I too am guilty of negligence. There are so many excuses I could fill a volume with them, but instead I'll cram them all together and call it procrastination.
The spring garden is coming along. So far we've planted (almost exclusively) vegetables that Frances grew and cultivated from seed. The tomatoes were a little late in getting into the ground, but it didn't take them long to toughen up and bloom. There's hope for a bountiful crop a few months down the road.
But there is still work ahead: ant hills to annihilate, weeds to extract, dirt to be turned and fed and made ready for planting, beds to raise and frames to build to contain them, seedlings to plant, mulch, and water. So much work, so little time.
I'm still pulling last fall's beets out of the ground. I've given a few of them away, and in this spirit of generosity have found that most people will have nothing to do with them. They're not my favorites, but I'll eat them occasionally. I sure would like to find a good recipe or two, because I have so many, in the fridge and in the ground.
In spite of record heat and drought, we managed to raise a fairly successful crop this year. Thanks to Frances, we had heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, and peppers. Though not included in this photo, we also grew lots of acorn and butternut squash, and basil.
Some of you have met Lani, though most of you have not. She and Paul have shown an interest in gardening, and lucky for them, Frances had many seedlings left over from her summer stock, and we had plenty of room for another raised bed or two in our double plot at the Sunshine Gardens. Though they got a rather late start, the little plants you see here are no longer recognizable. 