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My next adventure into gardening was again a bit more formal, [ You guys do realize that I have over 30 years of gardening stories to go over here don't you????? ] I sat on the back porch and picked out a spot up in the field that I could see sitting on my favorite chair on the porch. I dug out an 8' X 8" area, made a square around it with 6X6, put down plastic on 1/2 of the area and made a small brick patio with left over bricks from the house. I bought a cement bench and painted it white to sit on the bricks and then I put a metal sun dail that my Great Grand Father forged while he worked at a foundery up near Erie. I later got a metal arbor for over it from Free cycle. I then dug 2 wings out either side pointing then slightly toward the house. I double dug the beds and used 8 ft long 6 X 6 to make the borders. I planted annuals up there, marigolds mostly, they bloom well, they are draught resistive, they bloom all summer, They were big enough for me to see from the porch, BINGO,, Hold your cards everyone, I think we have a BINGO here, Marigolds have worked for me for many years, I find something that works for me, and I stick with it, lol. Some years later my middle son wanted to do something for his senior project in High School, so he extended the garden behind what I had done and formed it into the shape of a butterfly and made a Butterfly Garden up there. I now have 4 butterfly bushes, 2 purple and 2 pink plus alot of perenials, Cone flowers, daisys, columbin, sun drops, peonies, yucca, Hybiscus, holly hock, several kinds of ferns and several kinds of day lillies and several kinds of flowers that I forget what the heck they are, there is also a poppie that I don't know much about. It is wonderful to sit on the porch, or other places in the yard and see the butterflys moving around the flowers up there, it is truely a Joy to me. My son was not as energetic about digging as I am, so he did not double dig the new part of the butterfly garden. I cuss every time I try to plant something new up there because of the rocks he left in, Oh well, things still grow, I mulch it heavy every year with leaves. I am planning on posting some pictures when I get time to take a few. Any free flowers I get just get dumped up there in the Butterfly Garden.

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Here is a picture of the Butterfly garden, sort of the view from the back porch, but a little closer.



Here is another view a bit closer.



Here is the patio, bench, sundial and metal arbor with the ferns showing. Some of those are native Pa ferns, some are imports.


I am kind of proud of the sun dial because of the family connection. It spins around on the cement base so its easy to re-set for day light savings time,





Some of the flowers.
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I love the sound of the butterfly garden - it must be beautiful when its all in bloom. And 30 years of gardening stories.....yep, I'm ready to read them

Pictures! We'd love to see your garden.

I've been thinking about planting some flowers at the campsite, Guy. The problem is the long periods when I'm not there, but the local critters are. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep moles from getting to bulbs? Will making a raised bed with a rock wall surround, protect them? Any companion plant I can throw in there to drive them off?

I do not grow Tulips for that reason Lolly. The deer seem to LOVE them. My Mom grows alot of Tulips and has given me Bulbs from time to time. They simply do not make it on the Hill, so I do not grow them. It seemed like the right decission for my place. Daffidilles on the other hand do Great for me, so I have planted a ton of then. I do not do anything special for them. The moles have not been a problem, and the deer may take a bite here and there but they don't seem to like them much. I am sorry but I do not have any other advise. I simply grow what does good on the Hill, and I do not grow what does poorly. I believe it was one of those Learning Experiances, lol

This years garden has been some what of a mixed bag, as most gardens on the hill have been in the past. Some wins, some things not so good. I double dug a new section for my tomatoes this year and put in Logs deep down for a Hugalbed effect.

I got it down just a few inches deeper than last years bed.



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These are the tomato plants this year. The fence is 4 feet high, the soil is humped up about 8" from what I added this year, it shoud settle down by next year. The tomatos are 7 feet high.


I planted 12 plants, about 6 different variets. They are 3 feet apart in all directions, Maybe I sould have pruned them some. They really have taken over that area.


These pepers are planted in last years hugelbed.

Picked these today.


Picked this stuff yesterday

The tomatos and the peppers are both producing fantastic this year.

Looking good, Guy!

Great harvest shots Guy, I'm jealous. I'm a little ways from tomatoes yet, and your peppers! I'm trying hard on them this year, but if they weren't under cover full time I'd never get a one. Looks great, it's really nice to see your pictures. Keep 'em coming!

Gorgeous photo's pa_friendly_guy - thank you for sharing.

I have to say that I was impressed my the size of my tomato plants this year. My garden has good soil that I have been improving for 30 years now, so 6 foot tomatos are getting to be pretty normal for me, but over 7 foot is big even for me. I have been driving around western Pa lately, up to my camp and going to visit my son. Most tomatos that I see are about 1/2 the size of my plants. It does not seem to make them produce any earlier though. I am really surprised that they have grown so tall this year with the small amout of rain that we have gotten. The pepper plants are equally as impressive this year, some are well above my waist, and I am 6 ft tall. That is a big pepper plant for me. The peppers are producing very well too, nice size and plentifull. I have not gotten any orange peppers yet, but I have been picking red, purple , yellow bannana hot peppers and green ones for awhile now. I started growing the wide variety of colors when I retired, it has been great and the different flavors are wonderful to enjoy in a veggie tray. I have been enjoying the variety from the garden.

Today was a good day on the Hill. This morning we picked tomatos and peppers, a neighbor stopped by while we were up in the garden and ooowwed and awwwed about the size of what we were picking, that always feels good. We got 2 large baskets full of produce as well as a couple of yellow squash. This afternoon I mowed the yard and the field, as I mowed up in the field I picked up a pear that had fallen to the ground and ate it, it was yummy. I also picked a yellow delicious apple, a few blue berrys and a couple of grapes and ate them as I mowed. Now that is the way to work, sitting on your be-hind and eating fresh fruit as you go along. When I was done I went up to a neighbors and had my favorite kind of Beer, Cold and Free, life is good today. Got alot done, didn't really work all that hard, and it was not too hot out. A good day on the Hill,