Planting

Megan and I met up at the River Inn for brunch this morning. The restaurant gave each mom a potted flower for Mother’s Day. Megan gave me hers, claiming it would die if she took it home. Joe and I later drove into Elk River to the Home Depot so he could pick up potting soil for the plants I brought back. The photos are of the repotted flowers from River Inn.

 

Our sweet grandson, Caleb, wished me a happy Mother’s Day this morning with a text from his smart watch.

Yesterday, Joe got the garden planted. This is our first year using raised beds instead of planting directly in the yard. After picking out our plants, I looked each one up to find good companion plants and avoid poor pairings. We ended up filling all eight raised beds and planting vine crops in two open spots in the yard. Joe saved pumpkin seeds from a festival we went to last fall, and those are now in the ground above the patio’s retaining wall. We planted two butternut squash plants in the open space between the planter beds and the apple trees.

The raised beds are home to asparagus, basil, two varieties of sweet peppers, serrano peppers, jalapeño, broccoli, chives, cilantro, cucumber, garlic, green beans, green onions, kale, lemongrass, Italian parsley, radishes, rosemary, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini. We’ve tucked marigolds into each bed to help keep pests away. We also spray a safe repellent to discourage deer and rabbits. One of the drawbacks of not having a fenced yard is that deer—though we’ve never actually seen them—wander in and nibble on the garden.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!