How Does Your Garden Grow | May, 2014

When I look back at the “before” pictures of the part of the property where the garden now lies, I question my sanity.  {You can see how it all started here.}

It was a tangled mess of weeds.

It was on a slope.

It was sad and hopeless-looking.

I’m actually being generous — it was a scary disaster!

But, I was able to look through the through the discouraging sight and my temporary insanity turned into determination.  Crazy determination — I mean, we had a ceiling falling down and I wanted to start this garden?!?  Is that crazy or what?  But, home is where the garden grows so it was a good place to start.

We now have a wonderful space that’s a lot of work but the rewards are great.  I’m not only referring to the wonderful fruits and vegetables the garden gives us but also the personal satisfaction that comes from digging in the dirt and nurturing your own little piece of the planet.

It’s therapy.

It’s reassurance.

It’s inspiration.

It’s encouragement.

It’s home.

Spring is absolutely my favorite time of year.  I love this season because it’s full of promises.  Every day brings something new and everything is bursting with life.  I’m heading to Sicily soon and already looking forward to the moment when I return and explore the changes that happened while I was away.

Now that the renovation of the house is finally complete, we’re going to build the potting shed in that bare spot behind the rose garden there in the middle.  And, it’s going to have a chicken coop.  And a bee hive!

May 1, 2014

I thought it would be nice to see the progression of the garden through the seasons so I’m planning to post a picture of the garden on the first of every month for the next twelve months.  Today, it was cold and rainy but you can still pick out some signs of life.

The weather has seemed more unpredictable than ever this year.  Soon after a few record warm days tricked everything into coming our of hibernation, it snowed, sleeted, and was below freezing temperatures for 4 straight days!  But most things proved to be resilient and no permanent harm was done.

So much has been going on in the garden this past month — 2 new strawberry beds have been installed.  After a few years, strawberries begin to produce less and less and the resulting fruit is smaller so it is recommended to replant every 3-5 years.  The bad news is that we can’t enjoy any of the fruit this year from the new plants — in fact, we have to pluck off the blooms so fruit won’t set.  This encourages more robust plants for next year and beyond.  Luckily, we have another bed that should give us more fruit than we need!  Several lettuces and micro-greens are in as are broccoli, potatoes, radishes, carrots, and beets.

Snow peas are growing quickly.  Don’t the seeds look like little jewels?

The onion sets are doing great.  This year, we planted Red Zeppelin, Alisa Craig, and Patterson.

And, I’m excited that the fava beans have emerged.

The espaliered apple trees are blooming and we actually might just get a little fruit this year!

So, how does your garden grow?  Are you planting anything new this year?