The name of this cabbage is Ruby Ball, but right now it is lavender, and silver when it gets rained on.  So pretty!!!

 

I sowed 12 seeds and got 6 good strong plants to put in the garden.  Each plant is about 18" across now, and the heads are about 4" across.  The seed pack says they should grow 6-8" heads that weigh 3-4 pounds!!  

 

Won't this be a gorgeous addition to our Asian Cole Slaw?  Check the recipe section, under vegetables.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Wow!!!  Our Bee Balm has really taken off this year.  I planted it about 10 years ago, and it has only ever grown a few stems.  Now it is huge.  It stands about 3 feet tall, and about 3 feet wide.  

 

Two things have changed:  I added mushroom compost to the soil last fall, and we put up a fence to keep the deer out.  Take your pick.

 

Whatever, it is working;  and isn't it gorgeous?  The flowers attract butterflies, bumblebees, and hummingbirds.  The flowers are also tasty and pretty in our salads.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Remember the picture of the huge squash leaves a few days ago?  Well, this is what's happening under those leaves.

 

I promised to show you our squashes when they set fruit.  Well, they start out a lot smaller than this, but this is so pretty, I want you to see it now.
 

This is a North Georgia Candy Roaster.  I've seen them in the fall at the Sunrise Grocery on the way to Vogel State Park.  They grow to about 18", and when they are ripe they turn a beautiful salmon pink.  This one is about 12" and still green.  But isn't it impressive?

 

That little tray underneath it is to keep it off the ground.  I've tried paper plates and pieces of bird seed bags to do the job, but they get really yucky by the end of summer.  These work well.  They let water drain through, and keep the squashes clean.  I guess farmers don't do this when they are growing a field full of squashes, but I do it because I only have a few.  

 

I'll show you again when they are ripe.  I planted the seeds on April 14, and they take 100 days.  So.........that should be early in August.  So exciting!!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Did you know that some people buy beets and throw away the greens?  Whaat?

 

I know some folks who grow beets JUST for the greens.  They are so good.

 

We planted these beets about mid-March, and they are big enough to pull the roots.  I will leave some of them in the ground for the greens.

 

I have a great recipe for a beet salad.  It's under vegetables in the recipe section.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at this one plant.  It has 3 big zucchinis and some baby ones waiting to bloom and get pollinated.  

 

I guess I finally found the right place in the garden for it.  It gets morning sun and afternoon shade.  Seems happy.  Me too!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Yoo-hoo!!!  We have zucchini this year.  I've grown it before, but with NO success.  This year it is doing great!!!

 

I can't help but think about this story:

 

A couple moved into a new neighborhood, and went to church with their new neighbors.  They were advised when they got there to be sure and lock their car.  The new guy said, "I thought this was a good neighborhood."  The older neighbor replied that it was, "but if you don't lock your car, when you come out after church the back seat will be full of zucchini."

 

We don't have THAT much, that we need to leave it on our friends' doorsteps, but we do have enough to cook and eat, and still have some to go in the freezer for next winter's lasagna.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

We spent the day deer-proofing our front flower bed, and in the evening when we went out to the garden we saw this baby.

 

Of course we went "Awww."  Then thought about all the time and effort we have spent fixing what they destroy.  

 

Life is a dichotomy.  Love it, hate it.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Photo from the Farmers Almanac 

 

Here's what I learned about Father's Day.   It is interesting.  

 

 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

 

My friend Sharon would scream if she saw this picture.  She thinks that cats should be kept inside.

 

Well, this cat LOVES being outside.  He roams around our yard, hunting for mice, moles, lizards, and birds.

 

As you can see, he thinks he's going to catch a bird.  He didn't, but he sure had fun trying.

 

HAPPY BIRDING!!!

 

 

 

Look at all that Dill!!!  It stands about 4 feet tall, and it's starting to bloom.  

 

The feathery leaves are edible, and we use them along with our salad greens.  We dry it too, for use during the winter.    

 

But the blooms are what really thrill me.  Some of the heads are about 8 inches in diameter.  After they finish with the pollen, they grow green berries, which dry to become seeds.  Well, I cut them and bring them inside when they are in the berry stage.  They don't fluff pollen all over the place, but they still smell good, and taste good too.  

 

Fortunately the cucumbers ripen about the same time as the dill berries, so we use them together to make dill pickles.

 

Look at the picture again; just to the left of the dill.  See the cucumbers climbing the trellis?  Life is good at Crazybrook Farm.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!