The Backyard Swamp

Lauren

It’s been raining pretty constantly for five weeks now.

This has led to truly insane levels of mud, standing water, muddy chicken eggs (gross), exponential plant growth, and mosquitos that make enjoying the lushness next to impossible.

Exhibit A:

The 6 different tomatoes have become one tomato monolith. Not gonna lie getting to the middle of this isn’t the easiest thing in the world. That 7′ tall cherry in the back is the one that sprouted in the brick patio last fall and I carried through the winter and snowmageddon. It’s like a pet now.

The front of the “not-chicken proof chicken-fencing” WAS planted with 3 zucchini’s and 3 acorn squash(es?)… but squash borers have been wreaking havoc. Which is sad because zucchini plants have AMAZING foliage. The color! The size! The imminent collapse of the last one standing! Sigh… not sure how everyone else prevents those damn things… but I’m not doing a daily inspection of each leaf, so que sura sara.

So I gave my youngest the loose seeds in the bottom of the “seed bag” (where I kept all the packets) to plant. So here is another zucchini, terribly placed next to a walkway- it is like succession planting, right?
After I planted acorn squash I found out it is supposed to be one of the most susceptible to squash borers, so not the greatest of news. But the lone survivor of the squash borer genocide is trucking along for now. I have to raise the fruit up on a pot so it doesn’t rot as the ground is perpetually soggy. This is what we call “new territory” round these here parts. Also beDAMNED bermuda grass making it’s way everywhere.

Exhibit B of the current lushness/chaos:

Why yes that is a sunflower that’s almost as big as the peach tree. The eye rests on no open spaces currently… every inch is filled with something, most likely sunflowers, amaranth, self seeded wheat, and tropical milkweed seedlings. Oh and self seeded zinnias. I’m kinda bitching but not really bitching.

Here is another one of the self seeded plants. May I present to you: our bridge devouring prairie coreopsis?

It’s the loveliest damn thing- self seeded in what USED to be the dry creek… that is now just a collection of rocks, mud, and washed out mulch from al the rain. Luckily one of the kids got grounded, so cleaning out the creek is some good ol’ fashioned “go pick up rocks” punishment! Hope they keep talking back all summer!
View from the other side, dog for scale.
Speaking of pets… here is Alabama, very slowly growing his fur back in! All it took was $300 at the vet and the pecan pollen season to be over. Lacey still looks like a Chupacabra though- but one out of two isn’t bad.

The herbs are all going gangbusters… except the sweet basil for some reason… that one is almost stunted looking. You know what isn’t though- the Castroville basil babies!

Three pots of Castroville basil seedlings. There are 4 that are in the ground in various spots of the yard as well. The yellow flowered plant in the background is a self seeded kale, there is another on the opposite corner of the patio as well. This picture properly conveys the muddy, weedy current state of the dry creek.
This oregano has languished for YEARS and is finally coming into it’s own and filling in. Hope it doesn’t need to get this amount of watering forever though!

And finally:

I had a devil of a time finding white cosmos seeds back in March. And I was so excited when I finally found some! Well turns out that was a bait and switch- because these are lemon yellow and not white, and also dwarf instead of normal sized. Sure they’re pretty, but I had a plan for y’all and you dwarf lemon bastards F-ed it all up! Gah!

That’s it for now- it’s supposed to rain AGAIN later today, so I guess I could get in an hour of weeding or so… but I’m not gunna.

3 thoughts on “The Backyard Swamp”

  1. Everything grows so lushly in your yard, Lauren! We’re just getting started here, trying to grow a few things and coax them to come out into the cool air. Funny how the weeds don’t mind the cool air though. That’s one thing I can grow well! Anyway, I envy you all those lovely plants. Your place is a beautiful jungle of life.

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