Now that my ankle has finally healed up from surgery in mid-June, I was able to get out and take a few photos of the garden. Even though I couldn't do much in the middle of the summer and even though there were a few more weeds allowed to grow this year, it was still one of the best summers for gardening in Utah.
Flowers in the front garden. Zinnias were planted from seed and petunias from hothouse starts.
Hollyhocks blooming for the second time in September after being cut back in late July.
Jalapeno peppers have added flavor and heat to our summer salsa.
Marigolds grown from seeds extracted from last years plants bloomed just as profusely this year.
These zinnias were also grown from seeds taken from last years plants and gave me lots of variety with tall ones, short ones, singles and doubles.
Petunias have thrived in the rich compost we added to the soil this year.
Fall raspberries are better usually than the ones that ripened in June. They seem to love the cooler nights of the late summer.
2012 will be remembered as the summer of the best tomatoes in our garden. They were planted earlier, produced earlier, and tasted better than any I remember.
Romas also produced well this year. This variety tend to ripen pretty much all at once and give a nice crop for making sauces.
The grape vines produced a heavy load this year. Unfortunately, with all the racoons and birds we have around the yard, we never seem to get to eat any ourselves. This bunch is just starting to get sweet and before they fully ripen will be devoured by the critters before we can pick them.
One of my favorite crops...tomatillos. They are so easy to grow and make wonderful salsa and soup. I never have to plant them any more. I just let a few sprout up from last years seeds that get tilled under in the spring.
The bees were going crazy out in the garden the day I took these pictures. They are obviously storing up for the winter ahead.
I'm going to have to adjust the water that gets to my blackberries because they are a little bit small. But they are very sweet, nonetheless.
My two crops of corn planted about a month apart meant that we had corn out of the garden from mid-July until September. Both crops were delicious, but I'd have to say that the second crop was the best.
I planted my cucumbers in a pile of compost and they went crazy this year. These English cukes are so sweet, without even a hint of bitterness, that I don't even bother to peel them most of the time.
Lakes along coast of Victoria, Australia that were formed as magma encountered water saturated sediment causing a steam and ash eruption known as a "maar." Surrounding the lakes are rings of volcanic tuff blown out during the eruptions.
Loch Ard Gorge along the southern coast of Victoria, Australia. A ship called the Loch Ard was caught in a fog along this coast and ran aground causing the ship to sink. The only two survivors of the wreck were Eva Carmichael, who survived by clinging to a spar for five hours, and Thomas (Tom) R. Pearce, an apprentice who clung to the overturned hull of a lifeboat. Tom Pearce came ashore first, then heard Eva's shouts and went back into the ocean to rescue her. They came ashore at what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge and sheltered there before seeking assistance.
London Arch, a rock formation along the south coast of Victoria, Australia formerly called "London Bridge." This area is within Port Campbell National Park, Australia. The arch used to be a double arch, but the part closest to the shoreline collapsed unexpectedly on 15 January 1990 just a few weeks before this photo was taken. Two tourists were stranded on the outer arch, but were rescued by helicopter.
Three of the Twelve Apostles, sea stacks along the southern coast of Victoria, Australia in Port Campbell National Park, Australia.
Volcanic tumulus in old lava flow, Victoria, Australia
Eucalyptus forest in Victoria, Australia
Bright orange fungus on dead tree in Victoria, Australia
Winter country landscape in Victoria, Australia
Forests along coast of Victoria, Australia
Snowstorm in the Australian Alps
Mount Elephant, a cinder cone atop a shield volcano in Victoria, Australia. The volcano is thought to have last erupted between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago.
Sunset in the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Pumpkin Spring along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Lava falls at Vulcan's throne in the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Spectacular cliffs in the Paleozoic rocks of the Grand Canyon
Floating along in the muddy waters of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon
Black bridge at Phantom Ranch, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Great unconformity between Precambrian rocks and Paleozoic rocks in Grand Canyon, Arizona
Vasey's Paradise, waterfalls originating from springs flowing out of the Redwall Limestone in the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Yellow crocuses in the front yard. Provo, Utah, March 10, 2012.
Sunset on Mount Timpanogos from my backyard in Provo, Utah on March 10, 2012.
Purple crocuses with a honeybee digging for pollen on March 10, 2012 in Provo, Utah
Sunset in St. George, Utah in January 2012. No color enhancements have been made to this photo.
