Saturday, May 10, 2014

My beginning garden 2014

Cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, lavender
I think I have gotten almost everything into my garden that's going in. Here you see, arranged prettily (I really don't especially like regimented rows) some Bibb lettuce in the middle, with broccoli on the right and red cabbage on the left. I hope I left enough room between each one, as I remember last year's cabbage grew to massive proportions.
Looking to the north at my 7' x 23' plot
Here's another shot of my plot, with strawberries on the right near the fence, and some sugar snap peas hopefully willing to climb up those little sticks until they get to the fence itself. You can see the plot to my left has not yet begun to be cleared for planting. I'm so glad I didn't wait until MY plot was that overgrown before getting started.
Looking south at the other end of my plot
See all that greenery in the middle? Well, that's borage that has replanted itself from the flowers. I've learned that at this stage, borage leaves are tasty and nutritious. Want to see what the borage flower looks like? Take a look at this post from last June. One of the best parts about a blog is the ability to go back a year, two years, and look at the progress I've made in the garden, and have the ability to compare my activities as well. Past the borage you can see my little beet starts coming up, and some more salad greens. Here's a closeup.
Beets in the middle, salad greens on the left, and flowers
I also put in some sweet pea flowers and one double hollyhock, which you can see on either side of the veggies. I'm not sure why I did that, but I suspect they will look good in a month or two. I just wanted some pretty flowers, although in the middle of that borage (and here in front of the hollyhock), I have some volunteer nasturtiums that will add color as well.
The community garden, looking east to west
We have ten separate plots and a community garden in the middle between them, five on a side. We've got onions, sage, mint, currants and strawberries that came back from last year, but it's been a struggle to get the rest cleared out. At the back of this plot we found some poison hemlock that was coming up and had to be removed. I just put a yellow and a green zucchini squash plant in the middle of this area, which will probably take up the rest of the room we have in there. Those two plants will feed all of us, I suspect, this summer.

It's a lot of work to garden, but it's also very satisfying to get my hands down in the dirt and to rip out those pesky buttercups. All the plots are in use except for one, which I think we will clear out and maybe plant some pumpkins or whatnot. For now, we've got a good start on the season!
:-)

24 comments:

  1. dang buttercups! :) made me smile.

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  2. Yummo. And I love getting down and dirty in the garden. It soothes my heart and soul at the time - and gives me delicious sustenance and beauty later. Win/win at its best.

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  3. I appreciate your 'free style' gardening. It will be fun to watch it all grow and produce now. And yes, of course, you must have flowers!

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  4. Gardening is a very satisfying activity. Watching things grow from your effort and then eating tasty stuff is well worth it.

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  5. Looks promising. I used to do a community garden, but my plot was overrun with weeds. Now I have one tomato plant out on my front porch ... I have high hopes for a few tomatoes this year.

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  6. Your vegetables are ahead of mine. But I noticed today that some of the pea tendrils have found the twine they're to climb on. How do they know how to do that?

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  7. Looking good and it is your garden so you can plant whatever way you want:)

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  8. You seem to have it all sorted and what a joy to grow your own veggies.

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  9. We're ahead here- my friend's snap peas have climbed about two feet. I'm just growing herbs besides my flowers on my balcony but I love it. Something very satisfying about it as you say.

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  10. Your middle name is Green Thumb. Very cool to grow your goodies and that way only visit the Farmers Market for things you don't grow yourself. Sure wish we lived close to each other.

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  11. Looks great! Wonder if those strawberries will be small or large.

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  12. The nice thing about community gardening is that you can trade your excess produce for some of your neighbors abundance. Looking good.

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  13. nice....you are going to have quite the harvest...i am especially interested in the strawberries...ha...fruit is my weakness for sure...especially berries!

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  14. We're starting to turn the soil and get things ready in my neck of the woods. But it's my husband that has the green thumb.

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  15. Dear DJan, you do have a good start. I had hoped to plant a veggie garden this year. I had one in MInnesota, and I've been here in Missouri now for 5 years. This is my 6th summer coming up and still I haven't gotten a garden planted! Well, except for the shrub garden that I planted--with help from a young friend--in the summer of 2010, my second summer here. Last year you inspired me, but I didn't act on that inspiration. And it looks as if the same thing is happening this year. Maybe I just need to pot a tomato plant and have something to watch and wonder at and eat! Peace.

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  16. Wow! A lot of work, but it will be worth all the effort. :) Looking good!

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  17. That is a great start. Here's to happy growing!

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  18. I am just green with envy! What a beautiful garden, and everything looks like it's going to grow so well. I am so horticulturally challenged.

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  19. Eager to watch it progress! Especially the strawberries. Haven't had much luck with them in Florida. Too many bugs.

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  20. Okay, I gotta ask, is there a special reason for the lavender?

    Looking good your garden is.

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  21. A great start!
    We just started some seeds indoor, pumpkins, peppers, tomatoes.. things that need a longer growing season than we can offer outdoors here between frost seasons.
    There are many cool weather things that could go in the ground already, but we've had so much rain on top of snow melt, the ground is saturated & completely SOGGY. (usually results in rotten seeds)
    Your garden soil looks fabulous!

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  22. Your garden is looking so good. It won't be long before you will have lots of tasty goodies. I have barely got my yard and flower beds under control and still nothing new planted. Maybe next week.

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  23. What a fine start. I like that you don't do the classic rows. I would prefer the same. Frank is supposedly in charge of garden duties at this place. We shall see. :)

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  24. Your garden is really coming along. I love the artistic arrangement of your garden. Beautiful!!!

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