Will it or Won't it Grow? That is the Question.

This weekend I finally got some work done in the garden. The weather was beautiful; sunny with a slight breeze. I transplanted all the starters, direct seeded most of the rest. While I love gardening and harvesting the food (of course), gardening requires a great deal of faith, hope, and patience. Growing things back east is surely easier than trying to garden in Phoenix, but you never know if your plants are going to make it, if they'll die after transplant, or if the seeds will refuse to germinate, leaving you with a whole lotta questions. And frustration. One thing I can grow for sure and without question, is weeds. Weeds proliferate in my garden in unmeasurable quantities.

Here are my tomatoes, carrots, and marigolds. I install the cages upside down since I feel like they support the tomatoes better without toppling over as the tomatoes get heavy. I put the carrots in between the tomato plants since I read that they like to grow together, and the tomato plant gives off a scent that deters the carrot fly. I also interspersed marigold in between all the plants since they also act as a natural insect repellent as well as control nematode populations in the soil which can cause carrots to fork. Last year I had very forky carrots.

These are my "prolific cucumbers." I don't think these guys are going to make it. The only seem they seem prolific in, is dying.

These are my pickling cucmbers. These guys are doing really well. Looks like I'm really going to have to learn how to pickle these things.

The raspberries are growing like weeds and are full of blooms.

Little baby pears.

A peek at my leeks. I think these guys are a tad too close together. Have you ever tried to just plant one or two onion seeds? It's a huge pain in the butt.

The herb garden is finally filling in. I wasn't sure the oregano was going to come back, but it did. Chives,

creeping thyme, another kind of thyme I can't remember the name of, and dill are also in there.

Blueberries! Hopefully I'll remember to net them before the birds have their fill.

Basil, basil, basil.

Apricots. Or peaches. I'm not really sure. After fertilizing and trimming the tree, I actually have fruit on it. It will be a battle between me and the worms. We'll see who wins out come August.

Blackberry buds.

So far this year I've already had an entire section of shelling peas die in the ground. Never even break the soil. Wanting shelling peas the way I do, inspired me to plant another entire section of the suckers, even if it's a little late in the season. I still need to transplant the pumpkins and watermelons, and seed the red peppers and Romanesco cauliflower, both of which may not do well either since they are warm weather crops and like the heat. Honestly, I'm always nervous at this point in the planting season. I'll either be reaping mounds of food come July and August, or supporting my local farmer's market.

But like everything else in my life, I'm sowing what I can, hoping for the best, and waiting patiently to see what I end up with. It's not easy, but it's what I'm used to.