Leaving New York: THE FOUNTAIN

La Fontana de Gregorio!

My friend Dyanne sent me a water fountain for my garden. It arrived today. I think it's called Sienna. It's beautiful. A very simple but large fountain that can stand on its own or be hung on a wall (which I don't really have). Kyle and I were going to hang it on one of the posts in the fence behind my patio table, but it didn't seem right. It's a big fountain with a spigot that really works. It's occupying a corner space right now, and I have to get a shorter extension cord which Kyle can bury so that it's ready to plug in any time.

I can't believe that this garden was as blank a canvas as can be imagined in March. I wouldn't call the whole process transformed. More like a work in progress. I seem to have a green thumb with plants and flowering plants, and an iffy record with vegetables. My carrots and beets were a disappointment. So was my Hubbard squash, mainly because the leaves were so large, they bullied everything. I finally dug it out and tossed it. That said, I had great success with radishes, and my cucumbers are just brilliant. They will be harvested in another two weeks. I have regular cukes, lemon cukes and Kirby's. The are a vine vegetable and I tamed them with three bamboo trellises and they are really beautiful. I had great success with red leaf lettuce and my jalapeno peppers have done very well too. Next week I'm cleaning out the basil and putting up frozen pesto sauce for the winter. The herbs: dill, basil, sage, coriander, thyme, spearmint, chives, tarragon, Italian parsley, are growing wild.

My first tomato. Tough skin.

I harvested my first tomato this week. They have been growing in upside-down pots from my balcony all summer long. The plants are heavy with fruit now and should be producing through September. I was inordinately proud of my first tomato, but let me tell you it had a skin like cement.