Green After the Storm

Why is is that everything looks greener after a storm? It's as if someone took some Windex to a dirty window - the world is brighter and greener...twinkling.

I love the garden after a rain in the summer. A good soaker. You can almost hear the little plants emit a collective *sigh* and then wiggle their happy roots in the soft soil.

The past few days have reminded me of last summer's heat-laden drought where I had to water things twice a day just to break even. The humidity and temperature lately have kept me on my toes with the watering can. Today's rain will really make things pop in the upcoming week or so.

I'm proud to say that the eggplant appears to have a bloom! Maybe that ladybug I found on him over the weekend gave him an ego boost - she must be tending to him just as I am. I love growing vegetables that I have no experience with. It's such an adventure as to how fast things grow, when they bloom, what a bloom even looks like, and when they're ready to harvest. I've heard the people have mixed results with potted eggplants, but I'm encouraged that he's happy enough to start blossoming.


Another blossom spotted today - my hungarian wax pepper also appears to be recovering nicely from his bout with aphids. I love it when little buds are nestled within a tangle of leaves, as if the plant is saying "I've got a secret, look what I've been working on!" Those blooms are always the best - the ones where the flower goes unnoticed until lo-and-behold, one day there's a full-grown veggie ready to be picked. I snapped this little bud after the storm - he wasn't sneaky enough to avoid my watchful eye:


Getting ready for the newest harvest of the season - the peas are almost fat enough for snacking. It was beautiful to see the water beading and dripping lazily from the pods today after the rain. The results are even better than I thought they would be for my first stab. We're going to have more than just one or two pods!


Lastly, I'm breathing a sigh of relief when it comes to my baby cucs. It appears that the starlings have moved on and decided NOT to snip off my sprouts (like they did with round #2 of the radish). All plants are alive and happy as clams - I've seen some true leaves starting to form as well. I'm curious to see if the cucs start climbing on their own or if I'm going to have to guide them up a trellis or cage.