Gardening 2017: June, July

All of a sudden, we discovered that we could grow a fair number of plants.

Just not squash. We got a D in that class this year.

From left: potatoes, onions, garlic, spinach, beans, peas, radishes, carrots, beets, lettuce, cabbage, celery, broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomatillo, tomatoes, green peppers, jalapenos, pepperoncinis, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, nasturtiums, and sunflowers.

What failed: yellow squash, broccoli, golden beets, pumpkin (mostly), berries.

Then the weeds came. And we spent too many hours and days removing grass and weeds.

But we did win the battle of the goatheads. 

Sarah helped so much with weeding during the summer.

(Her shoes are on the wrong feet.)

The little herb box was cute until...

(1) the herbs matured and multiplied

(2) the marigolds exploded and took over

We grew rosemary (not from seed, because that is not logical),

dill, basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, and thyme.

Easiest thing to grow, ever.

Some early harvest items.

The early beet greens were good - very much like chard.

We picked the mini watermelon to see what it looked like inside.

This one actually turned out to be overripe. It was really hard to tell. Most of the ones we picked later were underripe.

The giant sunflowers quickly came into their own, topping out at almost 8 feet tall.

Interestingly, they all faced the morning sun.

Except the shy, droopy one.

Here are some early potatoes.

The feeling of growing and then harvesting one's own potatoes for the first time was exhilarating.
I felt like a real farmer from Idaho.

As the summer progressed, the garden really filled out (so did the weeds),

and we ate vegetables as they came ready.

May/June: radishes

June: spinach and peas

June/July: tomatoes, lettuce, beans, tomatillos

July/August: beans, beets, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, onions

September: garlic, sunflower seeds, onions, tomatoes, carrots, beets, cucumbers, celery, cabbage

November: apples, brussels sprouts

Here is a meal made from the garden except for the pita, chicken, and yogurt sauce.

Points for plating.

And here is another.

Chris: 10 Months

 Our baby is turning into such a big boy! This month:

• He finally cut his first tooth at the beginning of this month. Then he got 3 more. He now has both top and both bottom front teeth. The teeth made sleeping this month a little bit of a challenge. He has decided that putting himself to sleep is traumatic, and he would much rather cuddle with Mommy for an hour at bedtime. 
• He loves to eat, and he will eat pretty much anything. Now that he has teeth, there is no stopping him. 
• This boy is always on the go. One of his favorite tricks when someone is trying to hold him is to throw up his arms and go limp so you will put him on the floor. There is always something to explore or destroy. Some of his favorites lately are playing in the dishwasher, pulling everything off the fridge, and squeezing through any small crevice available.
• He loves water. We have been playing in the pool a lot lately, and he loves it.
• Changing diapers and getting dressed are traumatic events. Laying still for that long is just too much to ask. There is a lot of thrashing and screaming involved. It is like dressing a fish. One-piece outfits with no fasteners like the one in these pictures are the best.
• He absolutely hates being left behind. If someone walks past him into a room and closes the door (as his sister loves to do), he will burst into tears. It is especially tragic if that person goes outside. He loves being outside, and if he knows someone is out there without him he will throw a huge fit.
• He is still our smiley, happy boy, and we love him so much!

The adorable moment just before she tackled him to the ground. That is pretty much how life goes around here.