Mid June in the Garden

I love June in the garden. The spring crops are coming in, or are already gone. The summer plants are coming into their own. It's not too hot yet and we're getting the perfect amount of rain. The garden changes drastically from day to day. It always looks so lush, just begging to be photographed.

I got our tomato plants, staked, mulched and suckered. John and I are in two different camps when it comes to suckering them. He does it. I don't. This year I decided to learn how to do it. Just because. So the other morning he showed me. I'm still not sold on the idea, but at least now I know how to do it. Do you sucker your tomato plants?

This morning I finished mulching. We've had 3 hot, dry summers in a row. If we have another one, the mulch will help hold in whatever moisture the plants receive. Plus it helps keep the weeds down. And it's nice to walk on, since most of the time I'm barefoot out there.

Here a few pics from the past week.
The lavender is beginning to flower. I love, love, love walking by the shrub and brushing up against it.
The first squashes are coming in. That first picking is always the best!
The echinacea is beginning to bloom.
Lettuce! Salads and sandwiches come alive with fresh, sweet lettuce.
Tomatillo plants growing on metal trellises in the foreground. The background is a perrenial bed.
And last, but not least, the Celebrity of the garden. This looks like it might be our first ripe tomato. Eventually.

Well, the garden has changed alot since I took these photos. Stay tuned for garden updates.
Until next time.....

Strawberry Season

Strawberry season has been incredible this year. The berries are sweet and juicy. I froze enough whole berries to use throughout the year. We've been eating our share of fresh ones, plus the usual strawberry muffins, pies and ice cream.
I can only hope that the rest of the growing season will be as fruitful!
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Through The Fog

We woke up to the most beautiful fog covered landscape this weekend. I grabbed the camera and headed out to the gardens to capture the moment. It was early in the morning. Quiet and cool. Just me, my camera and the plants.
Then yesterday it rained on and off all day. We got enough rain that I was able to easily pound in the stakes for  1/3 of our tomato plants. I'll head out early tomorrow morn before the sun gets too high to stake the rest of them.
Weather perfection weekend. Yep, that's what we had.
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Welcome June

It's hard to believe that we're heading into the 6th month of 2013! Wasn't it just Christmas?
I took the month of May off from my Etsy shop to enjoy Spring, work in the garden, camp up at Crystal Lake and do some non Etsy work. It buzzed by. Even though I left my shop open, I didn't do much in it. It was nice to step away from the computer for a month. I need to do this more often.
I have a June Clearance section in the shop. You can find it here. I will be listing new things as I find the time to do so in between gardening.
Take time to stop and smell the roses. Pictured above is a bouquet from our White Dawn climbing rose that is in full bloom right now and smelling oh so good.
Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday