Looking Back

Last night I spent about 30 minutes picking "The Fruit Of My Labor" out of the garden.  Knowing I'm headed to Korea for work again, I anticipate the weather getting cooler and cooler and I'll be losing a lot of what is currently just hanging around.  I thought I'd share the bounty of my my garden with friends and coworkers before I leave.

These are a few of the realizations that I had while reflecting on my 3rd garden's "success".

#1 - I don't eat most of what I grow.  I give a lot of it away.  I haven't been cooking as much lately because I either exhausted from work or exhausted from projects.  Most of my food is packaged or bought out.  Which makes me sad, but until my life changes, that's the truth of it.  I also give a lot away because I like to share it.  It makes me extremely happy to hear someone say they like what I've grown!

#2 - I'm done with the hard veggies.  I'm seriously, DONE.  I don't give two figs to try growing cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cabbage again.  Anything that aphids eat, I'm not interested in.  I'm done fighting that fight.  The aphids win.

#3 - I don't know SO MUCH about gardening.  I've got a compost bin, but I don't have a clue what I'm supposed to be doing with it.  :)  It sits there full of "composty things" in it...and I'm baffled about what to do next.

#4 - I don't know how to harvest, or when to harvest most of what I seed in my garden.

#5 - I over plant.  I admit it.  I need 1 tomato plant a year, and I need to remember that, because I make the same mistake every single year.  And who needs more than one zucchini plant?!  Honestly!  They grow so darn fast I can hardly get out there fast enough to harvest them before they're so big they taste awful.

#6 - On the up side, I did pickle some veg this year, and I really quite enjoyed that.  I think that's a fun way to enjoy what I grow and not feel so overwhelmed to eat a mass of tomatoes in one sitting.

#7 - I'm investing in raised beds this next summer.  I'm not convinced I'm a good gardener  but before I give up on this hobby entirely, I'm going to try and do this in a way that is more rewarding for me.

#8 - I'm TRILLED to see the huge pumpkin in my garden this year.  I get a huge smile whenever I go out there, knowing that guy is going to be the coolest carved jack ever this year. I don't care how old I get, carving pumpkins is so fun.

#9 - I do know I'm learning.  I do know that as much as I don't know, I know more now than I did two years ago, and as I go forward and learn more of what I like to grow, what I am good at growing and what my garden WANTS to grow I can only get better at this, and maybe at some point in my future when my career and house projects aren't taking up so much of my time this little hobby will get more of my brain power and I can do the proper amount of research I should be doing to make it a success.  In the meantime, I do enjoy myself when I have the time to devote to it.

#10 - This year, I'm not putting straw down when I put the garden to bed, and I WILL do some research about that compost bin before then so I'm fully prepared for next spring.  :)

#11 - Bush Beans, and climbing beans are VERY, very different, and should not be seeded in the same location....note to self, put the climbing beans on something they can climb on, or they will choke out the bush beans.

Happy Gardening family.   I hope everyone else has had a successful summer of veggies.

The Return of the Never Ending Zucchini

My garden has, remarkably, kept itself alive while I was focused on house projects.  I don't have much diversity this year, but things ARE growing, which considering my lack of interest in it most of the spring is pretty impressive.

I went for 3 separate zucchini plants this year with a cucumber and a pumpkin thrown in....but when things were not coming up, I threw in a few more seeds to see how it would go.  Low and behold, I have a garden full of spreading zucchini plants that are overtaking everything else.  Every morning I go out there i move the tendrils into a new direction trying to navigate the other plants...each morning I feel like I've gotten another foot of growth!

My peas are looking very "pea'y" and growing up the bed frame we put out there.  I have tried a few, and they're delicious!  

My first 2 blueberries!  YAAAY.  I'm not really sure when they are going to be ripe.  I'm just enjoying looking at them at this point.  It's been 2 years now and these are the first two I've gotten.  

