April is off to a Good Start!

Welcome To My Garden!

Thank goodness it rained Monday!

Everything perked right up after that downpour.

 
The Sunflower enjoyed the rain so much, it decided to open!

Cantaloupe Seedling

On 7th March, I planted 6 cantaloupe seeds. Only one came up, so I planted another 6 seeds. I recycle paper cups to get my seedlings going.

Tabasco Pepper and Radishes

The radish seeds (Cherry Belle) - that I planted around the Tabasco Pepper - popped up in 5 days, and should be ready 22 days from planting.

I gleaned this "circling" planting tip from the book I recommended in my blog "Another Water Saving Idea." The radishes shouldn't interfere with the Tabasco's root system, because they will mature before the pepper shades them out. I also have some "insurance" radishes on the patio in case my nocturnal visitors eat the outside ones before us.

The Banana Peppers have gone, well hmm... bananas! I have two bushes. Very tasty in a salad or home-made salsa dip. The banana peppers need additional nutrients. Producing all those peppers has caused a little stress.

Banana Peppers

"Juliet" Roma Tomato

The Roma Tomats are plentiful, I need a good sauce recipe folks!

Jack and his beanstalk might have some competition here.

Sugar Snap Peas

The Sugar Snap Peastalk has decided the weeping bottlebrush is as good a support as any, and consequently has soared into the branches - a good 8 feet high. Those edible pods are scrumptious, we had some in a stir fry last night.

As a very amateur photographer wielding a rather complicated camera, I like the way this photo turned out with the lantana in the background sharper than the salvia upfront. Butterflies love both these plants. The plant growth has really accelerated since the weather warmed up a bit. They were not doing so well while the temperatures were in the 40's at night.

Now we have had a good rain, everything needs to be fed some fish emulsion especially those veggies grown in the soil. 

Oh wait, darn it....that means I will have to take a ride out to the big garden center to pick up emulsion and, while I am there, I guess I had better check out some more vegetables for the summer garden. Now I don't want to waste gas at these pump prices do I? 

Goofy Wednesday Humor in The Garden

Since the squirrels are very greedy I have attempted to fool them by moving one of the bird feeders (cleverly disguised as a Cool Whip container) closer to the patio door - everyone knows that squirrels don't like Cool Whip.

"Where's My Lunch!"

The Cardinal however has no problem figuring out where his sunflower seeds went to. I believe having an aerial perspective might have clued him in.

"Hmm, that's funny.. the lunch special says 'Cool Whip.'"

I hadn't seen any Monarch Caterpillars for a week and then.......

"C-atty Arbuckle"

Whoaa! This "cat" is enormous!

A Bee-2-Bumble Bomber?

And while we are on the subject of large insects.......



I have never seen such a large bee. 

Mammoth Sunflower Seeds

This is "Sunflower Penitentiary" - a maximum security facility, for the inmates against marauding squirrels, raccoons, and evidently mice now.
 

I was going to upload a picture on how the swimming lessons are going for the lubber grasshoppers grosshoppers, but that's waay too dark humor. 


My husband came home from work, steps onto the patio and very casually remarks....seems like we have a lot going on out here.......
 

....and I just have no idea what the problem is..... :)

Hubbie's Patio Chair