A few evenings ago, John and I visited the veggie garden to check on our plant babies. It’s so rewarding to see things actually GROWING in the backyard, and the view from up on the hill is lovely! During the hot part of the summer, we use light cotton blankets to shade the garden and keep the temperature more consistent. The basil plants seem to be doing fine, and two of the three lettuces we planted from seed are taking off. The cucumber is slow but progressing, and the yellow squash has blossoms. I spied a baby squash! John added some stinky organic fertilizer at the base of the plants. For Cholula, “garden time” means “find rabbit holes and dig.”
John’s hot pepper plants are doing well. The chile de arbol has little flowers, and flowers mean future peppers! I also counted fourteen jalapeños! But it’s really the tomatoes that we care most about. Happily, all four plants are healthy and growing, filling up their small space with yellow blossoms and a few heavy vines of green fruit. And then we saw it. The moment every high altitude gardener dreams of: our first ripe tomato! Glorious!
And the potted garden on the patio? Well, a hungry and greedy critter enjoyed the salad bar we naively provided. Whether it was the mama moose and twin babies we’ve seen in the neighborhood, a brave deer, or the fat squirrel we call John Candy, we don’t know… but he chomped up most of the mint, the big sweet peppers right off of the plant, most of the Italian parsley, and all of the habanero blossoms. RUDE. I’ve moved the most delicious items up onto our bedroom deck and all are rebounding nicely. In fact, I see mini buds on the habanero plant that mean flowers are on the way!
The view is also beautiful from the deck, particularly when we get a good sunset. There have been a couple of stunners recently! The summer sky can be simply magical in Park City. (Cholula is not impressed.)
We dined on delicious tomato toastettes, our favorite summertime meal. We used store-bought heirloom tomatoes this time, but know it won’t be long until we’ll be harvesting deliciousness from our own vines!
Garden 2015: So far, so good! (Unless John Candy figures out where I hid the salad bar.)
One year ago: July wildflowers on one of my favorite Park City trails.
the usual bliss 
Garderners amaze me. I do not have a green thunb and kill most things I attrempt to grow. My kids say they don’t know how they survived with me taking care of them. I tell them because they can feed and water themselves.
I’ll admit that it’s John’s hard work that keeps things alive! But once he gets the soil prepped, sunshine and regular water work miracles. 🙂
I tell my mom the same thing and that the reason the dog and I survived is because we’re not green. 😉
I love that you named the squirrel John Candy. Rude little critter! Happy harvesting, Amber!
He was chubby and adorable when we gave him the name. He then began pillaging the bird feeders and is a likely candidate for the potted garden destruction…
“The fat squirrel we can John Candy” – HAAAA
VERY GOOD LOVE YOU BOTH