Winter 2015: Out Like a Lion

We found Garden Plot 105 to be quite muddy, but looking better than we thought it would after such a ferocious winter.

Favorite Leafy Greens

Butter Lettuce

Cabbage

Early Bloomers

It took a awhile, but we've been able to nurture some terrific morning glories in GP 105, which as their name suggests unravel into full bloom in the early morning. Although it blooms at this time of day, the plant prefers full sun the rest of the time.

Morning Glories

Soraya Sunflowers

Soraya sunflower about to open

Sorayas grown in Garden Plot 105

In addition to raising mammoth (Girasol) sunflowers, which typically reach 12 feet in height, we were also successful in growing colorful Sorayas, which of course the neighborhood birds and bees appeared to love.

Ingenious Implement

Homi hand plow

This ingenious implement from ancient Korea, a homi hand plow (호미), simultaneously removes weeds and breaks up hard soil. It's been invaluable to the progress of Garden Plot 105.

Little Cukes

Cucumber

It's the end of June and the long-awaited little cukes have arrived! We grew this variety from certified organic seed and it will take approximately 65 days to mature.

Inching Towards Eden

Highly invasive spearmint

This weekend has been sunny with temperatures around 82 degrees, which makes for nice gardening! We've hoed and raked this little area known as GP 105 over and over again to keep everything nice and tidy, and then the rain comes and the weeds blanket through our progress again.  This time, we've put down additional recycled paper weed blanket. It is not as easy to use as the black fabric weed blankets most of our neighboring gardeners favor, but somehow seems to work well with the ground.  We also took advantage of the free leaf mulch delivered by the County truck and made several trips filling bags and hauling them back to the site so that we could mulch in the fence and parameters.  Remind me to purchase a wheel-barrow prior to Fall!

Gardening is, if nothing else, humbling. While I have clear visions of a beautiful and bountiful variety of thriving foliage and bloom, the garden at present does not seem to be participating in that vision. I do not know if it is because we started nearly everything from seed rather than purchased plants, or if the soil is too heavy, or the if something else is wrong; I only know the plants seem to be growing very,very slowly.  I would have expected the pepper plants to be about six or eight inches high by now, and they are still only two or three inches high after six weeks.  The tomatoes are slow to gain inches as well, but at least they are making an effort.  The peas and cucumbers merely appear to be enduring; but I've promised them not to take any drastic measures unless the tide turns well against them.  We added sunflowers, morning glories, and basil this weekend.  We also find we have wild spearmint, which someone planted before us and appears to be horribly invasive and prolific!  We've kept it well contained for now, but I know this bugger will be all about if we but give it a week left to itself. (Which we won't do.)

Hours and hours are spent puttering and trying to make the garden look well manicured, and ensure against the encroachment of weeds.  While I find the work satisfying, fulfilling, calming and invigorating, I do hope the plants are doing their part as well! I hope I have their full cooperation in this enterprise!

Tonight marks the beginning of another work week. While I'll be able to visit briefly during the week to water and to check on things, the weekends are when the real work gets done.  A whole five days until I have the opportunity to put on gloves and lose myself in water, light, air, and soil!