Growing Like Crazy

So much has happened in the garden since my post last month! Here’s proof: The raised bed on the left is the same bed as the one on the right, with about a month of growing time under its belt. The onions have taken firm root, and on some I can see the onion bulb growing just beneath the soil. The green beans are so tall I had to check the package to make sure they were bush beans and not climbers…I swear they are reaching for the raspberry bushes to the left of the bed! And the swiss chard and mixed lettuces are amazingly lush and ready for salad. Here’s a close up of the lettuce…I definitely need to harvest this weekend before it decides to bolt.

Another thing that’s growing like crazy (aside from the boy pictured in the top photo who just turned 13 for goodness sake! Where has the time gone? And when will he stop needing a bigger pair of shoes every few months??) are the weeds. Eek. My straw “solution” turned out to be no deterrent at all for the ambitious weeds that stalk every available inch of unplanted ground at my community garden. So much for that idea. When I visited this morning to water and pick raspberries, I spent a good chunk of time pulling weeds, but a return visit is definitely needed. With spade in hand. I’m telling you, these weeds are a determined lot.

In addition to raspberries (gathered enough to make a quick batch of jam, which I’m planning to do today), lettuce, and swiss chard, I’ve got this amazing broccoli. I planted broccoli for the first time last summer, and I loved it because it keeps producing florets all summer long. Can’t wait to toss some of these beauties in a stir fry. And the first yellow wax peppers and tomatoes are on the plants! I should clarify–the tomato plants are more like trees and it’s clear that I haven’t provided enough structure in the tomato cage department. Luckily a neighbor was tossing some substantial cages that are in decent shape, so I’ll be going back with reinforcements later today. It’s fair to say that the garden is in full swing. Yay! This is the most exciting time in the garden.

This also happened a few weeks ago. My oldest and I set up shop at the Fulton Farmers’ Market, where we sold a few copies of The Nitty Gritty Gardening Book and helped about a zillion kids make their own newspaper pots in which to plant seeds. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. Special thanks to Nordis, who keeps inviting us back! If you missed it, check out my how-to video here.

I leave you with a couple of photos of my summer flower boxes and pots. I finally ate the lettuces and pulled the leggy pansies I’d planted in the boxes for spring. Best salad ever. Until next time, happy gardening!

Spring in the Garden

Spring gardening season has definitely arrived, along with a week of good rain. The flower boxes I planted back in April are loving the frequent showers, and I’m excited to harvest a little of what’s growing. Although it’s rare that I actually get around to planting spring flower boxes, this year was different. After returning from our spring break trip to England, where spring bulbs and trees were flowering simultaneously, I was inspired. I yanked the browning evergreen tree tops from the boxes and made a trip to my local gardening store in search of pansies. I couldn’t resist grabbing a tray of verdant lettuce seedlings as well, and I’m glad I did. They’ve been growing like crazy this week.

Other than planting the flower boxes, I’ve not had time to do much more than a little backyard clean up…until now. This past weekend I spent my afternoons doing some digging. Yay! This digging was of the weed-pulling and prep variety, which isn’t nearly as exciting as getting the plants in the ground. Thankfully, though, I had a little help from the family, which made things a little more fun.  We hauled three of loads of weeds to the compost heap…whew! When we finished, the garden looked a little barren, but boy do we have plans! Plants await, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, roma tomatoes, Hungarian wax peppers (hello, pepperoncini!), carrots, and probably sweet potatoes. And we’ve dreamed up a new garden design for this season that includes a couple of raised beds.

I’m so excited to get going! Stay tuned for new developments in the garden and possible farmers’ market happenings for The Nitty Gritty Gardening Book.