Recharging and Rejoicing

Vacation is a time for recharging energy, getting a new perspective on situations, and preparing for moving forward again.  My short staycation on the beach with my family did all these things and more.  I return to the garden to find that what once a worry, a slow start, a problem, now looks like a beautiful thriving accomplishment. 

BEETS

Beets are really starting to grow!

CARROTS

Carrot tops are strong and healthy on the left, although the beets on the right did not make it.

LETTUCE

Lettuce in the back is past its prime, but tastes strong and zesty still.  Arugula in the front is perfectly tender and delicious.

BASIL

Basil on the top picture was planted from seedling and is doing fine.  The tomato plant on the right is heavy with fruit.  The marigolds have regenerated and continue to prove natural pest control.  The bottom photo is my basil planted from seeds.  It is one hearty stalk with beautiful vibrant leaves.

HOT PEPPERS

These pepper plants continue to amaze.  All are plants that went dormant in the winter and blossomed again this season.   I'll have to make some fresh salsa soon!

 

CUCUMBER

 

 

Cucumber plant, the sole survivor puts out the first fruit of the season.  The pests look like they are determined to feed off these leaves, but the plant soldiers on.  What a testament to perseverance.

 

STRAWBERRIES

 

 

Strawberries continue to fruit, but I am still convinced that I need to remove this crop because the plants should be on mounded dirt that allows the fruit to hang over the side, rather than wallow in the shade of its leaves.  But, the fruit I do get is sweet.

 

 

 CHIVES

 

 These chives have been with me since the beginning, five years now!

 

TOMATOS

 

 

The orange cherry tomatoes are the sweetest, but the red cherry are vast.

 

 

 These are plum tomatoes used for sauces.  I peel and cook tomatoes with garlic and use with homemade pasta.  What could be better?

 

ARTICHOKE

 

 This artichoke gave use about 8 chokes.  A new volunteer is sprouting beneath these old leaves so I am hopeful that another plant will produce another crop, how unexpected!

 

CORN

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first year of successful corn crop.  Tonight we eat the first four corn cobs picked just now and put into the hot water for cooking.  These were the best sweetest and tender corn every, yummy.

THE PROOF OF A PROSPEROUS HARVEST!

 Tomatoes, arugula, strawberries, chives, hot peppers and lettuce.

 

 Plum tomatoes and shallots, with a side of peppers.

 

I can only sum up by expressing joy and satisfaction with this most excellent summer harvest.



New Starts

We sow the seeds, weed the field, water and feed, and learn from our experiences.  Each year we attempt to do the same, or a little more, or something a little different.  We draw on our knowledge from years past and get comfortable in the outcome of our efforts.  But, are we complacent?  Have we accomplished all that we set out to achieve?  Should we exit the comfort zone and start a new challenge? 

My plantings of a few weeks ago did not succeed.  I have no choice but to start again.  This choice is easy, but what about that strawberry patch that is plodding along fine, although not thriving.  Do I have the courage to rip it out down the dirt and start with something new and different?  Making decisions to change, to reach, to challenge ourselves are difficult.  Do we really want challenge, or are the few sweet berries we enjoy each year good enough?

I don't know the answers to the more difficult questions but today I replanted the failed garden sections.
 

In the "back forty" replanted romaine and Thom Thumb lettuce, the mesclan survived in two spots only.

"Back Forty" open section now planted with romaine and Thom Thumb lettuces.

Main garden, replanted Leeks and cilantro.  The basil has sprouted so I am holding my breath.

Main Garden, replanted beets and the vertical lines are now carrots.

Removed wonderful snap peas from fencing and only new growth remains.  Replanted beets, one sprout only survived.

 

So I braved the task and took the risk of starting anew.  It is scary but exciting and a cause for hope and curiosity for the future.



The real start of the season

I have a new computer and had to figure out how to use it before I could post my garden progress.  So for my garden diary accuracy, this post is actually for a week ago, May 11th.  I started to plant in earnest in the first week of May because the weather warmed up and it finally seemed like the cold snaps were at an end.  This post is about the progress to date.

The snap peas continue to be prolific!  I have harvested many batches of snap peas and they continue to produce to my surprise.  So my space planning had to be changed. 


On the left of side are the snap peas growing on the fence line.  I planted beets in the area to the right of the peas.

A lovely beet sprout can be seen just under the chicken wire, used to keep the birds away from the seeds when newly planted.



In the space between the strawberry patch and winter lettuce I planted lettuce that is sprouting in the middle and bordered with carrots that are barely showing their sprouts.

This is the winter lettuce that should have been picked and is starting to bolt but will be eaten anyway!  In front of that section lettuce of several different types has been planted.

 

This view is from the front of the main garden but the middle section.   In the rear is the newly planted beets, the old pepper plant, and then in from of that, I planted leeks.  This is my first time planting leeks from seed, so it is a bit of an adventure.  In front of the leeks I planted one cilantro plant and one basil plant.  I have had difficulty growing each of these herbs but I am giving it another try.



This is the center section of the main garden and I have planted four different types of lettuce from small romaine, to head, to mixed leaf.  Having learned from years past the peril of planting the lettuce too close to one another, these have been properly spaced to avoid problems with dampness and slugs.  Of course, the marigolds in the front are used as a natural pest repellant.  They are not very effective but I use them every year nonetheless.

