And rain will make the flowers grow.

I took photos of the garden last week, thinking I’d be writing about it after Razor Girl, and it wouldn’t hurt to get ahead.  We then had a warm, wet week… everything with full sun grew at least at least six inches in that time… including the weeds.  (OK, I may be exaggerating… but not by much.)

Star bed, early July 2017, growing mint, sunflowers, chives, cilantro, basil, and hopefully dill
Growing mint, sunflowers, chives, cilantro, basil, and hopefully dill
Star bed, late July 2017, showing mint, catnip, sunflowers, and chives
12 days later, from the other side… chives, mint, catnip, and the open sunflowers.

When we moved in last year, before moving any furniture in, we set up raised garden beds in the back for some vegetables.  About a month later, we added a bed to the front, specifically selected a decorative pattern (a star) rather than a plain rectangle… curb appeal and all that.  The star (and grass around it) was overrun last year by two tromboncino squash plants, with chives and mint somehow peeking through.  (Most herbs are actually weeds, so this isn’t hard to believe.)  This year, the star is a full-fledged flower and herb garden, with a different herb planted in each of the five points, and sunflowers sprouting tall above the other plants in the center.

Keyhole bed, early July 2017, growing cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes and peas
Growing cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes and peas

The back garden did nicely last year, particularly my okra plants, but I felt I needed more planting space.  And less grass to mow.  I assembled a keyhole raised bed from Costco in the back, significantly closer to the house.  This set is a first for me on several counts: assembled on my own, tall (almost two feet), and with a built-in composter.  I’m enjoying the ease of reaching my plants, though it’s disconcerting to have to weed the open composter as well as the growing area.  I planned my layout with the taller vegetables – corn and okra – in the low beds, saving this bed for somewhat shorter plants.  At the rate they’re growing, I may end up with tomatoes towering over me!

Low beds, early July 2017, growing corn, pumpkins, beans, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, honeydew, peas, and salad greens
Growing corn, pumpkins, beans, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, honeydew, peas, and salad greens

The low beds are growing slower, being partially shaded by the back neighbor’s white mulberry tree.  It still has berries on it, so I can’t trim any branches yet.  I can assist with the harvesting though.

Like the keyhole bed, the star has no shade at all, which is perfect for growing sunflowers.  Most other flowers in there are random seeds, hoping to attract more pollinators, with a few bulbs like hyacinths for the spring.  I expect to add some tulip and daffodil bulbs in the fall.  Beyond that, I’m not likely to do much, as my focus is more on the plants I can eat.

I have a long term goal of reducing the amount of grass in the yard.  There will always be some – I like walking barefoot in it – but it shouldn’t be the main feature of my yard.  I’m three garden beds into that goal already.