The rose bushes and the irises have been in full bloom lately, giving the backyard lots of pretty colors. Also contributing to the colors are the potted marigolds I’ve put around for pest control.
I was reminded that marigolds are a pest deterrent when we were in Cuba in March. Almost all farming in Cuba is organic, because fertilizer and pesticide are too expensive for most farms to afford.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on the back garden. I ripped out the kale and peas I planted in the fall, as they were looking pretty sad. This made room for strawberries and marigolds. I left in the spinach and brussels sprouts.
In another bed, I planted tomatoes, basil, jalepenos, serranos, and bell peppers. Again, I included some marigolds.
I added marigolds in with the blueberry bushes. The bushes are looking a little sad — I’m not sure if it’s a lack of sun or a lack of water. I added a couple of extra irrigation hoses, so we’ll find out if it’s water soon enough.
In the fourth bed, I planted last year’s jalepeno plant that had been living in a pot. I also planted the rest of the marigolds (I definitely over bought!), a random leek that decided to sprout instead of compost, and some green onions that I planted from the very roots of green onions we bought to eat.
I also cleaned up leaves and weeds from the spaces between the beds. Eventually, I’d like to put in some ground cover back there too. My current though is that a crushed rock path would be nice, but I haven’t priced it out.
The roses are beautiful and I love how your vegetable garden is shaping up. Clever, I hadn’t thought of marigolds for pest control!