The Current Season

Green moonflower vines with large heart-shaped leaves climbing up a black metal obelisk trellis in a Greensboro, NC backyard garden, with a wooden fence and a two-story blue house with red brick chimneys in the background.

Updated: August 2026.

The Focus: Adjusting to James’s returning to work. Using analog approaches to loosely structure my day (traveler’s notebook, tickler file).

The Project: Setting up apothecary space in spare room. Research and development on garden-focused personal care.

The Dirt: Finishing up the front garden (still). Starting ever-so-many plants from seed for one last summer blast and initial fall planting. Filling the back yard with new raised beds and terracotta pots.

In the garden

The front yard mulch plan just didn’t work out. I raked up most of the mulch and dumped it in the south fence bed in the backyard for future use. I laid cardboard on the front border and covered it with the remaining mulch. I’ve scattered clover seed and hopefully that will take hold. When it cools off a bit, I’ll move the lavender plants scattered throughout that part of the front yard to create a lavender border in the mulched section.

We now have four raised beds: one front bed (between the sidewalk and the street) and three in the back yard. We also have some terracotta pots going, mostly with herbs. We’re growing vegetables, melons, and herbs.

Currently growing (vegetables & melons)

So far we’ve harvested banana and green peppers. Sweet red and pimento never produced. Yellow squash, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes are currently producing. Cantaloupe plants are massive and have small melons beginning to appear. Watermelon and zucchini are looking promising. Purple cherokee and Missouri pink love apple tomatoes have just begun to flower. Still holding out hope for some of those. Okra and beans are a maybe.

  • Peppers (banana, green)

  • Yellow squash

  • Zucchini

  • Okra

  • Beans (snap, lima)

  • Cucumber

  • Tomatoes (grape, Cherokee purple, Missouri pink love apple)

  • Cantaloupe

  • Watermelon

Currently growing (herbs)

I’ve moved the oregano, marjoram, and French tarragon from the front raised bed to terracotta pots in the backyard. Sweet basil and rama tulsi will remain in front bed until end of summer. I just transplanted the sage and winter savory starts into the sunny north fence bed in the backyard; garlic chives start is now in a pot with marjoram.

  • Rosemary

  • English thyme

  • Sweet basil

  • Rama tulsi

  • Greek oregano

  • Marjoram

  • French tarragon

  • Spearmint

  • Garden sage

  • Garlic chives

  • Winter savory

Currently growing (flowers)

Nothing’s blooming yet, but I have put some flowers in the north fence bed of the backyard and a large pot in the backyard.

  • Echinacea

  • Giant moonflower

  • Tobacco jasmine

  • Yarrow

Starts

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve also started some seeds. I’m working on more herbs and some flowering stuff, mostly for drying for the apothecary. Culinary herbs will be potted for the most part, either direct sowed or currently in trays to transplant later. Flowering plants will go in the ground. Vegetables were sowed directly in new raised bed in the backyard.

  • French thyme (second attempt)

  • Anise hyssop (second attempt)

  • Clary sage

  • Bouquet dill

  • Sweet leaf basil

  • Lemon balm

  • Wild bergamot

  • German chamomile

  • Calendula

  • Statice (pastels mix)

  • Globe amaranth (lavender lady, fiery mix)

  • Lettuce

  • Spinach

  • Arugula

  • Broccoli

  • Cauliflower

  • Peas

  • Celery