Let's pretend I have a green thumb

So my friend Jenny has this awesome blog (http://seedystl.blogspot.com/) about her garden in St. Louis which inspired me to plant my own garden. What have I learned in the process. Well, summer this year really sucks in Seattle. Today, for example, it's in the upper 60s. Yeah it's August. There might not be any place better than the summer in the Northwest.... But this summer will be the exception. Where is my tan?

Enough complaining.

Since I became a big kid and moved into my very own apartment I seized the little bit of free space in my communal yard to plant a little garden. I read the book "The Secret Garden" when I was little and romanticized about finding a space to make my own green space. Last summer I had a sad patio planter garden which produced a couple of tomatoes and that was about it. This summer I planted tomatoes, kale, summer squash and snap peas straight into the ground. I also had two left over planters which alpine strawberries found a home.

My garden in its infantile stage:



My garden this weekend:



The kale has started to grow and I have harvested a few meals from it. In fear that it would get out of control like kale in many of my friends' gardens, I have been grazing on it before I have way too much and I let it go to waste.
The peas have become a bush and are struggling to climb the trellis. Jenny suggested tying yarn as a intermediate object for them to grab onto which seems to be working. The little guys are flowering and hopefully I will have snacks by fall.

My three tomato plants have started to grow but I am afraid that this colder snap will not do them any good. One thing I did learn this summer is that tomatoes do not like to get their leaves wet (thanks Jenny).

Squash is a struggle for me. The plant looks to be growing but the little fruits keep falling off. Is it prematurely balding? I do not know.

I love alpine strawberries. They are just little guys that are very sweet. Nom nom nom. I get about a handful at a time. Nothing is better than just a-snacking on them.

Just a little project I have been working on. Luckily I haven't had to do much weeding, just making sure they are watered. Maybe I will have some worms making some fertilizer soon. Who knows!