Gardening Time, My Favorite Time of the Year

I love this vine.  It grows like crazy all summer long and in the fall it flowers out with the most wonderful pink flowers.
The bees love it and I love the sound of the constant buzzing.  It is really amazing.  It's called Queen Anns Wreath.  It is worthy to be named after a Queen.  

Different angle of the vine.  I put up this cover a year ago and it has been amazing how much better my garden does.  I love this time of year.  Alot has to be done to get it cleaned up after the hot hard summer.  

You can see my raised garden beds under the canopy. 

I love taking old wheel barrels and things that are of on use anymore and making them into planters.  From wheel barrels to old kitchen drawers, you will see it in my garden.  

You can see the kitchen drawers, and some great planter a youmg man in the neighbor hood made to make money for his mission.   In a month or more they will be filled with plants.  

Ok,  this looks horrible, but I have a vision.  This is the starting of my Fairy Garden.   The mirror in the back ground is to attract fairies.  This is an old cast iron bath tub that I could not part with.  It is over 60 years old.  It makes a great planter and will be a wonderful garden for the Fairies when it is done.  I will post picture later on in the year.   It is going to be perfect and my grand daughter will love it.  

My wife does not appreciate my hap hazard gardening style.  The post that is in the middle is a collection of my dead garden tools.  It adds charecter to my garden.  

Morning Glories are one of my favorites.  I love them.  

I plant every where I can fit in things. Mums are great,  after they flower, trim them back and they grow
again and again.  They are amazing.  

This one is my herb box.  I love growing fresh herbs.  This box is dedicated to all herbs.  I can fill it up
with them. and they are great for cooking.  Nothing like cooking with fresh herbs to enhance the meal.  

Square food gardening is the best.  I have to say that I have tried buying the already made boxes '
at the nurseries and they fall apart quickly.  I made my own years ago and they still are strong and sturdy.
The cheap ones in the nursery last maybe two seasons and really you don't save much by buying them.
The ones I made cost more, but they have lasted years and will probably last more years.  

My chair.  I love sitting here.  Under the canopy, surrounded by fresh herbs., bees buzzing overhead,
birds chirping,  I love it.  

This is a wonderful vine I planted last year.  Malibar Spinach.  It is lovely and very good for you.
It grows really fast and seeds, leaved, and flowers are edible.  

Don't you just love new growth.  To me it is as miracle.  How a tiny seed can grow into a large plant, producing food or flowers.  The miracle of life.  

Sweet peas are coming up.  I am so excited.  

     A great man once said that "Working in the soil purifies the Soul".  I believe.  The garden is my place of refuge.  I love working in the soil.  It does great things for me.  I do feel purified after I spend time digging in the soil.  Gardening is a miracle.  The Arizona desert is a hard place to garden.  It takes work, patience, work, endurance, work, and alot of water.  Sometimes I don't get to harvest much, but I continue to work at it.  Enjoying watching it grow, even though sometimes just before the harvest it burns up.  To me gardening is kinda like life.  Sometimes it's really great, and sometimes it stinks.  But there is still great joy to be found when we are diligent and continue to work at it.  I have had success and lots of failures, but there is a sweetness to be found in the ups and downs of gardening.  After all trails like working in the soil does purify the soul.  Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy