Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today...

Finally got everything in the ground. Well, maybe not quite yet everything, but pretty close. Watered everything in well using an old sprinkler I found lying around. It can't turn on its own, so I have to move it every five minutes or so, but it sure cuts down the work. Here's the plan for the layout of this year's garden (very subject to change :D ).

It's kind of hard to see, so here's what it says. The first square on the very top left is carrots, the one next to it is green beans, then melons and sunflowers, then pumpkins, then Butternut squash, and the last on the top row is cucumbers and summer squash. The middle row starting on the left is Carrots, Green beans, the flower bed, Roma tomatoes, onions and Basil. The last one on the middle row has Jalapeno transplants, onions, and Roma Tomatoes. The bottom row starting on the left is an empty weedy patch (oops :D), then a scraggly patch of Cilantro, the large bed is corn, green beans and peas. The one next to it is Roma tomatoes and basil, then Cherry tomatoes and Basil and lastly, but not least, 'Early Girl' variety tomatoes, basil, and thyme. On the left (North) side of the garden is another Cilantro Bed along the fence. "Below" the garden (W) is a trellised flower garden/patio. "Above" the garden (E) is the corn field that marks off our property line :). Here are some pictures I took of it today in its bare bones. 

 It was such a beautiful day. Sorry for the mess, though. I had just gotten through planting everything.

 Watering in the seeds. See that scraggly patch in the back. that's my cilantro "bed." It's growing like crazy. Last year, I only got one little plant to survive. This year, with all of the rain. seeds from that one little plant came up EVERYWHERE! so, I just pulled up a few here and there, picked out a little group and mulched it. Now, it's a monster! At least I have lots of fresh cilantro for salsa.

 My cucumber trellises. They're kind of bent up and still have some spikes that need to be cut off. They used to be part of my dog's kennel before we gave her away.

 This is one of the bottle reservoirs I wrote about before. I need to collect more for some of the other beds. I usually just stick them in as I can get them. Milk jugs are good too, and not at all scarce at our home :) I just poke several tiny holes with a thumbtack all around the bottle in the bottom half and bury it. When I first start plants, I just water the soil around them by hand, because their roots still haven't grown long enough to reach. Once the plants' roots are long enough, I go ahead and just fill up the bottles a couple of times and maybe a little bit of sprinkling the soil and they're good to go for at least a week. These are my best friend. Especially during a drought. They put the water right where you need it and where it won't evaporate as easily.

 Jalapeno transplants. I had some strong, healthy (though, fruitless),bell pepper plants potted up that I overwintered after hearing that peppers were perennials. Long story short, after aphid attacks, being stuck in the garage for a week during thanksgiving- oops : ) - and being burned when I tried to get rid of the aphids infesting them.