Cool Season Pretties in the Edible Garden

If you've ever thought about planting some edibles there is no better time than now.

Learning to grow an edible garden has been one of the most enriching aspects of gardening for me.

For an endeavor that was so intimidating initially it's difficult to express how much joy it has brought over the past 3 years. Trepidation at times. But joy is always the overarching feeling that comes to mind when I recount this experience.

From my first effort at edibles in the spring of 2008 when there were just two lonely framed-beds in my side yard I fell in love with this process.

I also sensed the need to enlarge the space right off.

For me, rectangular boxes plopped in the corner were a great starting place but it just wasn't pretty enough. I shamelessly admit I like pretty. Pretty matters to me.

I envisioned creating a space that flowed with the rest of my garden.

A space that gave me the same peaceful sense I get when I walk into other areas of my garden. It would have curving lines with edibles and flowers blended together spilling and tumbling beyond their boundaries.

The straight edges of framed beds would be softened by the addition of hilled-up beds designed to avoid the traditional 'row' planting. And flowering hardy perennials would serve as foundational borders and edging. That way I wouldn't have to replace them each season.

It was simply a large grassy patch at the time all those dreamy plans were dancing around in my mind. Can you see the two framed beds in the upper left corner from the June 2008 photo above?

Along with the flowering borders there would be portable containers placed throughout in many sizes where seasonal herbs and flowers would rotate in concert with the seasonal climate or if it so happened ~~ the whim of this gardener.

Harvest. Just one of the sources of the joy I'm hoping to convey to anyone who really wants to try edibles but hasn't yet for whatever reason.

I'm a firm believer in "start with what you have and start where you are at the moment." Getting started is the key. Even if it's planting in one portable container. On a patio or a balcony.

In January 2009 to prepare for my second spring of sowing edibles more lawn was removed to enlarge the garden. Rather than spending my dollars on framed beds I spent them on good soil brought in and hilled-up in the new space.

Transitions from dreams to realities are not usually an overnight materialization. Always keeping in mind that gardening is the principle of seed-time and harvest.

Time. Every step takes time and patience. And with a little diligence and determination visions come to pass. By April 2009 what I had visualized in my mind was what I could see in my garden.

My home landscape used to be completely planned and predictable. The choice to plant heirloom seeds and allowing nature to have its way means that each season there are those occasionally surprises that add to the exhileration that blending flowers and edibles offers.

These days I can never be sure when/where a patch of bronze fennel or parsley or dill or even lettuce starts might decide to squeeze into a so-called 'planned' space and find some soil to take root. Fun stuff.

The sight of large leafy edibles happy to be in my garden supplies my table with food and my soul with great pleasure and satisfaction.

Life. Nurturing life and tapping into that sense of reward for giving my garden what it needs to grow. It gives back at a remarkable rate of return.

Peach tree blossoms are giving way to the beginnings of tiny fuzz balls of fruit. Outside of the designated edible garden is a Tropic Snow Peach tree mingled right in with ornamentals of agapanthus and pentas at its feet in the back garden. It has the feeling of being more naturalized rather than keeping ornamentals and edibles separated.
Self-seeding Gaillardia is no longer surprising. It is everywhere it seems. No problem. I've transferred many of the starts to other locations that could use a lift from these no-nonsense, brightly colored beauties.

What a learning curve there is with this type of gardening! What works. What doesn't. Not to mention the weather patterns and unexpected changes that affect each season. Inspiration to conquer comes along with the challenge. Attempts to master the timing, sowing, soil needs, irrigation, organic practices ~~ all a step by step process.

Last year with my first attempt at broccoli the plants were enormous but not a single fruit was formed. This season we've got broccoli! What could be more exciting!

Green Macerata cauliflower from heirloom seeds was added this year as well. Harvesting from both makes it doubly rewarding and oh, so delicious.

Cool season edibles planted last fall actually didn't mind the colder winter we experienced in December/January. Warm season seeds have been sown to come up when the fall plantings are spent. In Florida there is always a blend of seasons.

One of these days I aim to master eating (at least something) from the garden all year long. It's the humid, bug ridden world of summer when only bell peppers seem to endure that defies me. My first attempt to conquer the gap will be this summer. I'll be trying some heat resisant long yard beans to break that barrier.

Now what about you? Do you love this aspect of your garden like I do? Is it time to get to the dreams that dance in YOUR head?

One More Pass by the Veggie Garden

A week ago I was certain the last of the green beans had been picked. One last 'big mess of beans' (hear: very southern drawl--terminology in remembrance of my grandma), mashed potatoes, and some fried chicken was enjoyed for dinner by our family.

Much to my surprise... again... this morning as I was literally passing by the veggie garden with no intention of stopping to even check it out because of its pitiful condition... a few dangling green beans caught my eye. I think to myself it probably isn't even worth it to bother but I am drawn to them and to my amazement there are more. Soon there are more than I can hold in a handful.

I just had to take a photo of the ugliness of the plants. They are quite sad with hardly a leaf left on the stems from all the buggies feasting the last few weeks.

