Drought versus no drought

Yes, the extreme drought is affecting my garden. The photo above is from August last year with the same plants (tomatoes, peppers, assorted basils, and alyssum) as the photo below, which is from this year. One addition is a chamomile plant spilling over off to the side. I water pretty much every day because the heat dries out the garden beds. The mulch is the paper used to cushion deliveries inside of boxes since there is no grass to collect. The plants are smaller, and the yield will be less. However, I'm happy we'll get food, even if it isn't the normal amount. It will still be delicious.

I can't leave you with this sad photo, so I'm adding a brag photo (below).Hurray for wave petunias!

Update on native plants, back deck, and veggies

With our heat, the geraniums and petunias are flourishing on the back deck (above). We've seen all kinds of bees, at least one hummingbird, and a sphinx moth. They also take a lot of water. I'm using the rain barrels to avoid city water (expensive and not as good for plants), but I have to tip them to get the last drips out. Rain is predicted for the weekend, and I hope it makes it here. 

Next to the deck (above) I've planted zinnias from saved seed and marigolds (no blossoms yet).

I love the bright color of the zinnias (above).

Above is a mini pepper that I bought from the greenhouse. They ripen earlier, so this is the second.

Above is the rudbeckia I grew from seed last year. Two of the plants have blooms. 

Can you see the bee on the anise hyssop (above)? They love this plant.

I planted this white coneflower last year, it survived, and it thrives. It was such an awful, icy winter, so this will be a good future plant choice. I'll leave you with a native coneflower (below). I'd say planting for bees is a success. 

The World's Most Expensive Potatoes

Okay, technically these aren't the world's most expensive potatoes (it just feels that way), but they are darn pricey. I bought the potato bags, seed potatoes, and potting soil. Lately, they needed watering twice a day. The plants were lush and healthy (above), and then they started yellowing and browning, thinning and looking miserable. That's the signal to harvest. I cut back any remaining leaves, placing the bag in the wheelbarrow for easier access (below). 

I sifted through the dirt with my hands to find the potatoes (below). This is much easier than digging them out of the ground.

Potato bag one harvest is shown below. 

Potato bag two harvest is shown below. While all the materials were pricey this season, I will re-use the soil and the bags. And now I have super fresh, organic potatoes to enjoy!

Gardening Mini Vacation

Above is the Japanese Garden at Normandale Community College. 

Above is the Japanese Garden at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. There's something calming and  comforting about these soft green spaces. Every garden space is lush and vibrant, especially the annual garden. We've been to both places before today, and I thoroughly enjoy my time there. Below is a little fellow who decided to keep us company while we ate our lunch at the Arb. 

July drought continues

We're in extreme drought conditions now, and we did have some rain (about an inch), but that soaked in quickly. The plans (above) that are doing well as the anise in the native flower area. I'm watering to keep everything alive, using rain barrel water for as long as it lasts. The dehumidifier water gets used each day. City water is pricy, and I reserve it for vegetables if needed. The purple coneflower is beginning to bloom, and I had to dig out one plant that was dying (perhaps lack of water, perhaps age, perhaps disease). The annuals I've grown from seed, as well as the transplants, are struggling, not growing to their full size. The cosmos (below) is only 12 inches high. 

I had tucked pumpkin seeds and transplants into various places, but they're struggling. We were on a short vacation (three days), and now I've lost one plant with another struggling (earlier photo below). I don't think I'm going to get pumpkins this year, even with the smaller plants and an earlier maturity date. We're supposed to get a heat wave next week, and I feel disheartened. 

July or Gardening Prime Time

The garden is looking good, mainly because I'm watering it during our severe drought, though we did get a little rain on July 4. With so many photos, I'm going to put the description above the photo with the exception of the Wave petunias. I've seen many bees and even hummingbirds on these flowers. And I love how they keep spreading. Next is the honeysuckle shrub (with a happy ant). 

Dukat dill rising above green beans

Kohlrabi

The pots in front of the house are recovering after squirrel damage, multiple times. So far the impatiens seem to be the most vigorous.

Chamomile

Zucchini

Stock peaking out from the green beans

Daisies

Back deck update

Last and definitely not least is the lavender. I love this patch, which is thriving, and I'm working on expanding it. I've harvested some for drying, not too much. I think the bees need it more than I do. 

Stay or Go?

The bold color, the gently unfurling bloom...the rose should stay. But (below) the leaves and flowers are eaten and looking sad with damage from Japanese beetles, slugs, and sawfly larvae. I pick them off to avoid using chemicals, yet it's a lot of work. So the rose should go. Yet I love the bright, cheerful color from the view at the kitchen sink. Okay, it'll stay.