Since I have extra herbs, I have decided to freeze my mint leaves this year.  Another way to freeze mint leaves is to put them in ice cube trays with water.  That way you can have fancy and tasty ice for beverages or just let the cubes melt leaving the mint ready to use.   

Growing Pumpkins

Fourth of July Salad

• Lettuce (I prefer spinach.)
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Walnuts or Pecans
• Cheese (I prefer feta.) 
• Poppyseed Dressing

Dried Lavender:  No Sun or Water Needed

Fresh Basil:  Eggplant Parmesan

Salsa Garden:  Fresh, Chunky Salsa Recipe

• tomato
• onion
• garlic
• cilantro
• jalapeno
• avocado

Yum!  My strawberries made it this year!  Small strawberry starts were planted on April 16th.  The pot made a big difference.

Today, we harvested 12 pounds of fresh, organic produce from our school garden.  Romaine, spinach, strawberries, jalapenos, mint, oregano, chives, parsley and flowers were donated to the Everett Food Bank. 

Carrots Love Tomatoes:  Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte receives 5 stars from me because I can quickly read which plants support or inhibit each other plus other helpful tips. 

My aunt, Michelle, recommended this method of organic composting. 

You Grow Girl:  The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening by Gayla Trail

Grow Great Grub:  Organic Food from Small Spaces by Gayla Trail

As I entered Flower World, acres of stunning plants greeted me.  Instantly, my tense body relaxed as I soaked up the beauty that surrounded me.  I absolutely love losing myself in Flower World.  Maps are available for those who find the size of the store overwhelming.  In contrast, I prefer to take my time and stroll up and down the aisles allowing the enormous variety of plants to attract me.  During this visit, strawberries caught my eye.  Since I love my Fourth of July salad (spinach, strawberries, blueberries, feta and walnuts), I decided to purchase a couple strawberry starts.  Because of the red, white and blue colors, I gave the salad a nickname, but I enjoy it all summer long.  In addition, I decided to also buy a strawberry pot because I did not have very good luck growing strawberries last year.  The pot cost me $25.00 which was a bit of a splurge.  However, the eight small strawberry starts only cost me $4.00 total.  I look forward to growing juicy strawberries this summer!