GARDEN CHECK IN - June Week Two

The plants in our container garden are really taking off.  It is amazing how quick seeds sprouted and starter plants spread in each container.  Our tomato and cucumber plants have almost quadrupled in size since first planting and are now sprouting yellow flowers which will turn into the vegetables.  The carrots have long, flowing ends poking up above the dirt, but it is too soon to see how the carrot itself is forming under the soil.  Our friendly strawberry plants are producing incredibly long arms that jut out and start reaching out to introduce themselves to other pots.  Our herbs are now ready for full usage and we have been getting the most use out of the basil and chives so far.  I also snag one-two leaves of lemon balm and spearmint every day and chew them raw.  They are incredibly tasty and flavorful.  Our green beans took a huge hit during a two-day patch of 100-degree weather and the leaves were singed.  However, it keeps sprouting and all the new leaves look green and healthy.  For it being a mini-pumpkin plant, there is nothing mini about the leaves that are forming.  There are two different types of leaves that form off of the pumpkin vine and I can see that I will soon have to elevate the container to allow the pumpkin vines to start trailing down the deck. 

All in all, we have a great start to our summer garden.  As the herbs are blooming faster than we can use them I will be tackling a new experience – drying my herbs and crushing them to refill my spice containers in the kitchen.  Check back for a blog post later this summer on the drying process.