Pretty Posies

It's that time of year again! Time for me to try and garden! 


Here's part of last year's deck garden that was attacked by Mr. Mutant Squirrel:

And here's my attempt this year. Here's what I've got on the deck:

Herbs in the back (left to right) Parsley, Basil, Thyme (2 of them...one from last year.)

Then in front is grape tomato and lettuce.

In the back, Sage and Spinach. In front, Chives and Pink Polka Dot Plant.

Now for some what I planted in the ground:

There's some spinach, lettuce and two jalapeno plants. I just watered...hence the weird pattern.

And some flowers from my momma. Dahlias, Gerber Daisies, Pansies.

And some Petunias too.

And I still have more to plant. My mom kind of went overboard. 

Here's to hoping I have a green thumb this year...and no killer squirrels. 

Garden Update

I haven't posted anything about my deck garden recently. Some of you have asked me how it's going.

My herbs are doing great! They pretty much grew out of control and I've used them in a lot of cooking...and gave some to everyone who has stopped by my house.

As for the veggies...that's another story. All the plants are alive and well. They actually are growing fantastically and are sporting plenty of blossoms and veggies.

So what's the problem?

The problem is the overgrown tree rat that calls the tree in my backyard home.

My tomatoes, peppers and jalapenos were growing splendidly. Several were ready to be harvesting. I came home one day from work and went out on the deck to look proudly upon my garden...and I was horrified.

The jalapenos ready to be harvested (about 7 of them) were gone. GONE! I saw little claw marks in the soil. Squirrel sized claw marks. Then, I looked to my right and there was a jalapeno laying on the deck with squirrel sized teeth marks in it.

I can only imagine that the little rascal ate all the jalapenos and had the worst case of heartburn a squirrel could possibly imagine. I was so raving mad. I worked so hard to get those little peppers to grow! I contemplated rat poison, beebee guns, traps...but Nile talked me down.

Oh well, at least I still had my peppers.

Wrong-o! The next day, the bell peppers were gone. I'm convinced it was the same offending squirrel. Same with my tomatoes. I swear I saw the furry culprit one day, hanging out on our deck like he owned the place. We had a 5 minute stare-off, until I busted through the door scaring him away. He was fat too...with a pudgy little belly. Probably because he eats so well.

Looks like my plants will be making their way to my parent's house this weekend.

Using the Herbs

I just used the rosemary from my garden  in my first recipe of the season! I have to say, it was very nice to walk out to the deck and harvest my own herbs. I made a marinated flank steak, that was really delicious and tender. Here's the recipe:

Marinated Flank Steak

1 flank steak, about 1-2 pounds
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed
1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon of vinegar (I used white wine, but red wine or rice wine would be fine)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspons, dijon mustard
1 teaspoon, pepper

Lay flank steak on cutting board and create hash marks with knife to allow the marinade to penetrate. Mix all the ingredients above and add to a plastic bag with the meat. Work the marinade into the meat. Leave overnight for best flavor. Grill and cut along the grain into slices.

My Deck Garden

This week, I went a little overboard expanding my garden. There was a plant sale at work, and I stocked up on some essential herbs. Here's the photo I promised:

So, here's what I've got growing, from left to right:

Chili peppers from seed, rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley, tomatoes, 

chives, sage, red bell peppers

And here are the stragglers, jalapeños (for Nile) and lavender

I also bought salvia and "lemon symphony" which looks like a daisy, and planted them. 

So far, so good! Everything's still alive! This has to be a record!

See How My Garden Grows

Here's a little update on the current status of my garden.

Everything is currently alive and well except for the basil plants I tried to grow from a seed. They died. RIP.

Since I've been doing such a good job growing my little plants, I decided it was time to go to Home Depot today and see what else I can go. So I walked out with:

• 1 jalapeno plant
• 1 red bell pepper plant
• 2 petunias
• 2 impatients

Usually, when I try my hand at flowers, it doesn't go too well, but we'll see. I haven't killed the vegetables yet, so perhaps I won't kill those either! Pictures to follow.

Black Thumb Turned Green?

Every year, when the weather starts to get warmer, I get the itch to plant something. Last year, I tried my hand at tomatoes, basil, and peppers.

The results? Dead plants and crushed dreams.

This year, I've done a pretty good job of keeping my houseplants alive. That gives me some indication that perhaps my black thumb is showing a tinge of green.

So, here I go again. I went to Home Depot on Sunday and bought the following:

1. 1 tomato plant
2. 1 basil plant
3. 1 lavendar plant
4. 1 rosemary plant

Now, you may say to yourself, "But Heather, you have failed at growing tomatoes and basil. Why would you try again?"

If you ask Nile, it's because I like to waste money. If you ask me, it's because I've done research (on the internets of course), and I believe I have found my mistakes and am ready to fix them.

Each plant is in a pot on my back deck, getting the most sun possible (because the little tag thingys says they need 'full sun'...I think I failed to read that last year.)

It's Day 3...they aren't dead yet. Perhaps if I succeed, I will move on to peppers.