Five Days, Five Photos Challenge — Day Three

June 23, 2015 by Julie Holmes, author 8 Comments

My garden is a 75′ by 30′ affair, and in better shape this year than usual, due in large part to the favorable weather and loads of mulch. I’m always excited to watch things grow. The onions are looking very nice, the potatoes are waist-high, and the corn is almost knee high. The weeds are amazingly under control for this time of the season (though we haven’t hit July yet, when the weeds get turbocharged). We’ve been eating radishes and spinach so far, and I’m waiting anxiously for the tomatoes. I love the first tomatoes–they taste sooo good! They’re even better since it’s been a year since the last garden-fresh tomatoes.

Alas, the decent-looking, weeds-sort-of-under-control garden means my writing has suffered from lack of attention. I’m getting back to my WIP now, though. I need the first twenty to fifty pages ready to send to my writing sisters by next week, so they’ll have some time to look at them before our reunion in August.

I had intended to do a smaller garden this year. Really. But a) our soaker hoses are 75′ long, b) we got a “new” tractor-mounted tiller my hubby loves to use, and c) we have to plant enough onions and potatoes to last most of the winter into spring. Yes, I know buying potatoes in the store is relatively cheap, but the ones you grow yourself taste better. We grow Yukon Gold potatoes, and try to use the leftover potatoes as the seeds for the current season. Last year we saved all the tiny, big-marble-sized potatoes just for the purpose of planting in the spring. We also used the potatoes that began to sprout. We don’t have the best location to store potatoes; ideally, a dark root cellar is the best place. Our unfinished, minimally-insulated basement is our option, and works well until about February, when the potatoes start to dream of growing into plants.

I try to grow something new every year, so this year I planted kale. So far, it’s looking good. My sister-in-law asked me to plant parsnips for her, which I’ve never grown. So, two new things this year, along with trusty standbys like corn, green beans, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, and beets. Crossing my fingers the watermelon will do well; it likes sandy soil, and I’ve got them planted in, well, not-sandy soil. We’ll see how it turns out.

In any case, summer’s in full force. Hope you and yours are enjoying the season!

I was nominated to take part in this photo challenge by Andrea Connolly, who shared wonderful images of the sea and sailing, along with great prose.

The rules of the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:

1) Post a photo each day for five consecutive day
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. This is fun, not a command performance!