Reclaiming the Garden

Oh boy, it has taken all week but we have reclaimed our garden.  Those weeds were ferocious!  And so many of them!!!  This morning I put in the last of the seeds.  I really don't know if we will harvest all that I planted.  There is always the possibility of an early winter here in the mountains.  We are so late with planting but we are not the only ones.  Everyone I talked with is in the same predicament.  We will hope for the best and enjoy what we get.  I've already began harvesting a few lettuce leaves, beet tops and three strawberries that weren't quite ripe.  I love going to the garden and harvesting lunch or dinner. 

The marigolds are planted next to the squash to deter insects.  It doesn't hurt that they look pretty as well.  Please ignore the crooked rows, I've never been able to plant or draw a straight line, even with a ruler or string, as the case may be.  At this point, I've given up.  After awhile, when the plants get big enough, only a perfectionist would be able to tell.

We've also planted yarrow off to the side to discourage deer.  In addition, we've planted mint in hollow logs and chives.  Deer do not care for these plants and so far they've not eaten anything even though they rest not ten feet away, on the other side of the electric fence.  They are beautiful and we enjoy seeing them but attempt to discourage them from coming too close.

We are grateful for our little spot here in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.