Any hope for tomatoes?

Laurie - I think you should put faces on those pots. Maybe some of those little eyes from the craft store - some felt bowties and hair ribbons. They'll do double-duty.

And, Katie, I had this image of you as being chic and stylish! elegant in the extreme, tasteful, with a marvellously balanced eye - alas. Gauche. sigh.

Chic on the outside (gauche on the inside). No . . . wait . . . is that gauche on the outside and chic on the inside? Hmmmmmm . . .

May you have a reversible lining -

Laurie, I love you, you got it all together.

The bus is in a standstill at the moment, Pegasus has refused to fly, because the bus has not been painted, to his satisfaction, with to weather and work work has damper its production and will have to wait till maybe Sept. or next year.

Hey, Laurie, did you make the netting for all your tall things to grow up or buy it already made. It looks very stout.

I make it - very easy - I run strings out horizontally, tying in when ever I hit an end (I work with a length of string that is the full run+ about 1mtr - tied in at the end with a wrap around the consecutive uprights.) The verticals I cut a length of string measured from the cross support to the ground+ 5cm x2. fold in half and attach using a half hitch to the cross bars. The string is just worked down the horizontals with a wrap at each crossing and tied at the bottom.

It sounds more complicated than it is - and it is one of those deliciously repeative projects where you can really let your mind wander.

I love how that looks as well Laurie and plan to give it a shot for my cukes this year. The pics of your garden really are inspiring. It's sort of like a rookie boxer watching Rockie for the first time. =)

Hmmmm Laurie,
I just love your vegetable area, it is so lovely and neat. You have inspired me to grow a new plant, I have never seen Artichoke growing, I have never eaten them before. I don't know why, I guess I was never anywhere to try them...but I am going to grow them just because they look so cool! I will have to see how to start them...are they from seeds? Very interesting looking plant!
Thanks for sharing,
Carla

You've never eaten an artichoke!!!!!! That is my favorite vegetable. Even growing up in Fairbanks, we'd have them - especially on my birthday.

I think it's a great idea to grow them or cardoon, which looks much like them. They'll be happy at your place with all the sun you have.

My favorite veggie...hmmm its a toss up between asparagus and brussel sprouts. Nope never had the opportunity to try it.

Laurie, your gardens continue to delight and amaze! You are a master of structures in the ornamental and the vegetable garden. How do you manage to commute so far to work and also keep up such a lovely expanse of garden in addition to patios and steps and I can't even remember all the projects.... I am way slow this year with getting the veggies planted and the weeds have become monstrous on every front. Sigh.

(MHF - don't forget, I cut down workwork to 3 days this summer! Shhh, don't tell the patients what I doing instead).

But thank you, all, for the praise and enthusiasm - I think it is the equivalent of compost for the gardener - keeps me enervated!

cocoa, do try growing Artichokes, they look beautiful as back of the flower bed plants - tall and silvery grey - and if you leave them to go to seed they have a gorgeous purple thistle head that isn't invasive. But eating them is the bonus - just yummy! You will be adding them to your list of favourites right along with b.sp. and aspar! Two of my favourites too - do you grow the lovely little red brussel sprouts - like minature red cabbages!

MHF, I too am so far behind it could reduce me to tears if I would let it! But I am trying to be patient with myself (and life) and know that sometime in the future, it will be beautiful.

Laurie, you are truly amazing - such lovely, lovely gardens.

Thank you thank you

I may have to grow Brussels Sprouts just so I can see what they taste like fresh. I have not yet met a BS I liked . . .

any good fried green tomato recipes?

Beth - I think we have a thread on tomatoes back there somewhere in which people posted FGT recipes . . .

BTW how are your pups?

I'll have to find that thread...might need it this year. All the rescue pups are doing great, mostly laying splayed out on the tile floor to keep cool.

That's great. It guess it's been hot for you guys this week . . . supposed to be hot for us today and through the weekend. Better get the fans and the kiddy pools out.