A lot has changed since my last update in April. Below is what things looked like then...
April 22
First the obvious stuff:
I turned that front right bed into just a "compost-ish" space, or the open space where I am throwing excess leaves and plant trimmings. No food scraps yet (we had some issues with animals earlier this spring) and I know that to really get things going I have to have the bin covered (and keep it well ventilated).
In the back, leaning against the fence, you can see the progress we are making on our horizontal fence to really finish off the backyard. It's going to be awesome.
The less obvious stuff:
My plants are doing better! It was a rocky May because I was under-watering and it was absurdly hot for a week. The leaves were starting to yellow (but not really wither) which according to Instagram and the guy at the plant store was mostly due to them needing more nutrients. I picked up a half-gallon of worm tea (San Diego locals, it's free here!!) and applied it directly to the soil around each plant.
They loved it and immediately began to turn around. A few weeks later I bought red garden worms which are supposed to be awesome and added some to each box. (I followed the directions and watered and turned up the soil a bit then added the worms after the sun had gone down.) It hasn't been too long yet but I think they are helping.
The fun stuff:
I am going to have something other than small tomatoes and basil this year! Both my cucumbers and zucchinis are doing well. People like to complain about the "excess of zucchini" and "drowning in zucchini" and all that jazz but I've gotta be honest, I am so excited to have my garden producing that I cannot imagine bumming about about too much of anything. It's a thrill to see something growing and I had no idea what squash looked like on the vine (how fun that the blossom is at the end?)
I also didn't realize that cucumbers can really vine out. I have added cages around a few of them and we'll see if I can get them to grow upwards instead of take over the garden horizontally.
Like every year, I am seriously obsessed with this garden and to me, the trial and error experience of this whole thing is what makes it fun (and very rewarding).
ps...remember, these are our planter boxes and here is my first post about this year's garden.
