Garden report 4 - watering

This past week has been cool and dry.  I wasn't sure if we experienced much growth until I consulted back on last week's garden report.   I feel very pleased with the progress, and feel I too am growing in stride with all that happens here in the garden.    

I have to say the hugelbeds are sending out the strongest of the plants.  There was some tatsoi coming up way on the top and I found it too difficult to pick.  I had to remind myself this is an experiment and it may be a few years before I can sing out the success of it. 

   

For the rest of the garden Peter and are still tweaking our watering system. I cleared the giant mud pile in middle of the garden and got some climbing rattle snake beans planted.  

We also put in a very special row of yellow bush beans from a collection of seeds from a friend who passed away this last spring.  In her honor we made it a pretty curve and lined it with marigolds. This garden is a happy place, and as these grow we'll certainly be thinking of her and be reminded of the vibrant life she lived.

  

There was no official plan to this year's garden.  Each corner evolved on its own and the result of it is irregular beds, winding paths and little nooks to hide.  As long as the paths are clearly defined (and they promise to close the garden gate!) this garden will always be available for children to run and play.

We are still eating asparagus daily.  It has become Charlie's favorite but I will report that the others are tiring of it and we are letting many of the stalks go to seed.  A few are already taller than our new Cherry trees.

We spent some time harvesting garlic scapes this last week.  I was slow in completing the task last year so a bunch went to seed in the previous patch.  I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing (because of possible disease) but excited about the possibility of double the garlic.

Clara and Henry helped me make garlic scape pesto.  Last year we were mixing it in our goat cheese and Henry requested I freeze enough of it for a "garlic scape pesto birthday party" next year.  He is already planning a goat cheese cake frosted in pesto and games which included water balloons filled with pesto.  I guess you could say he really likes pesto.

In another corner of the garden the peas are ready for eating! What that means around here is much snacking and not much harvesting.    After a long morning in the garden I was too tired to make lunch so I just stepped into Paul's office and sprinkled a pile of pea pods around his key board and said, "it's not much but since they were picked just a few minutes ago they will have more energy than anything else you were planning to eat".  

The squash in the front flower bed are doing well.  I like how the little rose seems to be watching it and wondering what it is doing there.

From the raised beds in the front yard I'm sorry to report that only 4 of the sweet potato plants survived last week's lower temps.  I should have covered them in plastic but did not get around to it.  I've planted some lettuce and carrots in the far corner of the bed that will be harvested before the sweet potatoes spread.  

Here is another view, this view makes me hungry.  I've been eating eggs with pac choy (baby bok choy) and tatsoi all week and snacking on parsley, purslane (a welcomed weed) and sorrel whenever I walk by. I potted my basil so I could move it around for full sun.  I also did a pot of tulsi basil to harvest for herbal tea but that pot is not growing as strong.

Finally, just last night a neighbor came by with a trailer of poppies and irises.  Oh the joy and oh the work of gardening, not sure there is anything more satisfying.  

Looking back on -

week 1

week 2

week 3