A Couple of Good Weeks in the Garden.

I've been busy, busy, busy and haven't had much time to post! Herb Day was fun, I learned a few new things and made a few purchases - a tansy plant and a lemon thyme plant plus moringa and roselle seeds. I transplanted the tansy already and have to find a new container for the thyme - its scent is wonderful. I still have to start the seeds, I will probably wait until fall to do that since it looks like the long hot summer will be here soon....it was 91 here today!

The veggies are looking good, I have one good size cucumber already with lots of wee ones and blooms right behind it. The tomatoes and peppers are doing pretty good too, I just wish there were more of them! My basil is doing very well, I have lots of it and shared some with one of my good friends today (it's the big bunch on the table in the picture). I planted a little window box with herbs last week - thyme, sage, chives and a rescued oregano plant from the 50% off rack at Lowe's. It looks a little sparse now but should fill in nicely in the next 7-10 days. I am going to use my herb harvest to create some dip and sauce mixes; I am working on updating my website and will be adding them soon. I also made a couple batches of soap today, it was nice to get back into the swing of things in Soapland. One batch is scented with lavender essential oil and a fragrance oil called Botanical Hemp; and the other batch is a "Man Soap" with cedarwood, black pepper and patchouli essential oils plus a fragrance oil called "Commando". It smells really nice and just a bit sexy in my opinion. I need to have a few male friends be my market testers - I love getting feedback on my soap. :)

Wishing everyone a blissful week,
Louise

Grow little veggies, grow!

I am excited about the new things in my garden! My cucumbers are growing and look pretty good so far, maybe the chives I interplanted with them are helping as they usually get a disease of some sort and wither away before I can harvest anything. I read tonight that cucumbers and squash like cold, wet feet and perfectly dry sunny leaves. I have to move my container out of the sprinkler's path if I want them to thrive and not end up with powdery or downy mildew. I may need to do some hand pollinating as well...I've never done that but it's not difficult from what I have read. My tomato plants have little green tomatoes on them, and my pepper plants have some blooms on them. My mesclun, dill and parsley have sprouted as have my corn and beans. My basil is wonderful, I will have enough to make pesto this coming week!

I didn't get my watermelon and okra planted yet, I may be able to do this tomorrow after I get back from Southwest Florida Herb Day. It is being put on by my county's Master Gardeners and looks like it will be a fun and informative morning. I am sure I will come back with a few plants! I bought thyme and lavender plants last weekend. A lot of people say that you can't grow lavender down here, but you can. You just have to create a microclimate for it and give it lots of love. A fellow GardenWeb member stated in a post two weeks ago "The best gardeners are fearless." I am taking that mantra to heart and hope to have a wonderful harvest in the coming weeks and months. Happy Gardening!