My young 'Harvester' peach tree is absolutely loaded down with peaches this year. The cold winter and chilling hours received really help set a lot of fruit. Unfortunately I never got around to thinning the fruit so they are mostly the size of apricots. Next spring I MUST get out and thin them on time! I may even pinch off flowers on the early maturing ones. Spring is just too darn busy for me!

We used a very simple trim, but I'm already thinking of some funkier alternatives, and sourcing some more deep, detailed carving from our Antique scrap dealers. Now, while these were being completed, the cuttings from Friday were waiting patiently on the drying screens, fully calloused and ready to go:

via terraingarden.typepad.com

I LOVE their succulent boxes!

I've started writing articles for a new digital magazine called Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine. It's an on-line magazine and you can sign up for a free subscription and then you'll register with the site. Lots of interesting articles and content from writers in many different climates and no ads. The first issue has articles about starting organic compost, natural pest control, starting herbs from seeds, long lasting perennials, soil for growing vegetables my article on growing roses organically, and more. I still need to read through the whole issue, but it should be interesting!

This has been a bang up year for snakes, at least in Texas. I'm a herp enthusiast so I'm always happy to find reptiles or amphibians in my garden. I've had so many snakes this year it's been crazy! These are Rough Earth snakes. They are usually mature at about a foot to 14", are non-venomous and totally harmless. They love living in gardens with cultivated soil because their primary diet is earthworms.

 

Unfortunately for the snakes, my biggest (and meanest) chicken Eunicehas quite a talent for rooting out their nests and swallowing themwhole! But, lucky for this little one, he/she was in the front yard andcan go back to rooting around in the flower beds all it likes.

Soooo.....How's it going for all you folks that planted the 'Sapho' tomato? Would love to hear if it's meeting your expectations on production, flavor etc. Do tell!

I planted this Oakleaf Hydrangea last year in my new shade bed. It's just popped into flower this past week. So lovely...

 

Still getting some decent lettuce from the 'Red Sails', 'Black Seeded Simpson' lettuce and a few other varieties, including a burgundy test lettuce. I imagine that they'll only last another week or two with the heat.

 

Here is one of my salad beds...a crazy mix of greens around the edge with carrots and some Apricota poppies (Papaver rupifragum) in the center. The poppies are just starting to bud. Should be lovely once they come into flower...

I seeded some Nasturtium as a border to one of the veggie beds...just because I had a packet of seeds kicking around. They just decided to pop into bloom yesterday...

A lovely orange Nasturtium with some purple-leafed test lettuce in the background.

A yellow Nasturtium at dusk...