The Garden’s Growing

WOW, I feel like I just put a lot of these seedlings in the ground and am so amazed at their progress.

Even though I’ve been super busy at work this week (heading out on vacation next week), I wanted to get some photos up of how my herbs and veggies are growing. I’m always worried when we go away that the garden could be destroyed by the time we return. This way, I’ll have some nice memories.

I’ve never planted borage before, so I’m extremely happy with how well it’s doing! I’m wondering if I was drawn to it because it can be used as a remedy for menopause issues especially hot flashes. Is my body trying to tell me something even though my doctor says I’m too young??

Not quite what I was thinking of using it for (yet). I will be using it in salads and soups and if I get motivated possibly in some stuffed pastas.

My purple basil seems to have found a happy home here in our Spanish fountain. I’m hoping these plants will overflow this basin during the summer months as I can never have enough basil.

I planted regular basil too – from seed even. The seedlings are still quite tiny though. I’m just excited they’ve sprouted. I’ve never grown basil from seed before.

Above is absolutely one of my all-time favorite herbs to grow – Lemon Verbena. The lemony scent is simply addictive!! I’m super happy about this plant because it made it through the winter here and is thriving this season. In the past, I’ve lost my verbenas over the wintertime.

Though not the most attractive herb, it wins your heart over with it’s amazing scent. I love to hang some to dry in the kitchen or steep it in vinegar to give it an extra lemony flavor. The leaves can be used virtually anywhere you would use lemon zest. You’ll want to be sure to mince it small or, if dried, crumble it well. There are just so many uses for the herb lemon verbena.

There are 3 types of lavender (English, French & Spanish) beginning to bloom in our front yard amongst all the rosemary. English is shown above and French below (I think). Needless to say, the scent is amazing!

The veggies are doing really well this year too. I’ve already enjoyed many salads made with fresh lettuces. Nothing is better – I just have to make sure I have the patience to get all the dirt off! I’m not particularly found of that kind of crunch.

The potato bags seem extremely happy lately. After the shoots start to blossom, I’ll be able to start reaching in the side flaps to harvest some potatoes. I can’t wait to try them.

All the tomato plants have blossoms on them and today I noticed these little cuties:

I’ve planted 5 kinds of tomatoes and can’t wait to have some ripe ones to make bruschetta, salsa and tomato sauce with.

Today, I noticed the beginning of some squashes too.

And blooms on the pepper and cucumbers plants.

And with an incredible amount of joy, I see my Meyer lemon tree is doing well. I’ve never tried citrus before and if this tree does well, then maybe next year I’ll add dwarf lime and orange trees to my grove.

Now, let’s just hope all these plants do well next week while we’re away. Hopefully, the watering system will work!

Happy Friday Everyone,
~ Lita

(Next week, I’ll share some photos during our trip to beautiful Lake Tahoe.)