I’d promised my dog some carrots. It was time to finally follow through. I could have planted these a lot earlier. But they are even now going into an unfinished bed.

Note: The video version of this post gets released on Monday, July 15, 2024.

I struggled with the pens again to label some rocks. I’m almost through the worst colors to use.

Some brassica plants had survived the weird spring, the hiking trip, and all the rain since. They got a space in the same bed. Now, there are carrots, corn, beans, and brassica here.

I’d planned to continue the bed to the path that day, but I ran out of time and energy before I could.

Mornings in the garden are beautiful. If the day is nice, I drive here instead of walking Pepper.

I open up the greenhouse, walk a quick round of the gardens, and head home for coffee. Very early mornings have also been the sunniest time of the day, so I soak up what I can.

The fruit trees I’d rescued from the throw-out bin at the store were looking healthy.

The banana needs some more nutrients but I might be able to rescue them all.

These are Icelandic poppies. Sadly, they are invasive ornamentals planted by the previous owner.

Once established, they spread rapidly and come back every year. I am making sure none go to seed. I know they’ll still survive but I can try to give the native poppies a chance while I am here. Steward of the land, I try to be.

After coffee, I listened to the pleas of this beautiful boldo plant.

I also started some new soil blocks for the winter greens.

Sadly, they would not make it through the weather on the balcony. I should have started them indoors. I am getting better at seedling care but apparently a lot of plants had to die for me to learn the lesson.

We did return to the garden later the same day to harvest currants.

We harvested most of the black currants from the two small bushes on the forest plot.

A few minutes later, I lost sight of Pepper, and he did not come when I called.

So, I went into the part of the garden where thorns and nettles predominate.

I took full advantage of the water a garden neighbor had gifted me. These three days were the only days I watered the garden so far. Otherwise, I’d only watered things in after planting.

These are why I was rushing: sourdough Knoedel, a German kind of dumpling. Now that I have figured these out, I’ll show you soon.

After a few dry, scorching hot days, the next storms were coming. I had to harvest the white currant.

They were ripe, and I did not want to lose any to the coming rain and hail.

The bush was full of the delicious white berries. I grabbed handful after handful. The ground was covered in berries that had fallen–or I’d dropped.

It started to rain minutes after I started my harvest. I kept going to save as many berries as I could. This drizzle would tun into heavy rainfall later after we’d get home.

I did not have to water that day. Or any day since.

Pepper hid underneath the bush from increasing rainfall while I got soaked, and the bin filled up. Warm rain, a light breeze–I was content. Mosquitoes were hiding in the bush from the rain just like Pepper.

Again, I was enjoying the garden despite rain and mosquitoes.

When the rain slowed, I did another round to get the nicest of what I had missed. When my bowl was full, I packed up Pepper and headed home.

Morning fog covered the forest. It had rained heavily all night and the air was heavy with moisture.

I soaked it up thoroughly while it lasted.

Which was not very long. Once I’d finished cleaning the kitchen, the next clouds had rolled in.

The blueberry was turning red again–a cold response. This really does feel like fall.

The worst part about the weather is the ping-pong of scorching heat and chilly storms.Later that day, I’d return to the garden in full sunshine.

It would even get hot enough to dry the top layer of the grass I’d tried to dry for a week. I finally mulched the earliest potatoes. They’d be ready a few weeks later.

I’ll tell you all about how we finished the carrot bed in the next episodes.

So long, and thanks for being here.