The kitchen garden — late summer

I’ve been making some changes in the kitchen garden.

Here’s what it looked like in May:

And here it is as of this week:

The biggest difference is that I connected the five individual vegetable/herb beds into one large one, which almost doubled my growing space.  Later in the fall, I will use stepping stones to divide the large area into eight smaller ones.

Most of the gaps in the bed now are where I covered the grass between the five original beds, but there are a few other open spots where I’ve pulled out plants now that it’s late summer and they are past their prime.

I have begun to put in some fall veggies, starting with cauliflower.  I hope to add broccoli and lettuces soon.

On the right side of the photos above, the skinny mulched area was originally where I put my raspberries, but I didn’t like the way it looked, so I moved those to the back corner along the fence.  My plan now is to put hydrangeas in that area to complement the peonies that are just out of sight at the bottom of the photos.  Also, the small rose bed in the botttom right of the photos is now balanced by the beginnings of a similar bed in the upper right of the second photo.

The border along the fence is where the blueberry bushes are, as well as various roses, perennials, and other plants I’ve been planting for visual interest and to attract bees, butterflies, and dragonflies.

I would like to eventually get rid of all the grass in this area of the yard and instead have mulched paths.  It’s going to be a laborious project, so I’m not rushing to start it anytime soon!

Jeff and Tom are outside right now finishing the siding on the shed.  I hope to paint the door next week, then will post photos.