Totally Busted!

I cold busted Jake in the vegetable garden today. Lesson learned don't let your dogs know how delicious sugar snap peas taste right off the vine. The little %^#$* had a field day eating peas...

He just casually strolled on out of the garden like nothing happened...

It's a good thing the peas are about done or I would have been really mad. I can now put in another crop of them.

Elsewhere in the veggie patch...

the Edamame is producing, I haven't picked any yet as I don't think they are quite ready. I've never grown this before so it's a new experience for me.

Finally! the peppers are starting to show signs of life...

The first cucumber...

the tomato and Zucchini plants are really getting big, I've already pulled a couple zucchini

another view of the veggie patch...


the bees just love this little flower area...

These were the easiest plants ever! just tossed in a packet of mixed seeds, water well and tada!

The Memorial garden has really filled out. The sunflowers are getting huge!

ooh you can see my fancy new clothes line in the background...

This year has been really dry, even I've had to water the plants a few times. My grass looks terrible. But so far, knock on wood, no Japanese beetles; last year they attacked the backyard and it was all out war all summer. This year the biggest problems have been lack of rain and little dogs eating whatever they can get into their mouths.

I'm starting to make plans for Fall already, need to decide if I'll put in some Fall veggies or just work on getting the soil prepared for next year. I want to expand the vegetable garden another three feet in each direction and build a cold frame so I'm leaning towards no Fall crops. I wonder what it would cost to have a truck load of cow manure delivered to the backyard? I can just see Jake and Lash if I drop a truck load of cow poop in the backyard, they'll think they died and went to heaven.

What's happening in the Backyard?

First Sunflower!



The beets are ready; the green beans are just starting to come in...


Green Beans


The Edamame (soy bean) plants are getting big but so far no beans


Zucchini is growing nicely


This one is ready to pick but I'm waiting for the weekend so I can put it on the grill


Cucumbers are finally starting to grow


View of the vegetable garden

I don't know who likes the sugar snap peas more, Jake, Lash or myself. I caught Jake swiping some this evening. He also likes to take the beets.

The tomatoes are growing big with lots of fruit on them. I'm thinking a couple more weeks of warm weather and they'll be ready to pick. The Italian tomato tree I planted is still looking pretty spindly but it has a couple tomatoes on it.

It's Alive!

Who woulda thought that this Prickly Pear cactus would have survived...

April 11 survey of the backyard:




It looked so pathetic and old


But low and behold the magic of nature! June 26th...





dozens of flowers!



This plant amazes me, it survived the Minnesota winter and becomes the showcase of the backyard.

Knee high by the Fourth of July

Ok, so I don't have any corn in the garden but everything else is coming up! We had a burst of hot humid weather and the vegetables loved it!

June 26, 2009 I noticed the first tomatoes


Beans are growing big; the beans got off to a slow start this year, I may have planted them a little too early.


Beats and Green Beans


Roma tomatoes


Betty's best


Sugar Snap Peas! absolutely one of my favorites.


Jake, Lash and I have been eating these by the handfuls...


There is nothing tastier than Sugar Snap peas that have been warming in the sun all day, delicious!

This does not belong here!

Upon a recent stroll around the backyard I discovered a number of uninvited guests...

Green Tiger beetle in the dogs water bowl


Hmmm something is munching on my Birch trees and rose bushes


There's the little bastard...


I have no idea what these "weeds" are but they are popping up all over the yard


The birds must have planted this sunflower, think I'll let it grow


Mushrooms, mushrooms mushrooms, these have become a staple in the backyard ever since I lost the Maple tree

It's Raining

everyone's happy; apparently we are still in a drought about 4 inches less rain this year...

Personally, I don't know what everyone was so worried about, if you have Peonies you know it will rain as soon as they start to bloom. Without fail every year just after the flowers get big and beautiful we get a downpour and they get knocked to the ground.

The white peonies were in bloom when I returned home from San Diego on June 5th...

The pink ones started to bloom a few days later

Now they are all in full bloom and it's raining! People shoulda just asked me, I woulda told them "wait for the Peonies to bloom, we'll get rain" :) never doubt Mother Nature.

Backyard Survey

I took a stroll around the backyard this morning to see how things are coming up. We've had some terrible wind this past week and the plants have taken a beating.

We must have received a bit of rain overnight but I don't recall hearing it. I was awake until nearly 2 AM so the rain must have come in between 2 and 7 as I was up by 7 am.

The Lilacs came into full bloom early this week and enveloped the yard with their fragrance, I can still catch the faint smell in the evenings.

The Peonies have started to bud and with the help of the ants they should flower soon...

These plants have been handed down from my Grandmother, my aunt Judy had them first then gave them to my Mom and now I have some. Each year they come in bigger and better...

Alleyway Peonies: I planted these about oh maybe 10 years ago along my fence line in the back alley. I think I'm the only one on the block who thinks the alley is a place that needs beautifying, everyone else just thinks it's used for transportation and trash deposits.

The Irises in the Alleyway are always the first to bloom, the first flowers arrived about three days ago and now they are all in full bloom.

Over the years I've done a lot of experimenting in the Alley to see what will survive back there and I've found that Irises and Peonies are the ticket. They come up every year and I don't have to fuss with them. The only downside is that people walking along the alley like to swipe them and they don't use a scissors. I should hang a pair out there one of these days so they don't trash the plants. I really don't care if they pick a bouquet of flowers I just don't like it when they damage the plants.

The Prickly Pear cactus is awake and has lots of little buds. I was told they only flower once every 5 years so I was really excited when it flowered last year but I've found out that was not true they should flower every year. I got this plant from Dad about 3 years ago and it is 3 times a big as when I first planted it; at this rate it'll take over that section of the yard soon...

Lots of little buds...

One last stand for the tulips, these were some late bloomers that just flowered this week, the rest of the tulips have pretty much bit the dust.

Butterfly Blue Pincushin Flowers... I'm hoping these will hold true to their name and attract butterflies.

Klaus Jelitto Stoke's Aster...

I really like the white in these flowers and the plant only grows 18 to 24 inches high

Coronation Gold Yarrow...I know these attract a lot of bees

Columbine: I love the flowers on these, they just fascinate me..

Almost alienlike...

Azaleas: now these plants have been an ongoing chore for me and I'm about ready to give them away. I have 4 plants in the backyard and one in the front yard and none of them seem to do very well. These are one of my favorite plants for their scent but I'm thinking my soil is just not right for them. I'll get a few flowers but not much for the foliage and they look pretty pathetic the rest of the summer.

Now it's time for a stroll to the vegetable garden...