Dirt & Taxes

Death & Taxes? Ohhh. I prefer Dirt & Taxes. Finishing our taxes should be my first priority today, but I really want to go outside and play in the dirt, a.k.a. garden(ing). The sun is shining, the wind isn't trying to blow the birds out of trees as it has the past few days, and I really, really want to get outside and tend to the newly moved plants. They need me....okay so not truly need me, but water would be nice. Honestly, I like my plants to be self sufficient, for the most part. They have to be hardy enough to not need much care, because...on occasion, I can be a non-involved grounds keeper in the yard. In the summer, sometimes we just aren't around. Luckily our backyard is shady and the plants fare well with the cooler temps and lack of direct sunlight. This is a blessing and a curse. Good for the shade plants, bad for the vegetable garden.

Start  of the Vegetable Garden 2011

There is one little part of the yard that gets morning and mostly afternoon sun, that's where the vegetable garden is situated. We keep trying every year, and one of these times we will find veggies that love that particular growing environment. If you have any suggestions, that would be marvelous!!!!! Always open to new ideas. 

Vegetable garden 2011. Early in the season. Dappled morning sun.

Bush beans in the vegetable garden 2011. 

For now, we're going with bush beans, had luck with these 2 years in a row. A cherry tomato plant, for its small size and hopefully plentiful fruit. We have always grown tomato plants, but they get huge, one year at least 6 ft. Great!! Large tomato plants, what's wrong with that? We got fruit late in the season, and most of it never got a chance to even get a hint of red. Late, unripened tomatoes, so much for the salsa I wanted to make. But hey!! We gave it a good try, and have continued to do so, until this year. Going to try a potato bin in a back corner of the garden, and other than that, we don't know. I usually grow herbs in pots, and always like the way it looks on the deck, soooooooo.....maybe I'll just keep them in pots.

Oregano, parsley, thyme, and rosemary. 2011

White pots in the forefront, filled with herbs, 2011.

Basil, 2011. Ummmm. I can already smell it. Can you? Heady.

Okay, so here it is, cherry tomato plant (1 or 2), bush beans, and a smallish potato bin. It sounds a little sparse. (Note to self: Your garden sounds lame this year. Come up with a new plan.) Hey, but on the bright side, since most of the herbs are perennials they have already started growing in their pots. That's not a bad thing. Of course I'll need to either buy basil plants while they are small, or start them from seed (I have never had any luck starting basil from seed).  What do ya think? Hmmmm, tough decision.

Unfortunately, I have not taken any pictures of the herb pots this year, but soon. The need to finish my taxes and send them in has won out over my desire to go outside and play in the dirt. Therefore, the herb pots and newly moved plants will have to wait for me until this evening, or later this afternoon.....or tomorrow. We'll see. Procrastinating is never a good idea. The taxes have been "done" for weeks, I just want to go back through them another 15 times to make sure that I've looked at everything again for the 1000th time. Now I feel a little pressured to get them through cyberspace to the IRS, considering the date, I should feel a lot pressured. This is where us big girls put aside our wants and do what needs to be done first......after the laundry is finished.

Go play in the dirt!!!!!