Possibly because through the unending dampness of June I despaired anything would survive. I despaired I would survive. Funny how we can get so dramatic about the weather!
But amazingly the sun returned and what a difference a little warmth and sun can make!!
The veggies have taken off (and our collective weather-induced depression has lifted) and we have been madly trying to keep up with a) tending to them and b) eating them fast enough!
This is our fourth year of veggie gardening.
We have learned a few things - some the hard way...... :) Here to spare you some of our pain are some things we did, didn't do, should have done.....should have learned!
Start small and read a lot, consult a lot, share seeds,....... it got a lot more fun when our friends started veggie gardening too - we even had a meeting to plan and share resources...... we have come a long way!
We need more space - Check - we built a new bed and a new area for tomato plants.
We cannot eat 8 lettuce plants worth of lettuce that are all ready at one!
Field cucumbers need fields - my nightmares of the backyard being overtaken were almost realised and it became a race between me and the cucumber plant for backyard domination.
Peppers take a long time to grow and produce
After Year 2/ Year 3
We hate kale - we tried, we really really tried, we wanted to eat a superfood and love it...but .... we don't. Sad that we were SO good at growing it too. Our friends and neighbours who embraced the kale were happy and a steady stream of people raided the veggie patch (thank goodness).
It takes a lot of water to manage the beds and pots - so we got a water barrel and thanks to this June it filled up in one day. Nice to be using rain water to water with.
Too much lettuce again......but at least it's two different kinds.
Peppers - still slow.....we live in hope......
We have tried different kinds of onions and they look mighty fine at the moment.
We also have a carrot forest - we were a little over zealous with the seeds - who know what mutations will follow as they fight for space below the soil line.....yikes!!
And now to keep it all alive through this heatwave........BC heatwave!
Here's to doing our bit to be sustainable........and eating local and
Your lettuce looks great! I know what you mean about it all being read at once though. We've kind of had our fill of romaine!
ReplyDelete