new vegetable beds with (gasp) orange flowers

strawflower in the new vegetable beds

I'm known for my affinity for blue, purple, and white blooms to provide visual coolness during our hot, dry summers, but I'm now adding orange--hot Austin summer orange--flowers to the four new vegetable beds husband Kurt added to our side yard this weekend.

It's those darn marigolds' fault. They started it. I'm not sure if marigolds actually deter pests but they do seem to attract ladybugs, so I continue to plant them with my  spring/summer vegetables.

before: side yard with lots of bushy lantana

Kurt dug out all the lantana and added the first pile of compost and dirt

after: total area now covered with planting beds is about 12'x18'

I've planted Black Krim, Black Prince, Green Cherokee, Juliet, and Lemon Boy tomatoes; "Cleveland" culinary sage, mache, onion sets, and variegated lemon thyme in the new beds. And marigolds, orange strawflower, gazania, and blackfoot daisies.

These okra seedlings will go into the new beds, too.

Our two back yard vegetable beds need some weeding but still have some cool weather plants going strong:

Total area covered by each of these back yard beds is also about 12'x18'

I'll plant "Contender" bush beans back there this weekend. If my tiny tomato seedlings get big enough, they'll go back there, too. I have several pots of basil but am waiting to plant them until night temperatures are consistently above 50.

Kurt's got some plan in his head for building a frame for bird netting for the new beds. Since no vegetables have been planted there before, maybe it will take longer for the insects, diseases, and squirrels to find them. Yeah, right.