The Up's & Down's of Being a Gardener!

Not a veggie, but I just love the lupin-like blooms
of baptisia.

So it's been raining for a whole week. 7 days and 7 nights. Of rain. Often heavy downpours that just pound everything into the ground. The basil and peppers are on 'pause' in terms of their growth.. and I think I saw a little 'on strike' sign tucked amongst the basil leaves. Not good! But, there is a glimmer of hope as tomorrow and later on into the week, the forecast looks a bit better with warmer temp's and more sunshine. Fingers crossed! At this point, the slugs are almost bigger than me, so we really need some of that summer heat.

I haven't actually been up to the garden in about 3 days, and it amazes me how some plants embrace the rain - greens, tomatoes, perennials, pole beans.. while others (the above-mentioned basil and peppers) languish.

But in my neglect of the garden, I have made a few boo boo's and the slugs have gone crazy in the new carrot patch.. check out my pole bean blunder below! Happily, the chickpeas are thriving (knock on wood)..

Chickpeas - putting on new growth even with NO
sunshine.. 

Hark! Is that a chickpea flower I see?? Plants
are about 1-foot tall and well branched. Only
about 20 plants (from 24 seeds in the packet)
Mental note: next year order 2 packets

Whoa - potato flowers! Does that mean I should
dig for some baby spuds?? Yum!

My giant kossak kohrabi is getting big! The
bulbing stem is about 3 inches across now.

Ok, I have 1 deer fence up now.. but before that
happened, the deer nibbled on my pole beans last
week. So, I used old pea netting to surround
the base of my pole bean teepee.. But.. now
the plants have grown through the netting!
Agh! I guess I'm stuck with the netting for the
season.. 

Lovely lettuce.. more salad tonight.

Hmmm.. can you see the tiny half-eaten
stub of a carrot plant in the middle??
darn slugs!! must stick more seed in.
And thin the remaining carrots.