I shamelessly bullied my neighbor into planting my broccoli and cabbage plants in HIS garden. So now, if I calculate correctly, I have enough planted to feed a family of 15. The last time I checked, there is one of me. I am blaming my compulsive planting on the long, bitter winter. And I promise (cross my heart, hope to die) that - after the sunflowers, tomatoes, dwarf sweet pea, St. John's wort, and a few other plants that I only vaguely recollect - I won't plant anything else. Until Fall.
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My neighbor's neat-as-a-pin
garden. You'll find no tire planters
in THIS garden. |
I think my neighbor is getting wise to me, though. I happened to run into him this weekend and casually dropped the hint that I was STILL out of room and here I was with my poor tomato/pepper plants...poor me. I noticed he started edging down the driveway. When I turned my hopeful look in his direction, the poor man almost ran to his truck. After all, he had taken on the foster care of six cabbage plants, six broccoli plants, and who knows what else (I tend to lose track). I think the idea of having to take care of more of my plants was too much for him.
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Herb bed - lovage, chives, tarragon, mint,
thyme, teeny oregano - cilantro and parsley
below. |
In my herb bed - off the back deck - the cilantro keeps reseeding itself, which is wonderful. I use a lot of it and it goes to seed so fast. I've just let it carry on at its own pace for a few years now, and I have plenty to use during the summer. My poor oregano is limping along (its that pitiful little yellowy patch in the upperish left of the bottom picture), while my thyme - which, by the way, I do NOT need to cultivate, as about a third of my lawn is comprised of wild thyme - tarragon, chives and lovage are flourishing. I love having access to fresh herbs right outside of my door.
I end this post with Tater Tires. These are bintjes - my most favorite potato ever! I had eaten more than my share in the Netherlands (their country of origin) but had never found them here. That is until my Fedco catalogue arrived this winter! I've only planted two types of potatoes this year (since asking my neighbor to plant a whole row of mine, hilling and weeding them all summer was a little much - don't you think?) - the bintjes and Kennebecs, another fav.
I promise that my next post will have nothing whatsoever to do with gardening.
13 comments:
i am out of room and am sacrificing things i planted early (radishes) and pirating the pots for things i need to plant. the shame of it all! look for slow bolt cilantro seeds. i planted them this year.
I've been eyeing those boring grassy bits envisioning another bed or 2.
I am certain that in a previous life you were a farm wife who planted a garden to sustain your family of twelve throughout the year. It's in your genes and you just can't let it go.
Your next post won't be about gardening? Please not forever. We fellow gardeners thrive on hearing about and seeing pictures of gardens!
I'm thinning out my chives this year, and making more room to add more herbs. I have never heard of those potatoes. I think we only planted Kennebec and Red Pontiac this year. I'll have to check my seed catalog next year.
Jaz - I am down to pirating pots, too. I have also crammed in three plants to a pot. If this all bears fruit -- well, it will be a busy summer. I'll look for the seeds. That would be more helpful, as it's either feast or famine with the cilantro.
Judi - Exactly! Less lawn, more garden!
Mama Pea - I think you must be right. It could also be the reason I can enough food for a small village. Don't you worry - almost all my waking (and some of my dreaming) time is consumed with gardening. It is bound to sneak in every post...
Kristina - Do you like the Red Pontiacs? I am thinking about doing a red potato next year. I'll have to see how the bintjes do. The Kennebecs are bomb-proof. Sigh. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself...
Less lawn, more garden , amen. We tore out another 3'-4' of turf to enlarge our veggie garden. We'd go bigger but have a huge maple tree with too much shade. The front yard may be next:) We already have 3 fruit trees, 2 berry shrubs, but I think we may add more...
I love that cilantro has such a short life span, because we get those beautiful little coriander seeds, which burst with flavor, when cilantro bolts. In Missouri summers, the time span from great leaves to little seeds is only about two weeks. Of course, there are those who put on their Semantics badge and disagree with the whole thing. And while they're arguing, my DIL and I have made many fresh appetizers and soups with all those leaves and seeds from multiple plantings. ;)
Nancy - You're headed in the right direction - and you two have made great strides with your place. I might try berry bushes, since I'm not having luck with my fruit trees so far.
Charade - Thank you for reminding me about the seeds! I figure if I leave it long enough, I will have a quarter acre of cilantro. That may be enough for a summer... :)
If it is space use it.....maybe "can" something special for the plant sitting neighbor? People here are starting to avoid eye contact when Ralph is outdoors, they duck for cover if I even get near one of the extra tomato plants! My favorite potatoes are called Caribe'. They are a white fleshed nearly neon purple skinned potato that mashes beautifully and works well for potato salads and even bakes reasonably well. Garden insinuates its self into everything. Its so good for us though!
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