Early June Plantings: Meyer Lemon and Malabar Spinach

I've been wanting to plant a Meyer Lemon tree for awhile, so this past week I finally purchased one.  While I love having as many fruiting plants as possible, I've been hesitant to add any citrus to my garden, since I know there will be some pampering involved.  I prefer to go with plants that are relatively low maintenance.  I know with the Meyer Lemon though, I will need to bring it indoors once it hits freezing temperatures.  But, I've heard such great things about how wonderful the fruit is, that I'm willing to put in a little extra care with this one plant.

I potted the plant in a large container.  I (or rather my husband) drilled holes in the bottom of the container, as the tree prefers good drainage.  I added some rocks to the bottom of the pot to help with the drainage.  I then added 2/3 organic potting mix and 1/3 compost from my compost bin.  I then gave it a good watering.  I'm happy with my new little fruit tree - and the blooms give off such a sweet, intoxicating fragrance!

I also recently planted four Red-Stemmed Malabar Spinach plants.  I needed to pull down my dead pea plants, and wanted to replace them with another plant that could use the trellising.  While I was at the Round Rock Garden Center picking up my organic potting mix for the Meyer Lemon, I spotted the Malabar Spinach.  I've never grown Malabar, which isn't truly a spinach, but rather a basella rubra.  It is known for being a heat-loving, vining plant that produces bountiful harvests - it sounded perfect for my veggie beds.

I tore out the Mammoth Melting Sugar Peas and placed the four Red-Stemmed Malabar Spinach plants along the trellis on the left side of Veggie Bed #3.  I love veggie plants that have a high ROI (return on investment) and have high yields with little work.  I think this veggie plant is going to fall into that bucket.  I'm looking forward to large harvests of greens later this summer!