I've been so busy working in the garden, that I haven't had time to blog about working in the garden. At the beginning of the season, I made a commitment to myself that I would spend a little time in the garden every day. Maybe I would only have time to take a walk through and pull a weed or two (or a hundred!), but I wanted to show up.
Here's the thing. I love having fresh, organic, food grown on my own property. I mean, nothing makes me as happy as picking food from my garden and then taking it to my kitchen and creating something yummy with it. I feel sooooo, Ma Ingalls at that moment. But, I don't really love the, get down and dirty, sweat dripping in my eyes part of growing food. And because I don't really love all the physical, manual labor part of it, in the past years I've approached my gardening like a weekend warrior. I would spend all day, a few days a week working like a crazy person, and then I'd take days off and recover. This is a bad way to tend a garden, I'm here to tell you.
If you work so much in the garden today, that you don't want to step foot in it tomorrow, you're working too hard. This I believe and so this year my approach has been completely different. As I mentioned earlier, I'm spending some time in the garden every day. Once all the seeds and plants were in the ground, the time has been spent weeding. There is no end to the weeds, especially in a garden this size. I've given up hope of ever having a weed free day, but with a little help, I'm staying on top of the worst of them.
Another benefit of being in the garden every day, is that I can see right away if I have a bug problem or need to water or fertilize. I can catch the squash and zucchini before they become the size of footballs. I feel more connected and in control (as much as that's possible). I'm actually enjoying the entire process so much more.
Let me take you on a little tour of what's going on right now. I planted this lettuce back in the spring and we're still enjoying it. Usually by now, it has bolted, and I expect that will happen very soon. I'm cutting and eating it as fast as I can. Lettuce wraps for dinner tonight! I've planted beets three times this year and they just can't seem to make it. First I thought it was bad seeds and I bought new ones. The last time I planted around this lettuce and the plants were coming up nicely. Now they are all gone. I think a rabbit had a meal off my beet greens. I am defeated.
I have four raised beds in the fenced in area, where I'm growing carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, basil, radish, garlic (a whole bed!), peppers, dill and summer and winter squash.
On the other side of the raised beds, I have some large tilled areas and a few more raised beds. I'm growing red potatoes, yukon golds and white potatoes. This may not have been a good year for beets, but man, my potatoes are rocking!
Sweet potatoes
and okra
One bed for cucumbers, another for strawberries.
Beans
A few more squash- well, I had the room...
For the first time ever, I set aside an area to grow cutting flowers. Dahlia, zinnia, gladioli, and sunflowers. I know. You can't eat them. But, I love having flowers to cut and bring into the house.
We're enjoying raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.
I have two peach trees and they are loaded! This will be the first year we've had peaches. I'm so excited about this.
We planted apple, pear, and cherry trees about five years ago and haven't really had a harvest to date. But this year, we have some fruit on a few of the trees. If the deer don't eat them first...
It's a blessing to have land on which to garden and time to put into the endeavor. I'm grateful for the good food we enjoy, and while I'm on my knees, digging in the dirt, I make sure and thank the Lord for it. Every year I learn something new. It's one big tasty science experiment.
