Ours grows in a container.  Well, many containers.  On our deck.  We don’t really have a place to put in a *real* garden so this works well, for us.  With deck irrigation, it’s a no fuss, no muss garden.  We have to be careful and choose seeds and plants that work with our short season, but there are so many to choose from, the decisions can be difficult.  This spring, now summer, has been unusually cool and damp and our picks, so far, are really loving it!

Amanda’s strawberries have been very tasty.  Well, they were, until our friend, the baby chipmunk found them….  Since these are everbearing berries, I’m guessing we’ll be watching him grow up….  If he lives.

A pot of basil.  I see lots of pesto, for the freezer, in our future.

One pot of arugula.  We’ve had two cuttings of it, so far.  As you can see, it needs cut again.  It has such a nice, spicy, peppery taste.  One of our favorite salads, arugula topped with a few strawberries and yum!  Oh wait, we may or may not have strawberries….

A  box of leaf lettuce and one of spring mix.  We do salads pretty much every night, especially in the summer. Simple greens tossed in a homemade balsamic dressing, we can make a meal on that alone!

We just got our organic, heirloom, Green Zebra tomato plant from our friend at the Farmer’s Market.  We can’t wait to enjoy his goodness!  He’ll top the cage before we know it.  He is one of the sturdier varieties that can withstand the North Shore winds.  Well, mostly…

And a container of cucumbers.  Not sure how that’s going to play out, but they were free seeds for some kind of fancy white cukes and we thought we’d give it a try, we had the container, so what the heck.  I wonder if chipmunks like cucumbers?  They like green strawberries, I know.

Cilantro, cilantro, cilantro!    We love cilantro.  Hope to make some of it into a freezer pesto for the winter months. Trimmings also work nicely in smoothies!  Very fresh, green and cleansing.

Another planter of lettuce.

And Petunia Pig.  Though she’s not sporting petunias this year, she’s still a cutie all dressed up in lobelia!

A Thai chili pepper plant surrounded by thyme and sage.  The pepper plant has two peppers almost 2″ long, so far.  We’ve got a jalapeno plant too, not pictured.  Yes, there are even more pots of plants…

A pot of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  And dill.

A geranium we’ve been bringing back to life, every year, for 10 years.

More basil, baby basils and two planters of freshly seeded lettuce.

And……. my Edamame plant!!  Thank you, Krystal!  I expect 1/2 pound of good eating off this plant.  As of this morning, he has quite a few little, tiny, white blooms.

He looked so lonely in that big pot, all by himself…  He is now surrounded by more thyme and rosemary.  We may have to move them out eventually, but for now they appear to be getting along well.

We dry the rosemary and thyme to use all winter long.  Last year we ran short, that shouldn’t happen next year, as you can tell.

What are the must haves in your garden? Do you mix it up and try something new every year?   Anything we should know about?

However your garden grows…..  Enjoy.  The growing *and* the eating!

Our newest, most favorite salad dressing of the season.

Balsamic Vinaigrette 2011

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, the more aged the better

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 c of the best olive oil you’ve got

Mix everything, except the oil, together.  Whisk the oil into it, in a thin stream, until emulsified.  Do not think you’re smart and do in a blender or food processor.  It won’t work, trust me.

In a large salad bowl, toss your greens lightly in sea salt then toss in some of the dressing. Plate with a few strawberries and some fresh Parmesan shavings, if you do cheese.

Enjoy the deliciousness of summer!