The garden then and now

It is always so nice to see progress, isn't it? I thought it might be nice to see how things have changed around here.

First up is the herb garden. What a sad little thing that started out as! First just holes cut out in the weed paper and now totally uncovered and beginning to take shape with some bricks. I still need to dig out a leveled trench for the bricks and place them permanently, but what a change, right? We have Sorrel, dill, nasturtiums, lavender, fennel, rosemary, basil, carnations, chamomile, thyme, lemon balm, sage, chives, tarragon, and bachelor's button growing here now.

Next up is the basic view of the garden. Here it is shortly after planting on March 21st, looking quite small and bare. Then, pow!

Just over a month has passed and things are really getting taller. The Sunflowers are halfway up the garden wall, the scarlet runner beans have reached the second string of the bean teepee, and the tomatoes are past the third rung of their cages. I have already had to rearrange the tomatoes in their cages several times due to their eager growth. I hope your gardens are growing, too, and loving the warm spring weather!

Sunflower planting time

Now is the time to get some sunflower seeds in the ground! Sunflowers are one of the easiest plants to grow and one that children just adore. The seeds are large, so their little fingers can easily poke them into the ground, and then they are rewarded in just 5-8 days with seedlings! Sunflowers grow incredibly fast and are a joy to have in your yard. They can grow up to 8 feet tall, and the flowers on some varieties are as big as dinner plates. We like to plant them all along the back wall of the garden, which breaks up the monotony of the white cinder blocks. This year we are growing both Russian Mammoths and Autumn Beauty. In one corner of the vegetable garden, we planted a square of seeds that will turn into a Sunflower House once the flowers are tall. I encourage you to get a packet of seeds and just poke them in the ground wherever you can. All you need is full sun and just a little space, and you'll have big, bright yellow flowers by late summer.