Better Late Than Never

Happy Summer Solstice!  I spent the day out in the actual sun, trying to get the back yard into some semblance of order before our "really informal, not quite last minute but might as well be" solstice party on Saturday.  Still the larger things should be done.

It's much later than it should be, and as usual, later than I intended.  I wanted to have started and finished the week of our frost free date, however we just didn't have the time.  I have to rely on my spouse for some of the heavier lifting, and the construction projects, and it was just now we got to it.  He ordered two cubic yards of dirt which is maybe enough for what we intend to do...but maybe not.  We shall see.  I think 1.2 cubic yards of it are still in the driveway, which will make parking interesting for our party.

Now that things are all built (except the pallets, that's still a work in progress), next year we can probably get started 'on time.'

Stepping back a bit.... I was torn on what to do with the caterpillars in the herb garden, and finally decided to get new parsley plants.  I also got some dill, being told they would like that too, and planted those in some small pots, one for each caterpillar.  You know, so they can have their own rooms.  Well, I couldn't find one of them, and then the other was sort of hit and miss.  Finally I found him and after several tries to pick him up so he'd stay put but I wouldn't squish him, I moved him to his new home.  The other one, I never found.  I put the pots near the large herb pot (so perhaps the missing caterpillar would find its way to one of them), and just decided from that point on to let nature take its course.  But with some amount of checking every day to see where they are.

I've spent an inordinate amount of time worrying about caterpillars.

That was last week, I think ,a few days after my first post.  This week my spouse had the day off on Thursday (today) so we had plans to work in the backyard.  I had work obligations in the morning, and while I was gone he built me another vegetable bed, and filled it, and also cleaned up around the raspberry bushes.  Yesterday I began planting strawberries in one of the pallets, after attaching the landscape fabric to it, and I finished that up today.  The strawberries feel like they are happy.  I actually got them at Lowe's not my favorite greenhouse, since Dill's tends to follow the seasons rather than what late-to-get-to-things suburbanites want.  I seriously think I would be able to go there in fall and get spring stuff.  Dill's also was confused by my request for diatomaceous earth.  They did bring me some super poisonous stuff for the ants, despite me explaining it was for a VEGETABLE garden.  You know, for things I'd be eating.  They got it eventually, but were out of the product.

The potatoes appear to have gotten beaten down during a storm early this week but have come back, and the onions may be ready to bulb.  Peppers are alive but just kind of there and the tomatoes...well, I should not buy plants because they are 'little' and need to be taken care of.  I think those will need to be replaced.

Now I have an empty bed, but never fear, back to Lowe's I go.  (also did have the diatomaceous earth as well.)  Two cucumber plants (for MominLaw), a zucchini, a squash, and a few string beans.  I will plant those tomorrow.

Lettuce and spinach will have to wait until next year, and who knows if I'll find a place for broccoli and cauliflower again.

Some early (for me) harvest:  I've already frozen some basil, and I'll probably cut more and hang them to dry.  And it looks like the raspberries are starting to come in!  I need to reinforce my deal with the birds, to enable us to share the wealth as it were, especially now that I've added strawberries to the mix.  The apples need to be thinned, I've read.  Anyone know what to do with early not even close to ripe apples?

I've also discovered that the 'here's what I did' is really not exciting blogging.  But hopefully that will change as things get planted and it's just 'wait and see.'

I did get an opportunity to sit on my deck with a glass of water and watch the birds at the feeder.  Just kind of nice.  We also have our first squirrel sighting, which makes me very happy.