jungle stage.

The garden has been growing so much that if I take pix but don't post them, they are outdated in days! We are officially in jungle phase. Tomatoes are ripening, beans and peas are picked daily, raspberries are being eaten right off the cane, and the squash and cucumbers are sneaking their way around bushes and landscaping to snake throughout. There isn't an empty inch! I thought I'd post a few before and today pix - to see how the garden is growing!


The photo above is from the first week of May. Everything is empty! We have a very small yard, and have beds along the side - one side of the garden is against neighbors home, the other side against ours (we have side yards here).


This photo above is from mid-June. Filling in, but still fairly small.


And this is last week - definitely filling in. It has that chaotic beauty today, as everything is so tall and so green.


This photo above is from today - the beans have grown up the whole twine line and have reached the top of the gazebo, while below them peppers, calendula, borage, lemon balm, squash, beans and spinach are huge mixed between other flowers and plants.


Many of you asked about the rain barrel cover (yes, that is my shadow ;)). Well, in May I ran twine line from the ground and tied it into a piece of twine around the top. I just keep clearing the area just around the spout, but otherwise it is covered with morning glories. Next to that the cucumbers are vining up a metal trellis in front of our AC, and squash is going along the ground.


I was looking at photos from this time last year and can really see how much we have expanded the beds. It is amazing how pulling out a landscaping bed even just a foot can make such a huge difference!

So here is my updated list of what is growing right now:

Front porch/pots: potatoes (3 types in 5 bags), tomatoes (4 hanging, 2 pots), peppers (4), squash (1), and several small pots of herbs (basil, parsley, oregano).

Back porch/pots: shisho, oregano, marjoram, 2 types of basil, sorrel, strawberry spinach, lovage, tomatoes (3), peppers (3), savory.


Lower back raised bed: tomatillo (2), tomato (1), strawberries, raspberries, mixed flowers. Plus a small rain garden off of our downspout.

Square bed off back of deck: beets, carrots, garlic, shallots, peas, chives, mustard.

Along side of neighbors house: wonderberries, red currants, peas, kale, dill, beans (purple pole, scarlet runner), watermelon, melon, baby blue hubbard squash, butternut squash (2), tomatoes (orange flesh purple smudge (2), green zebra (2)), peppers (2), nasturtiums, lovage, cabbage, mesclun mix, calendula, chinese long beans, lemon summer squash.


Along side of our house: borage, calendula, peppers (5), tomatoes (3), cabbage, kohlrabi, peas, cucumbers (3), sunflowers, purple pole beans (3), scarlet runner beans (3), baby blue hubbard squash, butternut squash, lebanese bush marrow summer squash, white acorn bush squash (2), potatoes (in wooden barrel), white pumpkins (up arbor), lemon summer squash, raspberries.

Front raised bed: purple bush beans (4), green bush beans (2), strawberries, peppers (2), flowers.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that is a good list! We have fruit, vegetables, trees, bushes, flowers and more...all mingled and growing happily.


It sounds like we have a big space, I know, but interplanting small quantities within the landscaping rather than planting in rows really allows for a lot of variety in a small space. Having pots helps expand that too. I'm sure our neighbors are wondering what is going on ;), but by keeping the front and back smaller and neater with lots of colorful flowers, it keeps it looking more organized and neat, while the more gangly or bushy plants are behind our line of bushes at the arbor, not as visible from the street. It does also make it seem like we have a secret garden past our lush arbor too - with a center strip - yet plenty of room - left for little boys to play...soccer, sprinkler, T-ball, basketball...

As we expanded the beds a bit this year, we are finding that there are a few things we will change next year to help keep the back areas a bit more accessible, but overall everything is growing great!

How is your garden growing?