the garden

I love summer. I really do. I realize that it's not officially summer quite yet, but with the temperatures climbing here in south central Pennsylvania, I am feeling good. Today reached about 90 degrees before thunderstorming this evening. Not quite the booming Midwestern light-up-the-whole-house kind of thunderstorms that I'm used to, but a respectable storm nonetheless. 

I love summer for a number of reasons. Not only the hot weather, but the feeling of freedom so intrinsic to it. I want to do things during the summer. I want to go go go and savor every last sun-filled drop. 

This year, the hubs and I are attempting to nurture a container garden. It's a new experience for both of us. But I'm hoping that it results in some yummy fresh veggies before the summer's end. We're already harvesting fresh herbs out of our little container herb garden, so the payoff has been quick in that regard.

Here's our little garden hanging out on the patio. I love that gardening in small spaces forces creativity. I've happily scoured the internet for ideas and inspiration. 

For the veggies, we used storage tubs with holes drilled in them for drainage. For the herbs, just some inexpensive pots and a 24 inch planter. From the top, here is what you see growing: Better Boy tomatoes, Cherokee purple tomato, Sungold tomato, bell peppers, thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, and radishes. The only thing not pictured is the russet potatoes. We planted the seed potatoes in an old trashcan with holes drilled for drainage.

Here's a shot from the other side.

I'm very excited about this and hope that it's the start of many gardens and yummy goodness to come. So far, we've used the basil, mint, and cilantro. The basil in particular smells amazing and is growing fast. Can't wait to eat fresh basil all summer long!

We also planted some purple petunias in our windowbox, so our house has slightly more curb appeal. Although we still have weeds growing in the upstairs windowboxes. We wouldn't mind planting flowers, but I think watering them regularly would be a pain, since there's a screen on the window.

Since I can remember, my mom has always many different petunias in her gardens, so I have a soft spot for them. I remember helping her plant them into the flowerbeds when I was a little girl.

The last thing I'll say about summer is that I always gain a big boost of motivation. I want to take on a  variety of projects and accomplish goals. I have a number of ideas in the works, from composting to cooking to travel plans, and am looking forward to cataloging them here. 

If you have a moment, send some green growing vibes to our little garden! I'm hoping that the storm this evening didn't hurt any of our plants. I suppose hubs will survey the damage while I'm at work tomorrow. Onward!