Thy-y-y-yme is on your side. Yes, it is!

 The Women's Resource Center in Burlington, NC has a fundraising Herb Festival every Spring.

I've been looking forward to the absurd abundance they provide to put a variety of thyme in the front of one of the vegetable beds.  I passed up 3 that didn't have enough scent to convince me they'd be any good for cooking.

Left to right, they are Creeping Lemon, English, Foxley (which I"d gotten at the Carrboro Farmers' Market a month ago.), Red Mother of and Transparent Yellow.

It cracks me up that the tall one is Creeping Thyme and that one is really, truly named Red Mother of (thyme).  It doesn't look particularly red right now.  I'm hoping the sun will inspire it.  I had English thyme in the kitchen garden by the house until the lavender overwhelmed it, so it it the one I'm most familiar with.  I'm looking forward to using these because I really do love the flavor.

Critter Netting

Installed critter netting today using standard 1" PVC pipe and netting found online specifically designed for farming purposes. The pipe will allow us to use clear plastic in the winter for greenhouse/cold frame growing. I need to get some tent stakes to help anchor it. The wind today is blowing it around a bit.

Beds are full

From the house this is the back left bed.  Full of tomatoes.  Romas, Sweet 100s and some "heirloom slicing tomatoes" that Liane gave us when they had as many as they could use for Vimala's Curryblossom Café.  I planted "French Double Dwarf Mixed Colors" marigold seeds in the holes on the outside edge.

This is the back right bed.  Chuck started "Little Marvel" peas, "Red Burgundy" okra and eggplants in the bed from seeds.  He also started "Ruby Red" Swiss chard and (mixed, orange yellow and white) carrots in pots and they have been transplanted, today.   Carrots in the left side holes (from this angle) and chard in the bed and in most of the other holes.

I, also, put marigold seeds in between the strawberries in the bed in front of this one.

Also, please note the outside of the blocks have been stained "Tuscan Sunset."

Sprouting

Peas sprouted yesterday, okra today.

We will NOT be mowing between the beds.

Also, rabbits found the strawberries Saturday night.  Chuck is working on netting to keep the rabbits out and still let sun and rain in.  They haven't gotten to the other stuff, yet.

We intend to stain the blocks to make them a little more attractive, too, if it will stop raining for a few days so they can get dry enough to to that little chore. It's hard to let myself wish for a little dry spell, though.  I have a fear that it will become another drought.  The stain can wait if it suits the weather.

Chuck added seeds to the back right bed.  Peas are starting to appear.  Nothing from the okra or eggplants yet.

Three nasturtiums have shown up in the holes on the outside edge of the left front bed.  Cilantro seeds in the back holes of the front right bed and basil seeds in the back holes of the front left bed.  Still waiting for sprouts.

We found more volunteer leaf lettuce in the old salad bed that is incubating cantaloupe seeds.  They have been moved to the holes in the front of the left front bed, where the other salad stuff is growing.  The arugula/rocket seeds are sprouting in between the other lettuces, too.

First fruit

Planting seeds

Today I planted peas, okra, eggplant, basil and cilantro in the raised beds. I also planted cantaloupe seeds in a separate spot for my sweetie who loves the lope.