This spring marks the third year of my gardening efforts.  Two years ago I began with a few pots on the patio and had decent luck with tomatoes, herbs and peppers, at least for a black-thumbed rookie.  Last year my boys built me this terrific raised bed.  The bugs and so forth proved to be more of a challenge out there but we still did okay.  A fall round of planting was almost totally neglected so there’s nothing but my own laziness to blame for that failure.  Now, a new round of spring plants are beginning to thrive, despite their late entry into the dirt.

Between the pots and the bed, we’ve got five tomato plants, okra, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, watermelon, banana pepper, datil pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, dill, oregano, parsley, mint and chives.

Jack has been a great help with watering and feeding.  The oscillating sprinkler that now lives in the middle makes routine watering a lot easier.

The sage survived the winter and is making a nice comeback, including these pretty purple blossoms.

Baby squash!  I’m hoping to keep the squash bugs away this year.

There are already a handful of cute little baby cucumbers.

Winter didn’t phase the rosemary.  It thrived  There are two of these, both turning into small shrubs.

Tiny tomatoes are popping up all over.

Marjoram is another herb that made it through the winter and is now blooming and thriving.

And basil has already been whacked back and turned into pesto.

Petunias, pentas and impatiens are adding color and pretty to the blocks this year.