Back to the Garden -- and What a Pleasure!

By Vickilane

For the past month the heat has been such that I've avoided the garden except for brief early morning forays to pick tomatoes  etc. The weeds have thrived (thriven?). But a good rain and a high front have brought cooler weather so yesterday I decided to begin to bring order to the box beds and prepare to sow some fall lettuce. 

John has a plan involving PVC pipe and plastic netting to foil  the bunnies so, like all good gardeners, I'm prepared to forge ahead, eternally optimistic.

This young toad was sheltering in one of the box beds and agreed to pose. He's quite small -- maybe the size of a golf ball  .

The peppers have done well and made lots of bell, pimento, Anaheim, and jalepeno peppers. They would have made more, had the deer not browsed the tops of the plants.  We'll try netting next year.

It's a lovely feeling to be up close and personal with the garden.

Above is fennel, going to seed. I cut some for drying.

Garlic chives in bloom. I'll have to cut them before they go to seed if I don't want garlic chives everywhere,
A lady bug hurrying along a fennel stalk path.

 An eggplant (aubergine) blossom . . .
And then a sudden cow -- NOT where she should be.  Fortunately, John was nearby and the wandering bovine was returned to her pasture.  Layla helped.