

 I think they have beauty even when they fade! :)

I'm already looking forward to being dazzled by them again next year! :)