After hours of muscle-straining labor, my garden finally looks like a garden again. It was a long process.
First I tore out the old rock path that runs from the patio to the side yard, bisecting the garden. When I originally put it in I didn't lay down any weed blocker, and then I didn't maintain it very well. As a result, it aged poorly. Have you ever tried to remove a bunch of rocks that have lodged themselves in the underlying ground? What. A. Pain.
Once I finally had (almost) all the rocks out, I reworked the ground and leveled things out. Then I laid out pavers to act as a border between the path and the garden. I wanted to line up the border pavers with the pavers that make up the patio, which required widening the path a couple inches on each side, not only for the pavers, but also to make room to install the plastic edgers that would hold the pavers in place.
Then I thought, "Those old rocks are all dirty and dingy. I need new rocks. But what to do with the old rocks?" I just love creating more work for myself. I decided to extend the path around the side of the garage, using the old rocks next to the garage where they didn't need to be as pretty. That meant buying a bunch of new rocks for the garden path.
Long story short, the new path through the garden is finished, and it looks awesome. Now to start work on the extended part that will go along the side of the garage. That part shouldn't take more than 3 or 4 hours.
I also have most of my garden planted. This year's crop includes:
- Jalapeno
- "Fooled You" chile (look and taste like jalapenos but are much milder)
- Hungarian wax chile (I love these for a mild zing)
- Habanero (4 plants! What am I going to do with 4 plants worth of habanero?!)
- Serrano
- Cayenne
- A Thai chile I can't recall the name of (perfect for adding to summer veggie stir fries)
- Anaheim
- Italian roasting peppers (great for kabobs)
- Red, yellow, and green bell peppers
- Eggplant (a request from The Missus)
- Cucumber (most will go to my mom so she can make cinnamon pickles)
Yes, I went crazy with the peppers and chiles this year. I still need zucchini or some sort of squash. I also have a couple spots open for other plants, if anybody has any suggestions. Both spots are in full sun. One spot has loose, quickly-draining soil and is close to the house (so it will be warm). The other spot's soil is a bit denser and retains moisture better.
Disappointingly, I didn't get any cilantro this year. After a couple years of cilantro practically taking over my garden, not a single plant came up this year. I don't know what I did to make it mad.
What's in your garden this year?
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
You really need to post some images to show us the fruits of your landscaping labor.
My garden has tomato plants, basil and rosemary. Actually, it’s not a garden, it’s just some landscaping beds next to the house where I’ve squeezed in some herbs and vegetables.
Someone I know makes a Habanero sauce that will melt your insides. I’m thinking that it’s my brother-in-law, but I’m not sure.
My lovely wife likes to make Habanero Jelly. If you have excess peppers this summer we would be happy to convert some into wonderful spicy jelly. Makes great glaze for ham or pork roast. Also very tasty when spread on crackers with cream cheese.
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