The asparagus is in an awful spot.  I think I might have to start over entirely with the Aspargus as soon as I put the raised beds in.  At this point I feel like it's not worth my time to manage them in any way.  

I'm giving up on all veg that Aphids like.  I'm just...SO discouraged.  I've tried non-chemical methods, (soap and water only, water every single morning, washing leaves) and this year, I even resorted to chemicals to kill the aphids.  Chemicals showed the best results but they are still eating my cabbage and kohlrabi alive, I feel so defeated with this issue.  I'm just, DONE trying.  Next summer, I'm not going to try again.  I'm going to do hearty veg and not worry about it.  

3 tomato plants is 2, too many!  Once again I have the most bountiful tomato plants ever!  I've got so much fruit on the limbs they are sagging everywhere.  I don't have enough stakes to prop up all the limbs.  

This year, I bought onion starts from the Portland Nursery and wow have they taken off!  They're lovely to look at and sooo fragrant!  LOVE them.  

saddest little cabbage ever....

Garden #3

Wow.  I cannot believe it's the 12th of May and I'm only now getting my seeds in the ground.  Derrick and I have been so focused on getting the yard project done we have ignored the garden almost entirely this year.

Today I got the garden raked up, and I put seeds in.  I did not think it out this year like I did last year, I literally went through what was left of my seeds from last year and threw them in rows.  The mice got into my seed stash this winter so I didn't have a lot to choose from.  I put what was left in a sealed container, I hope that will keep the remaining seeds for next year or later this summer.

I have some leeks, carrots, cauliflower, two types of beans, peas, tomatoes, jalepenos and some potatoes.  I  might sneak to the store in the next week or so and buy some corn too, I just am in love with fresh corn.

I've given up on spinach and lettuce, I can't eat it fast enough, and I did buy some starts of cabbage and kholorabi this year because I was just so late with everything, I didn't think I'd see anything if I didn't.

oh!  And 3 mounds for zuccini this year, 2 for winter squash and 1 for cucumbers!

Spring or still Winter?

Winter still has not given up at Snowshoe Inn.  Last week we had weather in the 60's today the high was 31 degrees F.  Saturday Fred Meyer had there cutting sale for geraniums and fuchsias.  I picked up about 40 plants.  Had to quickly move them from car to greenhouse.  We continue to harvest greens sown in August from cold frame and cold greenhouse. 

 As I post this it continues to snow.  Nearly 7 pm and about one inch of snow on the lawn areas.

 Snow drops are still hanging in.  They have been up quite a while.  It has taken them several years to become this vigorous.  I am excited that they are doing so well in our climate.
 

 Cold frames earlier in day, no snow yet.  I harvested spinach, lettuce and other greens from them for tonight's dinner.  Fresh and crisp when it was 29 degrees at the time they were harvested.
 Here is the lettuce and other greens before harvesting them tonight.  Plenty of greens to keep us going until I sow more when the real spring arrives.

 This is garlic planted last September.  I can not believe how much they have grown this winter/spring.

 This is a gooseberry Joshua sent me for my birthday last fall.  The buds started to swell several weeks ago and now leaves are beginning to emerge.  I hope they can handle the cool weather to come this spring.

Some of the crocus planted in a grassy area west of the cabin.  It is interesting to see them flower.  The flowers move across the grassy area each week as things warm up.  Last season they were actually came up through the snow. 

Spring in Central Oregon Cascades

Winter does not give up with out a fight here in the Central Oregon Cascades.  We have had several snow falls in the past week.  The snow does not stay long but night time temperatures are normally below freezing every morning and often down to 17 degrees F.   I continue to use my cold frames and heated greenhouse to over winter crops planted in fall.   We are full swing in harvesting Leeks and spinach sown in the fall.  I moved one of my heat pads to the greenhouse bench and now have a few early crops sown for spring. Bobbe is excited to have basil, and cilantro coming up.  I will grow these in pots for early harvests.