Repurposed washtub planter with sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano

If you’ve read any of my gardening posts (the Sow ones), you already know that I really don’t know what I’m doing. Sure, I’ve been planting and harvesting stuff in North Texas for a few years now, but it’s always a bit of a crapshoot. Trial and lots of error. Lots of error.

Herbs always have done very well for me, especially during the cooler months (November-February).

The kitchen herb planter had a fantastic winter. Parsley is bolting but the flowers are pretty.

Of course, cooler is never a given, even during the winter here. I barely had to cover the garden at all which is unusual for North Texas—there are usually a few days of very cold weather, ice or even snow.

No snow/ice days for us this year.  The unpredictable weather here is always a challenging variable, but I also like to make it hard on myself by trying new things.

For spring and summer 2016, I’ve planted some of my favorites (aka plants that have grown well for me):

Bell peppers (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Jalapeno peppers (transplants from North Haven Gardens), shown here with a rogue red romaine lettuce

Anaheim chilis (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Basil (transplants from Trader Joe’s)

Sweet 100 tomatoes (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Okra (seeds from Botanical Interests) — still tiny because it’s not hot enough for their usual fast growing

Black eyed peas (seeds from last year’s harvest that were from plants grown from Botanical Interests seeds) — even tinier than the okra so not shown.

Shishito peppers (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

I’ll be planting tomatillo seeds (from Sweet Corn Garden Organics) very soon—probably this weekend. Just waiting for it to get slightly warmer during the daytime hours. The plants grow like weeds here and I make a lot of salsa verde, so this year I’m planting double the amount I planted last year.

And now, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to my 2016 experiments:

Artichoke (transplant from North Haven Gardens)

Black Bean (transplant from North Haven Gardens)

Arkansas Traveler tomatoes (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Mortgage Lifter tomatoes (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Flying Saucer squash (transplants from North Haven Gardens)

Fingers crossed for a successful growing season! And for keeping Gidget from eating all the plants!

although I have netted and fenced the fig tree, it looks like there are just a few figs left for spring. luckily it is sprouting more which should be ready in the summer.

And maybe we will have plums this year too — Gidget and Godiva are doing a fine job of squirrel scaring.