Gardening - always in progress!

One must start somewhere, and I'm starting here. Welcome to my blog.

Here is a view of the yard after a late spring snowstorm. Meanwhile, inside, the garden has been started.

Here are some starts intended for the garden. There were actually at least 4 times as many little pots before they went into the garden. My patient family put up with them on every surface in the dining room along the windows. You can see tomatoes, peppers and watermelon (they are very much hopeful thinking).

Here the watermelon are front and center, tomatoes to the left -I tried Brandywine tomatoes this year, an heirloom with promised wonderful taste. I also started cherry and Roma tomatoes, and then purchased two plants that were early tomatoes -Siberian(from Siberia?) and one from Czech, Stupichce. They were purchased when I realized that we might not have any to eat until August, if I didn't get something that could handle some cooler weather. And as promised, they produced tomatoes in early July.

My mother gave me some of her iris - and many of them bloomed their first year -and a real assortment. I took pictures so I will remember which colors are where.

My other patch of iris -- some from Fallon blooming and some that I bought and are finally blooming after two years. This photo shows one of the protective covers that are necessary to keep the critters from eating plants. But neither deer, nor rabbits nor rock squirrels nor tree squirrels eat iris! Under the cover is a small Kinnikkinnick which will hopefully fill in and be happy in the partial shade under the pines. You can also see my very dry and native grass yard. Still very much in progress.

Jessica is reaching for a tomato -- She and Makenna and Isaac are wonderful garden helpers! And cute too. The tomatoes are in a raised bed, with some concrete reinforcing wire grid and a fine black net over that -which doesn't show up in the picture and isn't apparent in the garden unless you are very close -- also to keep the critters out.

A Tomato! this is a Brandywine and is very tasty, as promised. We have had two so far -- and I'm hoping for a late frost so we can get lots more.