In the garden.....

It's past 8pm and I am sitting outside, under my canopy in the backyard.  It's dark, but it's a stunning night, not a single cloud in the sky, 108 degree weather earlier and it feels sooooo good now that the sun has set.

There is a game of badminton going on right in front of me, hubby and the kids are playing in the dark, with a few lights, but it's hilarious watching and hearing them play.  Giggles and loud cackles reverberate through the neighborhood, signalling the beginning of summer nights and fun time spent outside.

We've had a fantastic weekend!

A lot of yard work has been done, things moved around here and there, mowing, water sprinklers, grilling and gaming.

I think it's what summer is all about.  Minus the crazy high temps which make it very hard to be out here for longer than 10 minutes at a time.

I've got my veggie garden going again because it was so successful last year.  For so long I was terrified, intimidated and just overwhelmed with the thought of gardening and especially growing my own vegetables.  I couldn't keep the simplest of plants alive, but I guess I moved past that , even my hubby is impressed with my progress, and honestly, what's better than homegrown goodness??

I thought tonight I would show you a little of what I'm growing.

Right now I have two different lettuce varieties.....here's my bibb lettuce

 

And my Romaine Lettuce 

Here are my beans, these guys grow so fast

 

my squash...

  

I have spearmint and peppermint growing extremely well in my kitchen, so I've been using them in as many ways as possible.  At night for hot tea, and during the hot day, for some Iced Mint Tea.  You should give it a try, it's amazing :)

 

As the garden grows, I'll continue to take pictures and show you how it's coming along. I have Broccoli, Thyme, Parsley, Cilantro, Cantaloupe, Bibb and Romaine Lettuce, Yellow Onions, Chives, Green Onions, Tomatoes, Beans and Squash....oh and Blueberries. I just can't wait for it all to start producing so we can start enjoying it :) 

To protect the lettuce especially from the groundhogs, as they ate all of ours last year....we created raised beds and lined the bottom with chicken wire, then lay the soil on top before planting. Last week though, I noticed the birds swarming down and trying to eat my bean stalks, so hubby and I spent yesterday morning fashioning some protection that would still allow the sunshine in and accessible to watering, but would keep the critters out. This is what we came up with.....just using what we had at hand....bamboo sticks and a little netting.

 

Definitely not going for pretty or perfect here. I love it though, it works great and does the job.

  

And here is my next project in progress, have two of these going, but don't have enough soil or the plants yet. Need to pick up some pretty flowers and then it will look perfect :)

  

And now I'll leave you with a little glimpse of the weekend fun..... 

 

Lots of rehydrating going on. 

 

I'm off to have a hot cup of tea and then it's an early bedtime. Hubby returns to work tomorrow after a week of being off, it was so much fun having him home. 

 Our AIMS State Testing also took place last week so it was crazy busy around here, so we're heading back to our normal relaxed schedule and finishing off homeschooling for the year in the next 2 or 3 weeks. 

 Have a great night everyone!