I was at the feed store yesterday and picked up a few things for the garden. I've put in the first of several veggie beds (very late, but at least it is getting planted this year), and I'm planning to put a soaker hose under the mulch in each of them. The mulch this year is sea hay (or whatever it is called, it's the soft stuff I use for the dogs beds). I have a new batch for the dogs, so instead of shoveling the old on the compost, I'm laying it as mulch. There is dog hair mixed in, so this could be an experiment if I had a problem with rabbits or squirrels in the garden.

Driveway bed view 1

Driveway bed view 2

I find that gardening is a spectator sport for my friends and family. They like to see what is coming up, it's like easter every time they visit. So this is the charismatic bed, the stuff that is easy to see and produces regularly. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and I have to put some more in. I didn't pick up everything yesterday because I wanted to see how I could space it and have walking room in the bed. It isn't very big, but any time people pull in the driveway when I have a garden out there it seems ages before they ring the bell. Look out and there are folks bent over peering into the plants. So I've put this bed front and center, my kitchen garden and entertainment center. :)

Ants and aphids are attaching some shrubs out there so I need to do some work on the soil in the bed next to this garden, the Dirt Doctor's "sick tree treatment" is a good one. I started with a mix of spinosid and soap to knock out the bugs, then next to to the soil. I'm considering completely eliminating the silverado sage, it's too big there (it was supposed to be "dwarf." Ha!) Adjacent to the door for several years was a big bossy lantana, very pretty, but takes over. A hibiscus next to the air conditioner drain seeded itself so I removed both lantana and amaryllis from that bed. It should be a lovely wall of Texas Star Hibiscus this year.

SRS