I’m Baaaack!

Lovely Japanese iris – and just look at that construction debris all over my patio!

Well hello there, how are you doing?  I know, it’s been awhile, but I’ve been busy!  I did give out a few hints about that, so I hope you weren’t too surprised.  Finally my hectic schedule has subsided and I’m getting back on track in a number of ways, including picking up my blog again.

Laying out the greenhouse sidewalls

So what exactly have I been doing?  Well, my personal life shall remain just that, so if you don’t actually know me in real life, you don’t need to know the details.  In the garden, I’ve been working on my greenhouse and oh, it’s just wonderful!  Unfortunately the rest of my garden has suffered this season as most of my ‘yard time’ has been taken by this construction project.

Greenhouse walls assembled and sitting under the pergola

Weeds run rampant through my garden and those veggies that I’ve hastily chucked into the ground this year are suffering.  They are competing for space as well as nutrition because I’ve totally blown it on the fertilization front.  A few spots got some compost and once or twice I gave some of the veggies a drink of seaweed fertilizer, but for most, it’s been a ‘fend for yourself’ kind of season!  There is even one part of the veggie garden that didn’t get planted at all this year; it’s a riot of weeds.  I’m calling it my beneficial insect haven. I read somewhere that it’s a good idea to let a corner of your garden go wild to create habitat, yup, that’s my excuse reason!

My beneficial insect haven (weedpatch in the veggie garden)

Somebody must have told the birds that I’m not paying attention because they’ve almost stripped the blueberries from the bushes.  Last year, the arrival of a vicious kitty seemed to keep them at bay, but they must have her all figured out – she’s still out there stalking them, but they are working around it.  I keep thinking that I should throw some netting over the plants, but can’t seem to find the time to do it and now the blueberries are almost gone.

My artichoke bloomed before I got around to eating them, but I don’t really mind

It’s a shame too, the wonderful weather we have had this year means a bumper crop of berries of all kinds.  I’ve been feasting on raspberries, strawberries and loganberries, now the blackberries are starting to ripen, yum!

The first greenhouse wall is up!

The greenhouse is coming along nicely; I can hardly wait to get some plants in there.  I’m really looking forward to growing some fresh greens this fall and winter – and the dogs won’t be able to eat them (as long as I close the greenhouse door).

And the second…

And it’s starting to look like a greenhouse…