Blogging newbie

Aside from the other problem new bloggers probably all have (that is, expecting to post every day or so and then letting days and days go by instead), I am also having a bit of trouble figuring out how to integrate pix and text. Hence this new post, which is really supposed to go with the last post. Oh well.

Here is what the garden is looking like today (well, this week):




I took these pix a few days ago (planning to post them that day, ha ha!) and already things are bigger. The aforementioned zucchini plants, in particular, look about ready to declare independence and start running their own country. In the photos above, they are the ones with the giant Jurassic-Park-like leaves.

Here is the broccoli I'm wondering about:


See how there are 4 stalks together? They came like this from the garden center (although of course the plants overall were smaller). Was I supposed to divide those into 4 separate plants, spaced 10 or so inches apart? Gardeners, I call on thee. Help.

As you can see, everything is divided into compulsive little squares. This is a technique called Square Foot Gardening, the brainchild of a guy who seems to be a bit of a nut, but the regimented organized aspect of this appealed to me. Also the part about not using your own soil (instead you use a mix of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite) because living as we do in a neighborhood of old houses (ours dates from 1890) I figure our soil is full of lead and God knows what else. So far I feel this system is woirking great, although I wish Mel had mentioned that one square foot is really not enough for zucchini. Or maybe it would be if the garden center hadn't packaged 2 seedlings together. Again, was I supposed to divide these? Why don't they tell you these things?

If you're not too bored with my garden yet, here are my roses. First, the climber on our makeshift trellis. We planted this rose 3 years ago, intending to put up an arbor right away, or maybe the next year. Call me June Cleaver but I love a rose climbing over an arbor. As you can see, no arbor yet. But THIS is the year! At last, we are ready. Pix to follow. Obviously if we'd had any idea that the rose would grow so fast and so vigorously we would have waited. Oh well.

Here, the side yard roses. Soon to be joined by annuals.

And a close-up, sadly out of focus (looked fine on the camera!):



I can't wait to harvest. My tomatoes, especially the cherry tomatoes, are really going strong. Just green still, but soon to be red, or yellow as the case may be. I love seeing the squash blossom. So far I haven't been able to catch them before they open so I can stuff them with a filling of ricotta cheese and chives and fry them, Italian style, but I hope to soon. There are both male and female flowers (who knew?) and at the base of the females (I think) you can see the baby zucchini! I feel so fecund.