I’ve never been much into gardening. When I lived in S. Korea, I had a bit of an indoor succulent garden. A couple of summers ago, I had a lime basil plant that really thrived. It was an amazing flavor. I put some in strawberries, and made a strawberry shortcake. Last summer, I put in some flowers in front of the house, and they did really well.

So this year, I kinda went all out. I (well, mostly my brother) finished digging out the old flower bed in the front yard. I put in some bulbs in the spring, and those were quite nice. For the summer, I put in a few summer blooming lily bulbs. I also put in some already grown lilies. I got about 6 assorted perennials. One went in the little bed by the garage, and the others went in the main bed. I filled out the rest of the beds with assorted annuals.

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Of course, I also wanted to plant some herbs. Really, that’s how the container garden on the back deck started. I have more vegetables than herbs now. There are three tomato plants, one cherry and two regular size. There are three pepper plants, one yellow, one orange, and one hot one for Billy. I have two pots of kohlrabi, with three plants in each pot. I have two pots of assorted herbs. I have a pot of spinach as well as two pots of assorted lettuces. Last, but not least, I have a pot with a white eggplant plant in it.

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My maternal grandfather had quite the green thumb. He started his garden from seeds in egg cartons. Then, when big enough, transplanted them to paper cups. Then they went into cardboard milk cartons (remember those?) until they were big enough to go in the ground. He had tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, green onions and zucchinis. He even had corn one year.

I fondly remember eating those tomatoes and watching my grandmother can them. She also canned zucchini pickles. I wish I knew how she made them. I tried to find a recipe on the internet, but none of the zucchini ones I found rang a bell. Maybe she just used a basic cucumber pickle recipe.

So, maybe, my green thumb is just late in its development. I hope you enjoy this little tour of the yard. Oh yes, there is a railing that goes on the deck. We’re in the middle of rebuilding it. I only sit on the bench, so there’s no danger of me falling off.

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