Oh no, Kim! That is too bad! What is the deal with potting mixes this year?! Honestly, many of my plants were "off". Y'all saw them at the SF, but they were at least growing. And they're doing great now that they're in the garden. I hope the ones that Andria took for the community garden are doing great too. Our PEPH are popping up. Saw it this morning. I can't remember exactly the day Rick planted them, but it wasn't very long ago at all. They should pop up quickly for you, Kim. They are aphid magnets here, but we still manage to get a harvest. At some point I hope to have enough ladybugs and friends around to take care of the aphids. I do have lots and lots of ladybugs, but apparently not enough. Saw them on the broccoli last night, sprayed them off and squished them. Didn't see any more this morning. The broccoli is almost done. The little heads are getting bigger. Hi Josh. My name is really Jennifer (I wish it was Hazel) and some here call me HJ. Larry, I so wish we had got a little rain. Looks like we have a couple of chances at the end of the 9 day. lol @ Rick's snapchat pic. Where is everyone? Gardening? I got out early to do some watering in the hoop house and Charlotte's Garden. Also, worked on the area behind the shop. Got a bit more crabgrass and weeds dug out, cardboard put down and woodchips. A handy panel put up with Tom's help. It will trellis the 3 overflow Heidi tomatoes in that area. A cage on another tomato. As I was working in that area (behind the shop), one of the roosters alerted, so I glanced behind me and a skunk ran along the chicken yard fence past me. I froze, not knowing what to do. The shop was opened at both ends. I was so scared it went in there. I walked around the opposite end of the shop and thought I saw its bushy tail, went to tell Tom. He came out a few minutes later and looked around in the shop, but it wasn't in there. Thank goodness. It was moving pretty quickly as it ran past me. Other than that, planted a couple of flowers in the pots on the front porch. Tom is working on the water softener. And just did little things around here. I haven't had a day off since last Saturday so things were piling up. Hope everyone is enjoying their day.

Below is winter-survival on roses being watered with rain-spout (never need to water this bed). I choose low-thorn roses for this wet bed. Winter survival is good since they are covered with 1 foot of mulch to protect the crown from freezing rain. Below is winter-survial on roses on the east side, with only 4 hrs. of morning sun: Below is 8th-year own-root Zepherine Drouhin, with the best winter survival (green to the tip) among my 150 own-root fragrant roses: Below roses are 11th-year own-root Austins, they are protected from freezing rain by a roof-hang that blocks 80% of rain:

Posting a few pics from phone. Will be back later tonight to edit and ask questions about pictures. Amy, is this the type of flower you posted on FB? IT popped up in my flowerbed, which is entirely neglected. One of many offspring from Dawn's LB petunia. Green Milkweed? Asclepias viridis? Does anyone recognize these? I have a suspicion So, the next two pics....the plant in the front, center....what is it? The last picture is the same plant. I've had lots of herbs and pollinator types of plants in this bed, including gifts from SF. And....when you look out your dining room window and see your neighbor harvesting an onion from the garden. LOL Too bad I didn't get a picture of that. The asparagus beds are currently weed-free. It took a total of 6 hours. There's dill coming up in one of the asparagus beds. Dill is so delightful. And lastly. Everyone just enjoy your garden. Whatever you're growing--flowers, veg, herbs, natives, whatever. However you're doing it--containers, tilling, raised beds, no-till....Just enjoy it. Whatever size. Don't stress so much over it. Don't judge others. Don't judge yourself. Relax (until the grasshoppers show up! grrrr!) and do what you do.

I dug one garlic today and was a little disappointed. The garlic was small. I don't know what I planted, I just got odds and ends I had around here, and bought a few at the grocery store. I am thinking about removing more garlic and a bunch of walking onion tomorrow. The walking onions will just take over your place if they get the chance. When the sun drops a little lower, I plan making a spot for cucumbers. The cucumbers are more plants we don't need, I think we have a bunch of them in the wildlife garden also, but if I have a couple of plants here at the house it will be easy to just walk out and get them, plus I found these two plant in the junk I had left over, there are some peppers that I need to put in the ground also. I need to quit starting seeds, I seem to always wind up with plants running out my ears.