Babies!

I saw my first tiny green tomatoes this weekend. Keeping the critters away from them will be a task I'm sure, but I have hope. The green beans have done wonderfully well. Letting the wild mustard greens grow was a great help. None of the bean leaves or beans themselves have been eaten by worms/caterpillars, whatever they are.
Now that the tomatoes are ripening though, I know I'll have to be extra diligent since they seem to attract more sneaky snackers. I'm hoping the birds and squirrels will content themselves with the seed and peanut feeders I have on the other side of the yard. (crosses fingers) Here's hopin'!

A New Toy

I am super excited about the tumbling composter that DH made for me this past weekend. Can't wait to try it out. He came up with a great design idea and got a 30 gallon drum through some work contacts and built a frame for it to turn on. I'll get some pics up soon. It's really pretty cool.

We also got some good rain last night. It's been a good long time since we've had any decent rain around here. Apparently it dumps on the Midwest before it makes it all the way over here to the coast. I try not to water unless things are getting really desperate. I know that most things I've planted can take a dry spell or two. I was just really grateful for the rain, and I think the beans and tomatoes were too!

First Harvest

L and I went and picked the first few green beans big enough to eat yesterday. We got a big handful and most never made it into the house. L apparently loves raw green beans! Who'd have thought? She had me break off the stem ends and then she just chowed down. It was great!
My tomatoes have just started getting a few little yellow flowers, so that's pretty exciting. The basil smells wonderful. I've been nervous about them all with this terrible heat we've been having here, but I've made sure to water everything early in the a.m. so they aren't so horribly dry during the heat of the day. Everything around here (including the people) just look so wilted from the near hundred degree temps we've been having since Friday. Tomorrow is the day it's supposed to break though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

How time flies

I have been watching the beans grow--almost literally. Noticeable growth has occurred every time I am out there. They now have those lovely purpley-pink blossoms that indicate beans-to-be are immanent. I planted 3 six foot rows. The third was an afterthought, one that will provide a second flush a couple of weeks after the first two rows have dwindled in production.
The tomatoes seem woefully behind schedule. I guess they'll grow as much as they need to. I've had them in the ground for a while now, but they still seem rather small compared to a few others I've seen. Of course, I think that may be that I grew my own from seeds and the others were purchased already well on their way from greenhouses. Does that somehow make my tomatoes more righteous? Probably not, but I can dream!

Gotta Plant

This time of year, I just have to plant something. I can't stand not to. It's not just a want or desire, it's like I have to or I'll go crazy. It usually starts in late March or early April depending on the weather and in what part of the country I'm currently residing.
I've already got some green beans going great and some tomatoes started. That was all I was able to get in this year, as we didn't get into our new house until early April, and so I didn't have time to prepare a big bed.
I bought myself some scented geranium from Papa Geno's who has by far the biggest selection I've seen anywhere. They're out of Nebraska, and though he says they're difficult to propagate, he does it for the sheer love of these unusual geraniums. They also happen to be a favorite of Martha Stewart, though if you're not a fan of hers, don't let that turn you off from these really cool plants. I'd been wanting some for years, but never really had a good place for them, so just a few days after we'd signed the papers on our new place, I ordered my geraniums. The scents are amazing, the leaves have lots of interest, and while the flowers are much like the showy blooms we're used to on the common buy-'em-at-Lowe's geraniums, they are dainty and pretty in their own right.
I so wish you could smell these!!