Looking forward

There is a part of me that is ready to throw in the towel and call it a year.

It is hard for not to be discouraged by mother nature's lack of cooperation.  It is 108 on our back deck and just going outside after 9am is a chore.

The lone Burgundy Okra

Two of our Easter fruit trees turned out to be too close to dead when planted.  I replanted cucumber starts after the hail killed the first ones (they also died) The replacement planting of bush beans seems to have cooked in the ground.  The Nasturtiums starts we planted before we left have not grown at all, the ones from seed never came up.  1/2 of the pumpkins and butternut have died (planted from starts) and all of the watermelon.  One lone okra stands (what do I do with one okra?)  Only a 1/2 dozen Amaranth plants have sprouted.  The tomatoes that survived the hail and the heat are maybe a foot tall and spindly.  The potatoes are the same.  Climbing summer squash is stunted with white veins on the leaves.  All the lettuce bolted before we left, none of the sweet peas grew taller than 4 inches.  None of our pollinator flowers came up at all.

The weeds, however, seem to be thriving.  We have been watering and weeding daily since we came home.

But there has been small successes.

A meal with shelled peas and 1/2 a dozen new potatoes our first night back.  The heirloom melon that is persevering through the heat.  Radishes & carrots in the girls' garden beds.  All of our onions & mammoth sunflowers came up.  Last years carrots have flowered (they look kinda cool)  Cilantro available all spring.

I will take these meager blessings and move forward.

I will plant (from seed) short seasoned melons, popcorn, potatoes and winter squash .  I will plant more sunflowers and bush beans.  I will plant all the seeds that I have except tomatoes and peppers.

I will plant a fall garden with brassica and peas and greens.  I will plant garlic, onions and cilantro for next year.

I will not let this stumble turn into a fail.