Wacky weather has become the norm. We had a heat advisory last week, and today I have multiple layers of clothing, a fleece lap throw, and I am drinking hot tea like it’s going out of style. Temperatures that are routinely 15-20 degrees above typical aren’t the best conditions for plants. Big swings don’t help either. I’m trying to focus on soil improvements so the soil holds on to moisture. Never in a million years would I have guessed I would have fast-draining soil in the PNW. 

Looking carefully at what’s thriving despite the wackiness is helpful for future garden planting. I also have plans for more raised beds. I have a Vego raised bed with raspberries. I think we planted eight plants initially (all volunteers from the raspberries in the garden area), and now it’s a forest of raspberries. They have far surpassed our in-the-ground plants in terms of vigor and berry production. We also have starts for at least three neighbors.

This year, I bought tomato plants at a local fundraiser plant sale and at our local feed store, and all have exceeded expectations. Tomatoes are iffy in my shady garden, but I just can’t help myself. Gardening equals tomatoes. They will grow in the extra-deep elevated beds that we have on our south-facing deck, and that’s about it. Potatoes, onions, greens, herbs, and strawberries don’t mind some shade and seem at home here. I am always on the hunt for other plants that like a little shade.

Completely influenced by two of my favorite content creators, Savannah and Casey of Hey Wanderer, I added a GreenStalk vertical planter to the garden. This five-level garden has 30 deep planting pockets and holds five cubic feet of soil. Our yard has more tree canopy than not, so I am always chasing the sun. Several things are thriving, but I am most excited about the thyme. I haven’t had great success growing thyme in the past, but it likes the GreenStalk.

Photo by Robert Haight