Uh...whoops.

Hey, guess what!  I quit smoking!  :D

Of course, the downside, is that I'm not going outside regularly, and therefore not keeping a daily watchful eye on the plants in my backyard.  It also doesn't help that after not gardening for two years, I'm no longer in the habit, it seems, of walking the gardens like I used to, inspecting for insect damage, water and fertilzation needs, fruit and flower progress, etc.

So some things have been a little under-watered, and have suffered for it.  My poor Bougainvillea has nearly uprooted itself reaching for the sun - and you'd think I'd have noticed that, since I pass it every single day on the way in and out of the front door, you know?

Anyhow, things are progressing a bit:

The "vegetable garden", looking not as healthy as it could, due to watering issues - although the two tomatoes and the pepper have just BOOMED as far as size goes.

There's even a tomato!



One!

A few more on the "Juliet" cherry tomato plant.  Like eight or so.

Early on, I dropped something onto the Juliet tomato plant and broke off a branch.  Curious, I planted it oustide the veg garden behind the patio (where I keep all my weeds), and it's actually growing!

And here we have the very wee-est Serrano pepper ever.  It's about the size of my pinky fingernail.

Lastly, a strawberry plant bereft of strawberries - they all dried out and had to be removed from the plant.  Here's hoping it flowers again.

I moved the Bougainvillea from the front, to the back porch here where it'll get more sunlight.  Hopefully this new placement will also prompt me to water it more often.

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"Vegetable Garden"

As I said, I won't be able to have a "real" vegetable garden this year - at least not until fall.  But in the meantime, I just had to have some tomatoes.  It's been years since I had an actual container garden, and I'm kind of excited to be starting one up again!

New additions to the back porch:

a Serrano pepper

"Juliet" and "Homestead" tomatoes

Despite the complaints from my lower back, I actually had fun digging out the compost bin to fill these pots.  There was some good stuff under there!

After I potted these veggies up, I swept and washed the patio floor, walls, and windows, and hosed off all the furniture, too.  At first I thought I'd have the strawberry on the wall...then the two tomato plants, which, when grown in, should shade that side of the porch a bit, but without blocking light from the living room windows.

Now I'm thinking I may just create a whole container garden out there!  For the time being, though, I need to deal with the two Clematis vines by the side of the porch that are going to need support very soon.

More later this week!


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Back From My Camping Vacation

And boy, am I tired, sunburnt, sore, and swollen.  But it was a great trip, barring a few hairy moments where some friends of mine were injured.  Since I've been back, I've been puttering around with pots and things, and hitting the post-early-spring sales:

The strawberries from the front porch, now potted in the wall urn on the back porch.  

Two tomatoes ("Juliet" cherry and "Beefmaster") and a
Serrano Pepper bought for a buck each at the grocery store. 

A Battle Gnome in the houseplants

 (the foil is a cat deterrent)

My rain-soaked Mexican Orchid Tree (Bauhinia mexicana) beginning
to bloom before it's even fully leafed out!  

Daffodils still blooming after all these years,
in the long-defunct vegetable garden. 

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