It feels like it's been raining forever and ever here in North Texas. The sun was actually shining as I was hopping in the truck to head to lunch yesterday.
"Wow, what a nice March day... except that it's flippin' May!"
-Me
My garden is happy, I guess. I was out poking around today and saw several baby yellow squash and a few green cherry tomatoes.
So far all I've harvested are herbs. Cilantro bolts so early and so quickly it makes me wonder yet again, why I even try to plant it when it's only 50 cents per bunch at the market. But my basil is doing great. I put it in the container with some of my annual color on the front porch this year. We'll see how it does. It will get a lot of of intense late afternoon sun there which I think it will like.
WHAT TO PLANT NEXT I still have a couple cloth planters (like these) so this morning I was looking up what I could plant now that would survive the Texas heat when it decides to eventually show up and bake us all. The Dallas Garden School has a quick and easy list here's my plan.
Replant areas that have opened. Things like garlic and onions make way for cucumbers, eggplant, peppers and sunflowers. Which reminds me that I started some sunflowers in a pot with the intention of putting them in the ground.
Watch tomato foliage for signs of disease (yellow and brown lesions) and remove all diseased leaves. I love the smell of tomato leaves so pinching them off is not a problem! I did see some caterpillar damage to my sunflowers so probably need to get some insecticidal soap on them.
Keep pinching blooms off basil. And eating the yummy basil! I made a wonderful lemon-chickpea gluten pasta dish last night that called for parsley and I opted for basil! So delish. FUN FACT: Did you know you can diffuse Basil essential oil? It's got a wonderful fragrance!
Continue planting summer vegetables by seed: black eyed peas, okra, corn, cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins, zucchini. I always have great luck with okra. If you're just starting out with growing things -- start there! It's incredibly forgiving.
BOOKS!
Summer is reading time for me. I usually have 2-3 books going at a time. One to read on my Kindle while I float in the pool, one to listen to while I walk the Urban Farm doggos and another physical book to read when I want to be device and screen free.
I just finished The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth on Audible. I think I would have appreciated it more if I hadn't just listened to Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. Don't get me wrong, both of these books are wonderful but they both narrate from the perspective of an young woman who can get lost in her own thoughts. One lives with Autism and the other OCD.
Each book has a bit of a psych-thriller/mystery to them which is what lead me to them and each author brings their respective heroines through their own journey so beautifully. I think I just wish I'd read them a little bit further apart. I highly recommend them for anyone seeking a better understanding of what life with either of these conditions might be like. They really were insightful. And Turtles is actually a YA book so could be great for teens and tweens.
PS. It's set in Indianapolis so for my hometown peeps - give it a read and see what you recognize. Supposedly a movie someday.
Have a great rest of the week. The sun is trying to peek out and I'm gonna go for a walk!
Jenn
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