Garden Post

Well, I took these pics last week of my little kitchen garden thats right outside my door and everything has grown so much already but I would love advice by any of you garderners out there....

Here's my tomotaoes and peppers, 6 of each....

Then I have some basil in a pot that I need to add some mint and parsely to and I have a little pot of lavendar that I got from Monticello when we visited....I want to add more lavendar to my hillside by the pool as soo as I get it weeded (YUCK).

I aslo bought one of those topsy turvey hanging plant holders for my strawberries (havent seen any berries yet) and they say I can take it down and hang it in the garage near a window in the winter and keep it damp and it will come back next year....please any advice here would be soooo appreciated ...

Then we gte to my first window box of come and cut again lettuce....we eat a TON of salads and spend almost $40 per moneth just on lettuce. I think I may have planted them too close though....I used a whole packet for this one window box....again any advice ? I have 2 more planters to plant si we can stagger the yield.

This is actually WAY fuller already and is getting pretty high so I hope I didnt screw up here.

The above picture was a grassy area bu the pool that I finally am dloing something with....my inlaws have given me a few hostas and I have more flagstone to add and maybe a few flowers for some color.

This is our lower yard where my family jokes that I have never actually been all the way to the bottom of the steps. To the left of the little deck we have a TON of blackberry plants and even some raspberry plants but they are hard to get to....but I dearly love homemade jellies, jams, granitas on hot summer days and even syrups and the hubs loves rsapberry tea.....any advice here ? They seem to have taken over that back hillside but someone suggested transplanting them along the porperty line and along our fence ??????

We are having 3 tons of gravel delivered tomorrow to fill in our old extra parking spce that now holds our wood for our woodburner (bikes are going in garage sale) and we just got a bid to reseal the driveway ($1600....YIKES....we might have to do it ourselves)

Here is a picture of our pool, which I have yet to be able to have time to get in and do anything but clean it !!!! GRRRR Now to the right of the pool is a small hillside with a flagstone retaining wall that is starting to come down (of course) and is over-run with weeds and yucky plants that are too heavy....so I want to take it all down and fill the hillside with lavendar becaue it makes a nice ground cover, wont be too taxing on the hill and put too much pressure on the rock wall (once I rebuild it) and it will smell heavenly. Of course that means transplanting a rhodedendron, a holly bush and the rest is just ugly, stinky box wood....I wish the family who lived here before us had taken a little better care on the upkeep of all the landscaping because it ALL needs redone...and can you believe we had terrace lights all over the hillside and electrical outlets for the pool and lights etc and they CUT them all....I guess we will go with solar lights.

The last picture is of the patio which is our fvorite place in the summer but I have got to get it "primmed" up for sure. I am painting the floor soon....thinking either a brick red or a colonial blue ???? Suggestions are always welcome.

Well thats it for now and no I have NOT forgotten about my promise of a giveaway...I will have it up soon I promise...I also have some great before and after projects to show you all. What would you think of something easy like a gift certificate giveaway or is that too lame ???? Give me some suggestions for what you guys would like to win.

OK gals, I am off to watch tv with the hubs and try to get cooled off !!!

Grace to you,
Margie