Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Gardening

I picked our first goodness from the garden in town the other day - no, not anything I'd planted, it was a volunteer head lettuce that had come from seed from last year.  At any rate, it was lovely to have some fresh greens of our own.
My little salad garden here is coming along nicely as well and we can start harvesting some of the greens.
The peas are coming up nicely as well and I look forward to this wall being covered in peas for E to snack on.
My town garden is slowly starting to look like a garden. I always love to take photos of a garden when it is planted and then at times throughout the season.  It never, ever ceases to amaze me how things grow and the abundance we get from the ground.  In a very short time I won't be able to get through these pathways without brushing tomato plants loaded with tomatoes.  It truly is magical what can come from some seed and a patch of dirt.  I love this quote from Thoreau -
Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
I too always expect wonders from seeds and I am never let down, I think seeds are truly magical.  Although I am perhaps just the teensiest bit let down about how my tomatoes and cukes look so far this year.  We've had very wet, cold weather so far this year compared to what we are used to and my warm crop veg are really showing their displeasure.  I've started giving them some nettle fertilizer in the hopes they will perk up a bit so we'll see, I think they'll start growing with enthusiasm as soon as it gets warmer.  Until then...no photos of the tomatoes! ;-)  Cold weather crops, like these cabbages, are quite happy though.
I'm also very excited that I was able to get some Sieglende seed potatoes at the Farmers Market last weekend.  I had already planted the rest of my potatoes but once we'd been introduced to the Sieglinde variety by a good-food-loving friend (via the Jamie Oliver roasted veg recipe), I knew I had to grow some.  They are E's favourite potato variety now.  My potatoes are planted in cages made from wire and I will just keep throwing more leaves on top as the plants grow (instead of hilling them with dirt).  It is a pretty good space saving way to grow them.
And, I've also been having a bit of fun with "honey holes" and planting squash and potatoes down on the front bank of this property.  I like to try to plant food wherever I can (no sense in limiting myself to a "proper" vegetable garden). ;-)  I always think that the worst that can happen is that things don't grow but...might as well try.  Right!?!  So these squash (as well as some pumpkins, potatoes and tomatoes) have been given a home on a bank in the hopes that their vines will grow down the bank and supply us with lots of squash to fill our coldroom.
They also have a lovely view of the lake so hopefully that will encourage them to grow even more.
I hope your garden is coming along too!

6 comments:

daisy g said...

Can I just tell you how my mouth is watering with the sight of that lettuce? It's too hot to grow here now, so I've been forced to buy it.
Everything looks very happy! I love the idea for growing the potatoes! Gotta give that a try next time!
Enjoy your harvest!

Mimi and Anna said...

I never knew there was a real name for "honey holes." When I was little, I used to go out to my grandmother's garden with her to bury her kitchen scraps. No pre-composting, just straight into the ground, a shovelful at a time. And she had the best garden! We compost in the usual way, but only after the chickens have had first dibs! Congratulations on your first greens of the season!

Laeli said...

I'm always in awe when things grow too. I feel so proud and then I remember that they grow without much help from me and that makes it all the more magical:)

Hurray for volunteer lettuce!

Kathy said...

Your garden looks like it's growing great! I am also always in awe of how quickly the garden transforms from just a few seedlings to a jungle of tomatoes and peppers. And I'm also a fan of trying things in odd spaces, in containers, and with unconventional spacing/methods. I figure seed is cheap and I know where to get more, and experimentation has often led me to figure out a better way to do something in the space we have. The farmer's market is always available as back-up! Happy gardening!

Jacqueline said...

Looks wonderful! I can wait to have a garden again! We stopped by the Devraes in Pasadena and have been eating some of their yummy fresh greens:-)

cargillwitch said...

I just LOVE people who cram in good food in every nook and crannie they can! When I lived in town years back I just loved being able to get vegetables from every space I could. When I walk through towns now I always think that if I could knock on the door of people with lots like yours I know I would find an interesting person inside!