For the past month, we’ve been able to enjoy some of the produce coming out of the garden. The lettuce has been producing beautiful and tasty leaves. There’s nothing like a freshly-picked salad. One of the lettuces has flowered and will soon go to seed. I think we will let it mature in an attempt to collect seeds to plant for next year. However, the rest of the heads continue to produce leaves to pick. Back when the chickens ate my lettuce to the ground, I planted more seeds in case the plants didn’t come back. Well, they did come back, but the seeds sprouted too, so I have transplanted some of the new lettuce and it is also doing well. We should have fresh salad into the fall. I’ve already harvested my first batch of cilantro since it was a bout to go to seed.
The tomatoes and peppers aren’t quite ready. One of the drawbacks to living so far north is that the growing season is late and short. Thus when many of my friends in the mid-Atlantic states were harvesting their first tomatoes, I was just putting mine in the ground. But, I’m happy to report that my tomato plants have exploded in size and that little green tomatoes should be ripe for harvest in a few more weeks. I have a banana pepper that might be ready to come off the plant soon, but the rest will be a while. Some of the plants still have flowers on them.
I grew a lot of basil this year, but I haven’t made much with it. I must find some good dishes that feature basil. Maybe a pizza night?
The strawberries are looking great. We even have a few ripe berries, but I’m not expecting much this year. Next year, we shall reap a bountiful strawberry harvest.
The zucchini plants are doing great. They don’t creep out the way pumpkins do, so next year I can plant more of them closer together. We already have one that is ready to eat and a few more following behind. There are still flowers on the plants too, so hopefully we’ll get a nice bounty.
The pie pumpkins are looking happy. We’re looking forward to canning and baking with our own pumpkin this year.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the progress of the garden. I’m already looking forward to expanding our capcity and planting a larger variety of food items next year. I have one more 4 x 8′ box in the garage ready to be transplanted to the garden and filled with dirt. I may make one more 4 x 8′ and one more 2 x 8′ box to expand the strawberry patch, depending on how much wood I have left. Next year, we’re hoping to plant chard, kale, beans, asparagus, maybe some onions and potatoes, and build an extensive herb garden that both provides food and aesthetics. We’d also like to add raspberry and blueberries along the fence row and start a small fruit orchard. The two apple trees in the yard are looking pretty sad, but they are producing a few apples. I’d like some pears, plums, and cherries. The fruit trees will also add value to the property even if they don’t start producing in bulk before we move.
