A WEED GROWS IN QUEENS

Here again with the report from the Backyard Garden voted Urban America's Favorite in 17 of the country's 20 top-selling gardening magazines (as requested from someone a few weeks ago, a picture of our garden's West Field appears at left; that's our house in the rear right).

After the Traveling Weekend Monsoon known as New York's Summer of 2006 failed to show up as reported, we got to do a little work out back. In addition to the usual weeding and maintainance, I finally moved the marigolds I grew from seed a couple months back into the flower bed. Very cool feeling. The various other annuals are doing fine, and the coleus & silverdust I also raised from seed look almost ready to plant too. They're too small yet, and clearly my plan to use them to line the edge of the flower bed ain't happening.

(Note to self: seed earlier in future. In fact, we're thinking of seeding now for mumms or other autumn flowers.)

Two of the tomato plants have fruit, but the third isn't yielding anything yet. We sampled some of the arugula -- also grown from seed -- last week too. I liked it, but my wife thought it was too spicy, too sharp tasting. Hopefully in time the taste will lighten up a bit. The red lettuce plants continue to be monsters, supplying quite a bit, and the various herb plants still look like weeds to me: grow fast & wildly, regardless of the weather. There's no shortage of herbs for cooking, let me tell you.

So, as spring turns to summer, and the water needs and other maintainance issues become more pressing, Urban America's Favorite Backyard Garden nonetheless continues. As I said a month or so ago, based on last year, now's the time when it all gets difficult. We grew less last summer, but much of it took a turn for the worse during July & August. We'll have to see how we've progressed, if at all.

More to come . . .