Azaleas!

We have a seedling tray in our back yard, and despite killer hail this weekend, we have the start of three different varieties of tomatoes (canning, slicing and grape-sized), two varieties of carrots (purple and orange), cucumber, zucchini, and one lone little Anaheim chile, whose seeds I took out of a pepper from the grocery store just to see if they'd grow.  I am anxiously waiting for signs that the lettuce seeds we planted in front of our house are going to do something, as well as the French breakfast radishes.  Our baby fig tree has little fig nubs on it, and the blueberry bushes have blossoms, so I am hopeful for June berries.  We have seeds for cantaloupe, sweet corn, pole beans, sweet peas, sunflowers and pumpkins which have yet to be planted.  I am afraid we have missed the time for the sweet peas, and they may have to wait for a fall crop--it gets too hot for delicate things pretty fast here!  We also have sage, basil, oregano, marjoram, savory and mint plants that need to get into the ground--as soon as we get the other two raised beds built.  I think that is a project for this weekend. There are also a couple of things we are growing just for the sheer pleasure of it, like morning glories, which are just starting to sprout, and the climbing roses and azaleas and spring bulbs, which are in their glory right now.

I grew up gardening with my family, and mostly remember tomato worms and potato bugs, but also how lovely it was to open a can of tomato juice in the doldrums of winter--liquid sunshine!  As an adult, all our efforts have been confined to small containers on patios and mostly herbs, with the odd chile pepper making it, so this is a first.  We are seeing this as the "see if it will work" year, and aren't expecting to feed ourselves more than a few meals, but who knows?  I have this secret desire to need to master the pressure canner this year, because we have such abundance that it needs preserving.   

Tulips and jonquils