Mary Mary Quite Contrary

The green house has been taken down and put away until next spring.

Over a matter of a few days I carefully planted my kitchen garden and then moved on to the vegetable garden.

My kitchen garden is planted on our patio in what I have termed the "bump out" around the grill. My husband built it for me when he designed our patio. It's perfectly placed not too far from the french doors so I can zip out and snip off fresh herbs when needed for a recipe.

I was lucky enough to be in front of the line and grabbed {yes, I did} a Chelsea tomato plant at the Essex Garden Plant Sale. I can't wait for the first tomatoes of the season to appear. This year I'm giving lettuce and collard a try this year ~ I'm making no promises.

My herb staples ~

rosemary

chives

{they come back every year}

sage

{also makes a return appearance}

sweet basil

thai basil

lavender

oregano
thyme

and

mint

If I haven't mentioned it before, I should probably share with you at this point in the game that I'm married to an engineer. Translated, this means perfectionist.
 I admit to teasing him on a regular basis for this trait.

When I told him I wanted to plant a garden again this year he suggested a raised bed. This would assist with soil drainage as well as providing the option of placing a net of sorts over the top in case the animals stopped by for a dinner buffet.
 I had to concure that this was indeed a good idea.

Let me share with you my design plans:

buy some wood

make a rectangle

fill with dirt

plant seedlings

sit back, sip on a cold beverage and wait for my great harvest to arrive.

OR

His design plans:

research raised bed options

call different suppliers

{I'm tired already!}

level ground

use surveyors string {my terms} and level

to align with patio

once design is securely in place add dirt, peat moss, manure and mix

OK ~ maybe, just maybe, his idea was a little better than mine, maybe.

In my new garden I am featuring peppers, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, beans, peas, radishes, patty pan squash, zucchini, and baby jack pumpkins.
It's not a huge garden but it's just the right size for us.

Now I just need some sunny days and a little less rain ~ please Mother Nature.

Speaking of rain, I have a bumper crop of mushrooms growing.

They are enormous, slimy and disgusting. I've never seen them so big or so many of them ... everywhere!
Our poor lawn still hasn't come back after the heavy rains this spring.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have a healthy harvest to share with you in a few weeks.

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