How does your garden grow?

Can you believe I just got my garden planted last weekend?  Me either!
We had that incredibly warm April, then a cooler and very rainy May.  I guess I should have started in April…sheesh!
Anyhoo, I took a full day off and finally got it done.  This year I am doing a few different things.  First, I am not planting any squash or cukes…boo.  The beds need a rest from those pesky squash bugs and cucumber beetles.  I am also trying some companion planting.  In between the rows of tomatoes, I have planted some carrots.

…and in the center dividing the 2 different kinds of tomatoes is some basil which is supposed to help the tomatoes grow bigger.

This is my favorite spot in the garden….my herb bed.  In the back you can see some sage and oregano along with some tarragon that has already had a full clip.  These all made it over the winter, a second time..yay!

The thyme survived the winter as well…what is a little different however in the herb bed is the addition of yellow pepper plants.  I read that the pepper plants like humidity and by allowing some of the ground covering herbs such as thyme to grow around their roots it helps the pepper plants along, so we will see.

I also read that Rosemary repels cabbage flies and actually geraniums trap cabbage worms, so I have some rosemary sprinkled around the broccoli and I think I will pick up a geranium to see if it traps the little suckers.  Anything to help getting rid of bugs is totally worth it.  So we will see again here as well.

The lettuce and onions are sharing the same bed along with a small potting of mint, which is supposed to repel slugs and the onions repel aphids…hmmm.

…and the last bed, replacing the squash and cukes this year is going to house 2 different types of corn and some bush beans.  The beans will add nitrogen to the soil which will help the corn.  Corn is a heavy nitrogen feeder, so they should play well together.

I also added some Calendula plants to a few of the beds.  I want to make a calendula salve this summer, so I am excited about this addition.  Yep, that is bird netting over my little basil plants. 

I love that my yard is a natural habitat for my little bird friends, but I absolutely hate the way they like to break my basil plants up when they are small and tender.  Hopefully this will help them along.  In this picture you can see one of our little fledglings along with his parent.  There are never less than 15-20 of these little ones wandering around on our property.  They make me smile. 🙂

Whew….that was a lot of work and it was super nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor, along with a nice cold lemon martini and some knitting.  Yes, my knitting mojo has finally returned after a very long hiatus.
Fingers are crossed for a successful garden this summer. 🙂