Not Spring...Yet!

As a reminder that spring hasn't sprung quite yet, this is the view out the door nearest my office.  It wouldn't be any big deal if that white stuff was snow, but it's ice and sleet.  Ice and sleet makes for some yucky driving conditions, plus it builds up on trees and power lines.

But waiting at home is something for spring...new cushions for new chairs!  I think these will be more comfortable than the old, so maybe we'll sit outside more.  I have great hope that the drought will end soon and that we might have a nice, green summer!  Hope springs eternal!

Fall in the Fremont Garden

Colossal Cuke and Puny Pepper

 I didn't think our pepper plant was going to grow anything but leaves, but there are two teeny little peppers! Hope they grow big enough for us to eat. :)

This colossal cucumber was hiding behind a few leaves and I didn't even realize it was there.  While it was being ignored, it grew to a little over 9 inches!

Our Little Garden

I have tried to grow tomatoes before, but never very successfully.  I hadn't branched out to any other edible thing other than herbs until this year.

 Our cucumber plant has done so much better than I ever expected.  We've had about half a dozen 8 inch cucumbers from it.  Our poor tomato plant is buried there under the cucumber, so although it gets taller, I don't think we'll see any more tomatoes from it.  We had three little red ones, so we'll just have to be happy with that for this year.

 No peppers at all.  Next year I plan to put two cucumber plants in this next year and plant tomatoes in two galvanized tubs closer to the fence.  Even with our hot dry summer, I'm pleased with our little garden!

Shady Shed

The little leaning shed that could is still here doing it's job of containing all things for planting, potting, and barbecuing.  

 It's old brick steps aren't quite as stable as they used to be, but you don't get that kind of patina and charm overnight either.

It has been a hard, hard summer on plants and grass.  I don't remember wildfires ever occurring near where we live, but there have been several this summer.  It's been just horribly dry.  Our grass has withered away, but the hostas and impatiens are hanging in there.

Container Garden

The raised bed gardens have become quite popular it seems, but how about this for a raised bed?  David saw this somewhat rusty stock tank in a junk pile at work.  He was given the okay to bring it home, and I just love it!

 Despite the shade you see in these pictures, this is a fairly sunny spot in our yard.  After consulting with a cranky plant lady at the farmer's market, I planted a tomato, a cucumber, and a pepper.

 I'm not sure any of them are going to produce anything, but it's still been fun.  The cucumber plant is huge now and shades the tomato.  The pepper plant doesn't seem to be doing much, but there's always next year!

My garden helper likes to play outside, but he does have his limits, especially when it's hot.  He hopped onto this bench all on his own to look at me with his pleading eyes.  Please can we go in now?  It's HOT!

Daisy, Daisy, Give me Your Answer Do

My Aunt Connie gave me this happy sunny daisy in May.  I have never successfully kept one of these alive, but planting it in this old minnow bucket seems to have kept it happy!  The bucket drains well, and I guess gives it enough room.  It's had at least one bloom at all times, and once it had 5 at the same time.