How Does Your Garden Grow?

My seedlings are doing so well!

Above are my lettuces mix, and below is my kale and chard rows.

I use both of these as "Cut and Come Again" salad mixes. When the kale starts to bolt (as it does in mid Summer) I will start letting the leaves get big enough to make wraps and toss in Kale Chanterelle Pasta. Yum! I am guessing we will be able to have our first salad from the garden as soon as we get back mid May. Already we have had Pak Choi added into our stir fry's and bits of herbs on salads, baked potatoes, and other things. I am really looking forward to the bounty that comes with late Spring/early Summer.

I saved quite a few things from the other garden, but in the two moves last year I lost most of my perennial plants. In the last few weeks I have picked up a few starts from the nursery and gotten a few more from generous gardening friends. Above is my perennial herb bed. It has Thyme, Garlic and Onion Chives, Apple Sage, Chocolate Mint, Chehalis River Mint, Pearmint, Spearmint and Hearts Ease (a variety of eatable Viola). I planted Artichokes (another perennial) all around the center of the bed, and a small gifted Rosemary plant at the back. Both of those will be tall, so I placed them more towards the center with the shorter herbs around the edges. I think it will be quite lovely... especially with the beautiful flowers that the kids made sticking out of the center.

My strawberry tower is doing great! The sage at the top is three years old and this is the first year it has had flower heads on it. I am excited to see what these will look like. I have seen many different sage flowers... but the prettiest were bright red trumpet looking buds that I ended up adding to many flower arrangements that year.

Along the back and outside edge of the two street side beds I put peas. Which are almost trellis ready. Now I need the trellis. I am debating if I want metal (which is by far and away the cheaper option when buying EMT conduit) or wood trellis. I have been reading about the benefits of metal in the garden. What a strange concept! I wonder if the plate flowers will not only have aesthetic value, but also bring down static electricity and help my plants grow? It will be neat to find out.

So all my gardening friends... How does YOUR garden grow? (If you have a post to share, please post a link in the comments. I promise to go check it out! :) )