On the right rear of the main garden just in front of the grapefruit tree (which was prolific this year and has been providing countless quarts of the sweetest grapefruit juice imaginable) I have planted one of the tomato plants purchased from Sperling Garden Supply this year.  We missed Tomatomania so we went retail but I am hopeful that the tomatoes will actually produce this year.  Next to the tomato is a leek planted from seedling, not seeds.  We'll see how this plant compares to the ones planted from seed.

This year I tried something new in the trench on the far right of the main garden.  I created the trench to grow things like cucumbers and other vining plants, but this area is a bit shaded by the grapefruit tree and has not produced much.  So I planted carrots in the trench with the hope that the deeper loose soil will help prevent the crazy growth stunting that has affected my carrots in other parts of the garden. 

Courage and Hope

It was 85 degrees today, after weeks of temperatures in the 60's.  Corn seeds, and other seeds, require temperatures of 70 degrees or more to germinate and prevent seed rot from the cold and wet soil.  So after waiting patiently for spring to arrive, I decided to plant the corn seeds today.  I planted about 5 rows of three across, to encourage pollination.

I harvested more peas and noticed new growth and flowers, so there should be more harvest to come! The winter lettuce continues and makes for sumptuous garnish for daily lunches.  I did not plant the rest of the seeds because I remain unconvinced that the temperatures will hold.  The gardner must attempt to predict the future and act based on those predictions.  So hope is mixed with fear and caution rules the day.

It is often difficult to accept that life is beyond our control.  It takes courage to face the unknown. Mother nature will either make our dreams come true, or offer us lessons from which we must learn.  The soil will be warmed and the fruits of our labor will unfold, perhaps not precisely as we want but as they must be. So we must enjoy the sweetness of the peas, the crispness of the lettuce, and the tanginess of the grapefruits while we are able.

Not so Virtuous

Although patience is a virtue, it is sure difficult to attain.  It has been lovely weather and this weekend seemed a good time to plant some tomato plants.  We missed Tomatomania at Tapia Farms, so we went to Sperling's garden store to purchase the plants.  We have had such trouble with tomatoes over the last couple of years so I am hoping the Sperling plants will have better luck.  While at the store, I could not resist a lovely sweet basil, an italian parsley and beautiful Marigolds -- which I plant every year as a pest control measure.  So here is the state of the garden as we start the new season.

This is the main garden with fall lettuce ready for harvest, strawberries in the rear and turned soil.

This is also the main garden showing the snap pea vines almost at the end of their cycle and the remaining garden ready for planting.

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Here are the newly planted Marigolds, organic pest control method.  The sweet basil and italian parsley are to the left of the Marigolds.  In the rear right is the Marzano tomato plant -- great for spaghetti sauce, and an onion plant.

The view of the main garden area showing the snap peas on the fence, strawberries in the rear, lettuce ready to harvest, Marigolds in the front with the newly planted basil and parsley.  The open areas will be used for succession planting lettuce and other veggies.

This is the "back 40" with the established artichoke at the very end, two new tomato plants planted up front, but the shade makes it difficult to see.  The garbage cans in the rear add such a lovely touch, don't you think?

Newly planted red cherry tomato and orange cherry tomato plants.  This is planted in the Back 40.  I plan to plant corn back by the artichoke and tomatoes and corn are not compatible, so hopefully this is far enough away.

Tomatoes newly planted in area across from the main garden.  We have planted tomatoes here successfully in the past but not in the last couple of years.  We'll see how it goes this year - ever hopeful. 

 Now for something completely different.  The flowering blooms in the yard were so spectacular today that I had to document them in this space, which I usually dedicate only to my organic vegetable, herbs and fruits.  But, the glory of these blooms cannot be denied.

Lemon tree blossom

Kangaroo Paws

Volunteer from next door!

Crazy bloom shooting out of the succulent, with Razlo our sweet dog in the background. 

Apparently that bloom will do something amazing and then kill its main plant.  It regenerates with small starter plants that are thrown off after the bloom dies.  It will be mystery unfolding before our very eyes.

So while I was not entirely patient, I am deferring until later in April the planting of seeds for all the rest of the veggies.  I am proud of my resistance to some of the temptations, and remain ever hopeful that this season will bring great joy, fruitful results, and learning experiences.

Patience Is A Virtue

It is warm outside, in the 70s, the pear trees have bloomed and are now in leaf and the cherry trees are starting to bloom.  It must be Spring and time to start the summer veggie garden, right?  Wrong.  Although it only just turned to March, it feels so warm and welcoming, but I have checked my journals from years past and note that I have had this same feeling at the same time of year in years past only to suffer the consequences of planting too early.  It is not time and won't be the right time until mid-April.  But the garden beckons and it is difficult to wait.

It seems we are always waiting, planning and hoping, and waiting some more.  If I were to plant now, the cold snap would return in a few weeks making it too cold for the poor seeds to propagate.  I would watch hopefully only to finally determine that it was simply too early and I will need to start again.  So with age and experience comes knowledge and wisdom, don't start the garden in March, just don't do it!