Surprise ....

[Laura]

... I actually growed a squash in the Pot Patch ...

[HeidiPG]

Pot Patch? Medicinal Pot??? Yeah, Ok, I am being very silly....

[Laura]

Yes ... The Pot Patch .... since hubby decided he needed his new man cave this spring my Patch is now under a big piece of cement.I had to resort to "trying" to grow some thing any way I could ... which meant in pots and mostly in shade ...

[Lulu]

Laura, I've got a "surprise" pumpkin growing in the tomato patch! It's a huge plant, running all over, but just a few tiny pumpkins on it! Had a tomato plant, a calla lily, a canna and nicotina growing in my front flower bed, and a beautiful amaranthus growing with the dill! Love these surprises, and have no inclination to pull them out, even though they really look out of place!

[orchidguy]

Great use of space Laura. The conditions (mostly in shade) would be a great spot for summering houseplants outdoors too.

[Lizzy]

Well done, Laura...so glad you gave container gardening a go!

Yesterday Lilium and I went walkies up and down the nearby streets...to see entire front yard veggie gardens.

It was a real treat...instead of dried out brown grass lawns, rather a virtual cornucopia of veggies, flowers, herbs, berries overflowed the confines of the planted area.

12 foot sunflowers...seedheads to be attached to anything that works, for the birds in winter. Companion planting, using both herbs, and flowers...think Borage...to encourage helpful insects,and wonderful bee pollinators. Dill towering over summer squash...zukes big as big showing off along the top of retaining walls...last year handmade signs were put up for passersby to help themselves when small tomatoes and zukes got too much for the gardener to get excited any more about!

Help yourself to a fresh strawberry...a variety of tiny tomatoes/patio size,cherry, cranberry sizes...please take a zucchini!

Wild flowers are planted amidst, low growing ones, varieties I haven't seen (and can't name) galore. Each garden is unruly, grows as it likes, up, down, sprawling...yes, the walkway is kept clear, so are the public front sidewalks.

Can't you just imagine the butterflies, night moths, beneficial insects, the BIRDS...the JOY they must feel when they see what is provided? And you KNOW what all of these give back to us, too.

it looks like Harvest Home!

[Laura]

I have a squash,two cucumbers,about four tomato's,radishes are done.I am eating beet greens and a few beets ( another thing I grew new this year ) the strawberries are saved for Sarah,she gets one every few days or so.My runner beans are doing quite well.B and I really miss having carrots but my in-laws have lots so we are enjoying some of thiers.

I will try this again next season but will get a better soil.The one we got this time had a lot of peat and is not very good for veggies.I am going to try a small bed in Shady Lane where the most sun hits for my tomato's and a few carrots next season.Watering is the biggest chore but you can't have everything ...

Wish I could make a kitchen garden out front but it is very poor soil there and shady too .... if I would just not love my maples so much I could cut them all and have full sun and grow veggies all over the lot ....