Got Figs!

 Yes, I got my fig trees from Lowe's, hardy Chicago variety. Good to -20 and they don't need a separate pollinator. I also got these lime green buckets to grow them in,  $7 from Wal-Mart. Everything in my garden lives in a container, with the exception of the pear trees.
I am so tickled to have figs growing here, and then I thought....will they fruit before I die? What a weird thought! But seriously. I am 66, and it dawned on me that I will not live forever, altho I do feel like I am only 17.
O well. I guess when you are a gardener, you believe in tomorrow.

 It has been raining for days, and that makes me so happy. The fog on the ridge behind us hides the trees, and changes the landscape. The temps have been lowish but not scary, no frost worries at all. And the plants are thriving. 
 The peppers have blossoms on them an the beets are almost at the thinning stage. I will add the thinned out stems to a salad.

 The squash and green beans are going nuts, much to my delight. Little teeny squash and cucumbers are appearing along the stems. You have to look very carefully. Not a bug in site, and no weeds at all. Best of all, no bending over.

Yesterday we bought five butterfly koi from W-Mart and here are two, swimming alongside one of our goldfish. Here's what they will grow into:

 
 Juliet cherry tomatoes and Mortgage Lifter have fruited.
I've put some flowers in the tubs with the cantaloupe plants, to make them look more than just a bin of dirt.

 Along with the store bought plants I also seeded cilantro, parsley and chives, and they are all coming up, in abundance. My patience has paid off. I have one small pot of Hot and Spicy oregano to add to this herb garden.

 Daylilies, Stella D'Oro, are blooming, and in the tub, the dahlias are huge, as well as the rutabaga. I planted Stargazer bulbs and 8 of them have shown up, some too close to the rutabaga plants, so I seeded more rutabagas and they sprouted almost overnight. The rain certainly helped.

Abundance! The basil is being overtaken, and perhaps I will move some of them to a sunnier locale. Or not. I have LOTS of basil plants and many more seedlings to find homes for.

All my rootless transplanted hosta have taken hold, even in the sun and are none the worse for wear. Sigh...so happy.