another garden report

Too wet to do anything outside on Friday, and then it rained again that evening, though I did spread some fertilizer around in various pots and under the tomatoes and around the green beans, poked 10 more green bean seeds into the ground, and dug up some of the byzantium gladiolus and took them down to my neighbor. He sent me back with two handfuls of green beans, three carrots, and a zucchini from his garden.

Here's a picture of my little spring food garden. Four tomato plants across the back, a row of green beans, and one little bell pepper plant that I acquired Thursday. In front of all that in the empty space is where I poked the new beans into the ground.

My potatoes are in a tub farther away and one of them is already making flower buds and not even either of the two biggest plants. Too soon for that. I still have about 6 or 7 inches of dirt to add.

I have another big tub which I plan to put velvet okra in since the same neighbor is going to give me a couple of his small plants.

The three spots where I put the cone flower ginger roots that Ms Moon sent me did finally sprout and so did the purple orchid tree. However, none of my big red or pink amaryllis have bloomed though plenty of foliage, none of the bearded iris I got last spring at the garden club plant sale have bloomed, and none of the red crinum lilies have bloomed but it may still be too early for them.

The daylilies are sending up lots of bloom scapes though with a few flowers already opening.

This little trailing petunia that I planted at least three years ago is covered with flowers.

More little tomatoes.

The german verbena.

I did have one multi-petaled frilly poppy volunteer.

One blue love-in-a-mist.

An anole with an intact tail, a rarity in the yard this spring with Cat around.

The first easter lily opened. I'm not getting many flowers this year because of the arctic freeze, same as last year and the year before when I didn't get any.

This flower on the pink angel trumpet opened white! It did turn pink later in the day.

Today is cool and clear with low humidity but very windy. Mostly I'm just moving bricks around, either moving the scattered piles around the yard into the barn or lining them up along the sandstone slabs I laid down along the west side of the house. I have plans to start up the gas trimmer after lunch and tackle the yard since the riding mower is currently non-functional. I have a little electric push mower but stuff is too high for it right now.

Oh, and btw, tomorrow is my birthday. 73. I could barely comprehend being 50 when I was in high school.