Raspberries
Right now I am thankful for things that are naturally occurring in my yard. This picture of the raspberries was taken a couple weeks ago, and honestly, with this heat and all the bugs, I've only been back out once to check on them. We did enjoy gleaning them on that walk, though. Little Man can't get enough!
With our daughter's wedding taking place during the planting season and the fact that it has gotten so ridiculously hot since we returned home I have not done as much in my yard as I would like. I feel guilty for not capitalizing on my land. I feel like I'm missing a wonderful opportunity this year. I did plant one purple pepper plant that is producing fruit, and I planted eight heirloom tomato plants that are sill quite small. I'm guessing we'll have tomatoes after most everyone else. Oh, I also planted a horseradish plant. The hubby loves horseradish, so we'll see what happens with that.
I did throw some asparagus into the ground as well, and we all know that won't be a crop for a few years anyhow. The blueberry plants that I put in the ground in the spring are still VERY scraggly. At least the cherry tree is doing well. We had a massive Japanese Beetle infestation that disappeared as quickly as it appeared. They didn't do too much damage.
I'm still waiting for my replacement Jane Magnolia tree. It was a huge disappointment to have it die. I do believe it was dead when I received it, not dormant like was thought. It is heart breaking as I planted it over my beloved Gypsy dog. Hopefully, the new one will come soon.
With this heat and some unexpected health issues that I will write about at a later date I have not made the progress with my yard I was hoping for this year. Does anyone else suffer from guilt related to stuff like this? I don't know what my deal is, but I am pretty good at feeling guilty. I had big dreams of preserving food that I grew from my own labor. It looks like that plan will be moved to next year, and I will support the local farmers again this summer. The markets are starting to open with actual produce, as opposed to just flowers, here in Michigan.
For now, I will live vicariously through the gardens of others and be thankful for what I do have. I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of you have accomplished in your yards. So, please do share!
