Mid-June Backyard Bounty

One of the lovely things about living in a place like north Texas is how easy it is to grow your own food.  Lots of heat and sunlight go a long way toward generating good growth.  As long as you water things well and watch for pests, you've got some good food on the table.

Though I neglected to replant one bed that I'd used for winter crops, I did plant two others with a variety of yummy summer delights: sweet corn, green peppers, luscious tomatoes, strawberries and watermelon.

If you've considered growing your own food but think planting beds is too arduous, you don't need to - just get a few big pots and have at it.  Many foods grow really well in containers.  In fact, here in Texas I have to keep my avocado and citrus trees in pots because they need to be brought inside in winter.  You can read more about container gardening by doing an internet search (including finding some inspirational photos), but click here for one blog with some good, quick information.

Here are a few shots of our backyard bounty:

Juicy tomato ready for plucking.

Second batch of sweet corn is almost ready to pick.  You haven't tasted truly sweet corn until you've tasted sweet corn from your own backyard.

One of seven watermelons now growing.  This one is actually growing in our strawberry patch.  The watermelon vines are really aggressive.

Granny Smith apple.

Golden delicious apple.

Lemons.

Butterfly Garden

One of the really fun projects I completed this Spring at my children's school was the installation of a Butterfly Garden.  I also bought a butterfly kit so the children could watch the caterpillars transform, then release the butterflies into the garden.

Butterfly gardens aren't just pretty to look at - they serve a purpose when placed near a vegetable garden such as the one I installed at the school.  Butterflies, like bees, are great pollinators - but they don't sting.  This is a plus for the kids since they love to tend to the vegetables.

Creating such a garden is a very simple and fun project to do with kids.  Just prepare a garden bed and fill it with plants that attract butterflies!  This includes plants that caterpillars love to munch on (such as herbs like dill, oregano and fennel), as well as flowering, nectar-producing plants that butterflies love to visit.

Here is an aerial view of our butterfly garden:

Top row, from left:

Verbena, Blue Salvia, Lavender, Phlox, White Salvia

Bottom row, from left:

Lantana, Dill, Oregano, Lantana, Blue Salvia, Phlox

 

Once the butterflies were ready to be released, the children gathered around and I opened the enclosure right inside the garden:

The children cheered as the butterflies flew from the enclosure.  The last butterfly needed some encouragement, so I lent a hand:

What a beautiful day.