Accidental garden

No idea what this is, pretty sure it's a flower.

From experience, these are probably
sunflowers spilled from feeders.

For lack of a better excuse as I considered not planting a garden this year, I convinced myself I needed to let the

Does clover grow this tall?

Perennial lettuce.

raised boxes and other plots go fallow for a year to let them rejuvenate. I covered the soil in the four raised boxes after raking in a layer of compost, then garden cloth to prevent excessive weed growth.

Weeds or flowers?

For the largest plot, the 8x35 stretch along the front of the house I chose to leave it open and planned to go through it for weeds occasionally. Dealing with weeds around here is mindful of cartoon coyote mother trying to control five pups. When she has four pinned down a fifth one walks in. She lets go of one pup and two others escape while she grabs the fifth. As she goes along it looks like a four-footed version of wack-a-mole.

Some flower from last year.

They popped up everywhere and are now pretty much out of control out there mocking me every time I look out the window.

But among the weeds there have come up some surprises, plants that look like they belong in a garden and except for two I have no idea what they are. That's what the pictures are.

I did plant the long box out by the road with potatoes and the first ones popped up in the last day or so.

Potato finally poking through.

Meanwhile as I tackle weeds, now I have to be careful not to wack out a plant I want to see. Gardening in Alaska, what a trip. The people on the Mat-Su gardening facebook page I follow who take it all so seriously don't have nearly the fun I have. But then, they seem to have greater success in actually growing what they want to grow. They probably eat better, too.

I guess it all depends on what you consider success.

And of course there are the wild roses.

More Alaska garden stories