Today my Other Half and I planted more veggies in the raised beds. Last year we planted both the warm weather seeds and starter plants on May 29th. Seeds for cucumbers, pole beans, and okra were planted this afternoon. I also dropped some Detroit Dark Red Beet seeds behind the sprouted snow peas. The beet seeds should have been put in last month, but we’re going to give it a try anyway. Last year we learned one kale plant can sustain a household of two. There is no need for 4 kale plants.

The first visit to the Farmers’ Market will be made this week. While there, I plan to purchase two pepper plants, two tomato plants, a kale plant and some rainbow swiss chard. Both the pepper plants and kale purchased last year from the market were fantastic, healthy plants. All varieties of the heirloom tomatoes from the market were unruly and became ill. I believe this was more because of our raising of the tomato plants than the species itself. However, we are going to try a more standard type of tomato this year.

I already have both the genovese and thai basil seedlings purchased. The seedlings are waiting atop the buffet in the sun. All remaining plants will be planted over Memorial Day weekend. In our zone, this is a fairly safe benchmark for planting seedlings outside as danger of frost has passed. Last year there were only a few evenings after Memorial Day requiring the warm weather veggie plants to be covered by an old bedsheet overnight to protect them from frost.

Happy Bloom Day! While I was away for a week in Florida, plants on the Lot grew by leaps and bounds. Many bloomed and some are already fading. Today was rainy, cool, and overcast, but I snapped a few photos anyway. The front, South bed is full of Star of Bethlehem right now, but the flowers are all closed up. They are a bulb that absolutely refuses to make an appearance unless the sun is shining on them. A more appropriate common name for the flower would be Starlets.

The little Fothergilla shrub I purchased on the 2009 Spring Nursery Crawl is in bloom. This plant makes me smile every time we pull into the back driveway. The bottlebrush-like blooms have a very faint, sweet scent. In the fall, the foliage turn a pretty rust color. The shrub should max out at 5’x5′. It seemed to be a good solution for adding a bit of height in front of the fence in the back alley. The area is partial shade, so those tufts of white really stand out.

Also blooming on the Lot for May are the Queen of the Night tulips and Bleeding Heart. The tulips are not as dark as I’d like, but they are a lovely blood red color. I wonder if since they receive sun almost all day long the petals are not as dark as they could be. I’m debating whether or not to move the tulip bulbs since they are bullying around that poor poppy.

The dwarf irises that share the bed with the above tulips just opened yesterday. Like the more traditional irises on the Lot, this variety seems to spread like crazy. They’ve easily doubled in area since last season.

Just behind the little irises, the columbine is on the verge of blooming. One blossom has opened already. To the left are both the Snow Angel Coral Bells and Sea Pink Thrift with buds. A few beds to the right, in the gate bed, the foam flower is blooming. Right outside the gate, the Labrador Violet has been blooming for a few weeks now.

Over in Loki’s bed, the Forget-Me-Nots have joined the Grape Hyacinth. The Solomon’s Seal purchased last season is back stronger than ever and in full bloom. And throughout the Lot, little violas and pansies that half self-sown are adding dabs of bright color here and there.

Thank you as always to May Dreams Gardens for hosting such a fun event! Now to go snoop around in the other gardens.