Apple shoppers

Besides me, here are some of the nighttime shoppers enjoying this year of apple abundance.  Also captured were opossums, blue jays, squirrels and 2 or 3 cats.  I think the coyote was shopping for something besides apples.  The critters seem to notice the cam and sometimes come close to check it out before ignoring it.  I move the cam around when I see a trail or disturbed area. I caught the squirrels and blue jays raiding the garden sunflowers.

Bloom Day August 15

Well, now I see I need to plan for more August blooms! Squash blossoms still to add. And borage.  Find many more bloom posts at May Dreams Gardens.

Cosmos living with the vegetables

The bees like the mint

One garden bed have a variety of flowers and herbs

Sort of a bloom - a baby frog grown in the pond

New Beds in Progress

Two of the new beds are dug and ready to grow something.  Meanwhile, the others have covers to slow down the weeds.

New beds in the old garden area

A sunny garden face

Bloom Day July 15!

The bees are happy with what's blooming on this warm (finally) day.  Check out the links to many more bloom day posts at May Dreams Gardens.

A tall bee favorite something!

Day lilies gifted from a friend's garden

A volunteer dog rose (I think)

Bean blooms and lavender in the garden

Tiny flowers of the snowberry bush

Oceanspray

A water lily blooming in the little frog pond

Calendula that I hope will reseed itself around 

Other blooms in and around the frog pond

It Begins!

Double digging the new beds is underway... and the harvest of a new crop of rocks!  While part of the soil was garden in the past, part of it was pathways.  I have a plant awaiting its new home in this bed.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day June 2020

After many years, I'm happy to have a Bloom Day post again! It is a cross point between spring and summer flowers here in the Pacific Northwest.  See many more flower post links at May Dreams Gardens. 

Rose Campion

Wild rose on hillside

A fragrant dianthus

   

Dogwood

Foxglove

Honeysuckle

Mountain Laurel

  

Another dogwood

Bleeding hearts

Hen & chicken bloom

Oriental poppy

  

Geocaching Flower Walk

I've found geocaching to usually offer opportunities for plant and wildlife viewing. An evening walk along Interurban Trail didn't disappoint. Four caches, flowers, birds and a bunny. The sweet pea plants are large and holding their own in the growth. The roses are smaller than our wild roses. The last photo is one of the caches on the small side.

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New Residents

I noticed this pod of past or future baby praying mantises (I think). The pod made me think of miniature space aliens. Well, guess that fits the look of these creatures too!  (Token shown for size)

Garden Expansion WIP

These are the new garden beds in the old garden area.  They are roughly in place and there is one more to add in the lower left of the photo.  Added coffee bags to slow down the grass, but haven't yet leveled the beds. 

Hillside Rose

The wild rose brambles in our hillside are just starting to bloom. They were lovely with raindrops on them last night. These are from the nice evening tonight.

New "Old" Garden Plan

Next stage garden planning! But I only did a lumber order for 6 beds.  However, I like the idea of the center herb/flower/lilac bed.  My colleagues gave me a Korean lilac that is quite fragrant.  Ha - sabbatical Excel work!  This is the space of the garden-past.  Too much improved soil there to let go unused.

Getting Started Resources

When I started vegetable gardening in the cool NW (Kent WA),  these become my go-to books on growing and using vegetables.  Then I added the seed starter book to help know which seeds needed light or dark or warm bottoms etc.  The first book is from Seattle Tilth, a great resource of classes and demo garden, now part of the Tilth Alliance. http://www.tilthalliance.org/ 

I also discovered UK vegetable blogs (and created this garden journal blog). I appreciated seeing others' garden and allotment plans, tips and stories. Then met up with the Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United to Talk (SAGBUTT).   So if you are starting out, a little reading, some climate-similar friends online or in person and diving (digging) in is a great start.  Let’s stay in contact too!   

Petunia and the Bees

Had a Petunia (the snake(s)) siting today, in the old garden space!  I hope she finds the new garden just past the old spot.  

I’m watching mason bee behavior as I’m trying to switch out of old lodgings to more maintainable habitats that can help prevent harmful bee parasites/predators.   It helps to have this wonderful covered area off the barn. 

Garden progress

The tomatoes have been pleased with the little coverings, have reached the top and are flowering.  However, they may have preferred if I flipped the top of the cover back over them for these past few cool days.  For certain seedlings, I’ve added anti-slug wire fences as recommended by my neighbor. Sunflower seedlings are planted in the flower/herb/perennial bed. The rain was helpful and now some sunnier days would be most welcome!

Bird Business

We repaired the broken arm on the bird feeder pole.  It now has an anti-squirrel slinky addition.  The pole has a big round base which makes it movable.  It was a stand I found at Boeing Surplus years ago and had been excellent for this bird purpose.  Check that off the long fix-it list!   The birds seem to like using the old birdbath base as one of their social distancing waiting spots for busy times at the feeder. 

Wait!

Okay, realizing I was weeks to a month ahead of usual tomato and zucchini planting, I located some cloches and made other protection. The blue sky was only for a moment.  Otherwise, today was rainy, overcast, windy and cool. We will see if the plants will forgive me. 

Into the Ground

The tomatoes were looking good and strong enough time move to the garden. The warm morning encouraged me but then it cooled off so I hope they don’t protest. The zucchini starts and the remaining broccoli and chard went into the ground outside the cloche too.  All four beds are weeded and mulched. Happy to see the tadpoles in the pond, too. 

Springtime at Home

It has been a treat to be home and see the flower progression stages more than I usually have a chance to notice.