Head-dibs

Ok, so I didn't hold the phone the right way. Here's another look at carrots trying to happen through the seed tape: And the finished row, soil tamped with an iron rake to "tuck" the seeds into bed.

Cleaned out the garage (mostly) and got my home "gym" in working order. Fully equipped with Olympics weights, rower, elliptical, Tower of Power and standard lawn equipment (mower not pictured). No membership fees! The garden is going in some places, not so good in others. Half the beans I planted have not sprouted yet and only a fraction of the cucumbers of appeared. No squash have sprouted, so the only ones going are the zucchini's I bought that were already started. The cabbage (below), tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli are going well. I am thinking of making seed tape and doing a row of carrots. 

And boy are they happy! See, just get the seeds in the ground and watch em' grow.

Got a late start to the garden this year but we are just now beginning to enjoy the fruits of our labor. It's hard work getting the soil turned at the start, but that's the hardest part--and once it's done, it's done! Get the seeds in the ground and the rest goes according to design. Cukes are still taking their time as are the peppers. Saw tiny watermelons on the vine--about the size of a pill. Unmistakable dark and light stripes--they look so cool! Tomatoes are on the way. Celery is growing slow. Hoping to draw squirrels away from the tomatoes with the celery. This nice little zucchini harvest means Italian Steak for Father's Day! Yay!

Zukes and Cukes are climbing, Melons creeping along the ground. All plants blossomed and a harvest is not long in coming. Bell Peppers are taking their sweet time. Enjoying cooler temps this last week with rain nearly every night. I sprinkle crushed eggshells at the base of the plants to deter soft-bellied creepers (they don't like the sharp edges). Also, mix diamotaceous earth with water to spray on the plant to deter other bugs. The mixture sticks like glue and doesn't come off easily once it dries on the plant.

Got a behind due to nearly two months of illness or bad weather, but today was the day! A few years ago a neighbor was of the opinion that he could break into my shed and steal my tiller (this was before we moved to our present location) so I didn't garden much after that. This year I determined to get SOMETHING into the ground (still without a tiller). After a nice breakfast, I grabbed my shovel, rake, wheelbarrow and seeds (ok, and some bagged garden soil, too) and got busy. Nearly half-way finished turning the soil Three hours and four pounds of shed water weight later, the garden is secure! Got my workout in, let me tell ya! Finished turning. Now to hand-till, make rows and plant. Just gimme a shovel and rake and some seeds Mini-Garden 2017 is "secure"! One row of zucchini, one row of cucumbers, one row of watermelon and a row of bell peppers. Whew! Oh, and we found a bird's nest above the front door. Had to get out the big ladder so I ...