Linda,

Welcome to Southeast Idaho!

I'm just north of you in Idaho Falls.

Our climate is a bit more harsh. Usually we are about 2 weeks behind you.

Today, I got the last of my warm weather vegetables in . . squash, cucumbers and I'm trying a melon, Minnesota Midget (small cantaloupes -- very early).

I'm harvest lettuce & greens I planted from transplants. The first radishes are close. Everything is up except the green beans I put in a week ago.

I'm kind of exited about my tomatoes this year. Usually I just grow Celebrity and Early Girl. This year I'm being a bit more adventurous --- added Black Krim (love the flavor) and Ida Gold (an early tomato from the University of Idaho).

My garden is a bit interesting. My home faces north. My backyard is pretty shady. I have a garden on the West side that does pretty well but it is limited in size (about 15 ft by 25 ft.). I also have a raised planter behind my garage (that where the tomatoes, cucumbers and melons are). And, I use pots on my covered patio (early greens, peppers, a few flowers, etc.).

Most of my sun is in the front. I mostly do flowers there. There year it is kind a cottage garden theme: butterfly flowers, snapdragons, zinnias, marygolds, lupins, lilies, etc.

I also do a shade bed under one of my big blue spruces -- usually begonias, impatiens, hostas, etc. Not in yet. Hopefully this week.

Steve

Hey Steve,
It was so wonderful to read about your gardens. They sound amazing! Hasn't this weather been interesting? I am glad to finally be in the 70's for a few days but it appears we are about to be back in the 60's again. Oh well... in a few weeks we will all be complaining how hot it is. :-)

I completely changed up my gardening plans. LOL A young man was supposed to come help us dig out our beds but he never showed up so after two weeks I just started digging them out myself. Boy oh boy!! My poor aching muscles. LOL I dug out the smallest and it looks really pretty. I put my perennials in it that I brought with me from my home in Wyoming. I am going to take my time deciding how to fill up the rest but for now I put all my baby petunia seedlings in that I grew from seed. (Petunias really germinate well!!! LOL)

I want to someday have a small vegetable garden plot in my back yard. I have probably an 8x8 area that gets full sun so I will put it there but for now I am going to work on my flower beds but oh boy from reading your thread my mouth is sure watering!

I did put in two tomato plants in large 19 gallon buckets. I bought two plants from a fellow at the farmer's market here in Pocatello. The names are Mortgage Lifter (neat story about how this was named on the internet) and Pineapple. They are heirloom tomatoes so we will see how they do. I sure wish I had known about the Ida Gold. I will definitely have to try that one next year. I have one more bucket for a small cherry type tomato. I am going to go to a nursery near here today and see what they recommend.
I will wish us both luck!! LOL

Well, I don't want to write a book right off the bat. It was nice talking to you.

Linda