Sunday, June 6, 2010

Weed identification


The first picture just straight up confuses me. I have no idea...it just looks strange. Any help would be wonderful :).






There are some weeds that I have never seen before and some that I am not quite sure are weeds at all. There is this one that grows along my fence-line that I am not sure what the heck it is but it seems to strategically grow so I wonder if it is anything good. Anyone know these? Oh...and if they are just straight up weeds...of course I never let them grow that high...it is a figment of your imagination. If they are something good..then I did it on purpose :).

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Current State of the Garden




This is the side plot that I spoke about previously. A tree tried to kill our efforts but Steve's crafty maneuvering, only one plant was lost and even that one has not completely died so...who knows. Poor pepper plant.

The first image is a curby cucumber plant. I am a bit upset that I have not see any sprouts of the cucumber plants that I tried to start from seed. However, as you can see with the pair of pictures two down from this one, my string beans gave me the same fear and they are coming up with a vengeance now. Patience is a necessary virtue for a good gardener.

The plant with big leaves is my zucchini. Last year, I only planted one zucchini plant and I had to transplant her because Sable, the dog, was eating the leaves. Once I transplanted her, she did not thrive. This year I swore that I would have success with zucchini and, as is my nature, I may have planted more than I need and hence, you all may be receiving presents in the form of produce if all goes well. I am also trying out spaghetti squash but given the fact that they are both squash and have the same leaves...I am not sure if they are thriving or zucchini took over. Who knows? But time will tell me soon enough.

Currently testing out onions. That is the strange pic with the tip that almost looks like a flower but not quite. I do not know what to expect from it. These were onions that sprouted in our pantry and I decided, what the heck, let me shove them in the ground and see what happens. If nothing else, it is interesting to look at.

Current list of what I am growing in this garden plot: black beauty eggplant, basil (not doing to well yet), lemon balm (love this- can't stop smelling it!), tomatoes, sweet 100 tomatoes, yellow, green, and red peppers, zucchini, spaghetti squash, cucumbers: curby and regular (no sprouts yet:(), sugar snap peas, artichokes (which have not sprouted or anything), and grapes.

I hope to post pictures as flowers begin production on these plants and when they begin to bear fruit. Such a simple pleasure and so wonderful. Enjoy mother nature ya'll!



















Peonies

When we have the good fortune of moving to a larger house, I swear I will have to dig up some of these peonies to take with me. I never knew what kind of flower they were before. Heck I never knew the names of most plants before we bought our first home. Shhh don't tell my father that I know this stuff now...it is our little joke.
"Cynthia, what kind of flowers are these?"
"Pretty ones," I always say with a great big smile on my face.

Well now... I am in a constant state of learning. I crave to be able to name every plant in my yard. I still don't but I am progressing. These peonies are mainly in our cesspool garden. Mom doesn't like it that I call it that but considering the other name that I would title it...I think this one suits it just fine. The things is...everything grows like crazy there. These peonies, to me, are such a sight of beauty that I have to stop and smell them every time I pass.

I hope to find my pictures of the garden in early spring too. During April-May this garden is full of crocuses and daffodils.

I plan on transplanting some of the peonies to different parts of the yard once they have bloomed out. I want to help mother nature spread her beauty to more areas of the yard. Any hints/ suggestions/ things to watch out for when transplanting?