Can you say yummy?

The garden is finally getting going.  The worst time for me is the waiting period.  You know, when stuff is growing but nothing is ready to eat. This is when I start talking to the plants and threatening them.  "Grow me some produce or your out!"  Of course they never listen to me. But then again neither do my children....I'm beginning to see a pattern here....

 I totally forgot what this flower is.  Its just beautiful right now and the bees are loving it.

 This month I have been able to go to the garden and have raspberries for breakfast.  The chickens are loving this because if I find any bug infested raspberries I toss them into the coop. They love raspberries. Heck they love anything you toss their way.

 Soon I will have some blackberries.  This is a thorn less blackberry I bought last year but am too afraid to plant it into the ground.  I just don't want a over growth of them.  I might plant them next to my raspberries in the retaining wall.  Not sure just yet so for now they stay in a large pot. 

 Its been in the upper 80's here in Portland Oregon.  Today I put some hay down hoping that the water will not evaporate and keep my plants nice and healthy.  I have been having to water them 2 times a day and my water bill is high enough. 

 My tomato plants are finally getting bigger. My tomatillos have flowers on them so that's good.  Its my first year growing them and I hope I can harvest lots of them.  I planted about a dozen different tomato plants this year. My goal is to can as much as I can so I will never have to buy tomato sauce.  We will see....

I only planted one type of runner this year.  Scarlet beans I do enjoy eating but I REALLY enjoy watching them grow. What a beautiful plant this is. Just look at those red flowers! Love love this!

I planted a few echinacea last year but they never blossomed.  This year they are blossomed and just beautiful.  I LOVE them! After they bloom I will transplant a few in my back yard for more color.  So far my back yard consist of calla Lillie's and green trees only.  They should add a nice touch of color.

 I'm happy to report we are finally getting beans producing in our garden.  We call these magic beans because it was a way to get our girls to eat beans.  They love watching these beans change from purple to green when cooked.  They are called Burgundy beans and are a nice addition to any parents garden. 

 Although yellow wax beans are not really flavorful they are beautiful. So I grow them each year just to add another color into our meals.

 I didn't plant these but they are a welcomed addition to the garden.  Our front yard was a bit drabby so this makes it all the more pretty. 

 Hens and chicks are starting to bloom as well.  These were my gram's and when I was able to get her birdbath I kept the hens n chicks in it just as she would of wanted it. 

 I have 2 varieties of blueberries in my front yard.  Right now were getting a smaller blueberry but soon we will be getting large berries from this plant. The blueberries growing in my garden are for the girls to eat at will.  All U Picked ones go into the freezer for treats all year long.

This weekend my husband built a new deck in our back yard.  Our last patio was concrete and not level at all.  Most of it was sunk into the yard and anytime it rained it would flood a bit.  Then the kids would drag dirt into the house. We built our own deck for about $1,400.  If we had someone built ours it would of cost well over $3,000.  We just love building things ourselves. 

My next project is to harvest all my mint and lemon balm.  I will be cutting it and dehydrating it for tea.  I need to do this soon because it will start blooming in a few weeks.  The bees LOVE these when they bloom and I can't get anywhere near them.  Must do this soon!