New tale of the haphazard garden

This year's experiment, sunflowers almost 4 feet high July 1. For perspective the posts in the middle are 2 feet tall.

Over the past few years by this time there have been several posts about the haphazard garden around here. Not so this year for a couple of reasons. First, garden time approach generated very little enthusiasm and I even considered not doing one at all. As time passed I did a little digging and cleaning and tilling and built up some faint interest. I couldn't have picked a worse year to procrastinate given the early, warm spring that should have produced bumper crops.

Winter-tough pansies.

I have to admit the hardy pansy that lasted through the winter proved inspiring and as more time passed I could not resist, which is the second reason; I started late. Got a few plants growing indoors and tilled and prepared the rest of the garden spots. That included building a new raised garden 8 feet by 3 1/2 feet out by the road where the sun hits for most of the day. That was to be the experiment for this year.

Potatoes from Susitna Valley seed spuds.

Then for a third reason, in the last minute rush I bought seeds at a discount store and many starter plants from those seeds failed to grow properly. As a result one of my favorites, zucchini started even later finally germinated from quality seeds, so those plants are way behind. But they are hardy and looking good for the first of  July now. But, I won't be getting any tomatoes this year.

I have realized that over the years the garden situation has changed. In earlier years, at least parts of the

Zucchini. The only one left from cheap seeds is rear right. Some is also planted
elsewhere in the gardens

area by the house received enough sunlight to produce pea plants taller than me. Now, about 10 years later trees have grown taller and sprouted new branches and thus leaves and have left that part of the garden in shade for large parts of the day, so no giant peas at least there.

But the new box out by the road has performed handsomely. Those tall  plants in the picture at the top are sunflowers, now almost four feet tall. Lower to the ground, those bushy plants are pansies, just starting to bud. The box itself gets sunlight from a little after 8 in the morning until well past 9 at night. I guess

Peas July 24, 2011.

that's why they call them sunflowers. Thinking of experimenting with corn out there next year.

Lettuce at the doorstep.

Yesterday we harvested a little and took some lettuce and a few immature potatoes. The pot of lettuce at left was something I learned from a friend. She plants some close to the door so if the salad urge hits all you have to do is step out onto the porch, cut a few leaves and voila!

Anyway that covers the first garden update of the year, late like the garden itself. How it all comes out remains to be seen.