We realized last summer that we hardly ever sat on the patio because it was too hot and sunny. Also, our patio is right in line with our neighbor’s deck so we don’t have much privacy. So we moved the table and chairs to a relatively flat section of the lawn under the shade of the cherry tree. Then we filled the patio with pots of berries, herbs, vegetables and flowers.
Now we have a mixture of edibles and ornamentals as well as plants to attract pollinators and plants needing pollinators.
Between the herbs and flowers, we have lots of bees.
Here’s a close up. Look at all that pollen!
Last summer we had fabulous eggplants. So we tried again this year. Unfortunately, it’s been so cool this summer, I’m not sure we’re going to have any eggplants. The flowers only appeared last week.
On a whim (and after feeling giddy about our eggplant success last year), we decided to try melons in the Earthbox this year. Well they sure are vining out over the herbs and reaching for the garden bed!
Wait! What’s that in Curmdugeon’s hand? A baby melon! Come on little one! Grow! Grow!
We finally wised up and put bird netting over the fig tree, strawberries, and blueberries, which are all growing in pots on the patio. Now we are harvesting a bit of fruit for ourselves – not just losing it all to the birds and other varmints. Here’s today’s harvest of ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberries and ‘Seascape’ strawberries.
So we have flowers and fruit, herbs and vegetables, lots of bees, and even hummingbirds visiting the salvia and agastache. Why on earth would we want patio furniture here?
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