the end of the garden

 I've been so wanting to join in with Ginny's garden journal, but our "garden" was so tiny I really didn't have much to show. My brother was always the gardener, but he has his own business now and no time anymore. I tried to step into the breach this summer, so here's my report.

I bought a metal raised bed and spent time during the summer filling it up with straw and grass clippings. I intend to add topsoil and composted manure to it this fall, readying it for next year. My "garden" consisted of a few pots in which I tried growing:

• mesclun lettuce mix - a real treat!
• beets - I got lots of nice greens as I thinned them, but the beets never got big enough
• cucumbers - I think a lack of proper nutrients put an end to them - the leaves dried up 
• green beans - two plants of bush beans - how easy to grow, but I need more than two plants next time!
• tomatoes - I bought three plants at Agway - one Big Girl, one Jet Star, and a cherry tomato. I got a few large ones, but it took a while and there are several very green ones yet - I don't know if they'll ripen on the vines
• Italian sunflowers - what needs to be said about sunflowers? just fantastic

I tried zinnias too, but they never came up and I didn't get around to re-seeding.  

After the tomato plants grew a little I put some marigold seeds in each pot, so everything at least looked colorful.

These little things are nice and sweet, and I just pick and eat - not enough of them at a time to do anything else.

a nice little helper

I cut down the sunflowers the other day - the stems were all over the place - but I dropped the heads back onto the pot in case some birds want to pick at them.

We bought some of those non-perennial mums - they're bright and cheery at least.

I hope to do more next year.

Thanks to Ginny!