Garden Update

I spent four hours working in our garden this morning. Dadgummit, I love this prairie soil! (I live only a couple hours drive from Pioneer Woman, so I figure it's time I started saying "dadgummit.")

The peas are making pods and the corn is coming up. There are gaps in the corn where my dear sweet children have STOMPED on the plants, but we should still get a nice crop.

We have FIFTEEN tomato plants. I am so excited. Here are our biggest two:

In the past, I took vine-ripened garden tomatoes totally for granted. Then last summer I lived on the Oregon coast. There is not enough sun and heat there to grow tomatoes in your backyard garden, but I still tried. It was a dismal scene. So I figured I could pick some up at the farmer's market. The farmer's market had tomatoes and they were even red and big and round, but they were only sort of red and ripe. Even though they had been grown inland where there is a little bit more sun, they still lacked that deep color and perfect juiciness that tomatoes get when they have baked all summer under a broiling hot sun. It's going to be broiling here in a couple months and I'm going to hate to go outside, but my fifteen tomato plants are going to love it and they're going to make me a very happy woman.

Anyway.

Here is the smaller of our two garden plots. In the foreground is our Amazing Potato Bed, which is going bonkers. Behind it we have planted squash and melons and other viney things. And more tomatoes. And the wall o' waters are awesome at keeping the rabbits from snacking on tender young plants.

Finally, here is the Kid's Garden. Bean is very proud of this garden. He thinks he's taking care of it himself. He sure is doing a nice job, isn't he? It sure helps to have Mom working beside you when you're doing your "weeding." Really, though, he is doing his best and it's going to be a fantastic garden with corn, sunflowers, tomatoes, squash, broccoli, and random flowers.