The Last Little Basket of Produce

The lancelot leeks have all been pulled. They didn't get very large but they certainly add wonderful flavor to soups and meat dishes. A few peppers ... small and undersized however, were waiting to be noticed this morning as well. I would never have seen them had I not started picking beans.

Flowers still blossoming on the pepper plants. I'll be really surprised if they produce anything.

A Spot Of Red, Too.

It's official. There are no more homegrown tomatoes at Hoe and Shovel to be picked... to allow to ripen... to be eaten. You are seeing the last of all the red orbed delights we have so steadily enjoyed over the past 2 1/2 months.

This lone fruit sitting on the kitchen window sill for a couple of days. All the others previously lined up together dwindled to one. One last tomato. I wanted to somehow save it... to not eat it... to imagine it wasn't the last... to hope that somehow by not eating it --it could be preserved... then somehow there wouldn't ever have to be a last.

A Little Tomato With Your Pepper?

Alas, I sliced up the last savory fruit and made my final yummy tomato sandwich. It was as delightful as all the rest I've come to anticipate as a daily treat.

The veggie garden this spring has been a marvelous learning and growing (no pun here) experience for me personally. It was a dream for so many years and now it has been fulfilled. From the first task of hauling the dirt, planting the seeds and staking the tomatoes all the way to the end when the bugs started attacking... it was a thrill. I realize now that I probably obsessed a little over it and paid way too much attention to it for fear I'd miss something.

It was a small space... just enough for a first garden. Next time it will be easier because it won't feel like everything is new and foreign to me. Landscape gardening has become second nature to me, I hope working with vegetables feels that way eventually. I've made lots of notes both mental and written.

Thanks to all the dear readers who followed along and offered such encouraging words and support. We'll do it again and it will be just as much fun to post every challenge and triumph.

Dramatic I know, but I'm not looking forward to store-bought green beans and tomatoes again. :-)

Veggie Garden Chit-Chat

This was supposed to be the basil plant purchased just so it could flower and in turn fill my gardening soul with the sweet sight of its tiny white blooms. There are others that aren't allowed to flower but are kept pinched back for use in the kitchen.

Have you ever seen a basil leaf 5 or 6 inches long? Needless to say, no flowering allowed on this prolific plant. It is feeding us well, adding its wonderful flavor to salads, spaghetti, and other meat dishes.


Just for fun... look at the camparison of growth in the photo above and the photo below ... in just 18 days. I wouldn't have realized it myself if not for the wonder of photo documentation.

It's been a while since I gave a veggie garden run down. If you've not read Hoe & Shovel before it would be fair to let you know this is Hoe & Shovel's first attempt at a veggie garden. You are welcomed to link to the back stories of its beginnings here and here.

There are some not-so-profound lessons I've learned about my garden over the course of time since March 13 when I put the first seed in the ground. These little tidbits were running through my head yesterday as I spent some uninterrupted hours further staking up the tomatoes for the umpteenth time (I'm not complaining), and harvesting beans, squash, tomatoes and bell peppers.

If you'd like to hear my ramblings, pull up a chair... I'll pour you a cup of coffee and ...

Okay, I guess you'll have to pour your own coffee ... too bad ... I wish each wonderful reader could stop by for a visit and you could tell me your lessons too.

Here we go.

The not-so-profound things I've learned/observed/discovered/decided ... you get the picture:

• That the cute ¼” bamboo stakes used initially to hold up small tomato plants aren’t as sturdy as they are cute.
  
• That the 8’(1 x 2) furring strips bought to help secure the house windows during the 2004 'Hurricane season from Hell' (never actually used then)… come in handy (cut in two) for bolstering the growing tomato plants.



• That the pole beans need a wider trellis to start with … again cute didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. It isn’t easy to harvest pole beans from vines twisted around each other.



• That it's possible I just might choose design (=cute) over function. ... sigh.
  
• That each individual squash and zucchini plant needs about 4 feet in diameter of space to spread. That translates to a maximum of two in an entire 4 x 8 bed. I only have two 4 x 8 beds so that translates into only 4 plants all together and nothing else planted. That translates to ---I WAYYYYY over-planted each bed and the squash and zucchini have not done great. Good, but not great … no overrunning amounts of fruit like should have been produced by so many plants given the proper amount of room.


• That carrots have lots of greenery using up space above ground and they are WAYYYYYYYY bigger on top than what’s under the ground.
  
• That I should have thinned out the carrots much more than I did. (Their harvest date is tomorrow and they aren't ready- hmmmm... I don't know what that means.)
  
• That it’s okay to pull some carrots up every once in a while just to see if there really is anything orange that slightly resembles a carrot growing underground.
  
• That marigolds planted in front of cucumbers will get much taller than the cucumbers and in turn block the sun from the cucumbers. Cucumbers need the sun to grow. I know, I'm really impressing you now.
  
• That marigolds planted anywhere in the bed would grow very tall and have to be transplanted to another place in the garden because my small beds just don’t have room for (those) flowers AND all the veggies I tried to grow.
  
• That even though we left 3 feet on either side of the raised beds where the confederate jasmine grows along a fence —the jasmine happens to bloom at the same time as the garden is growing. The bees love the jasmine. They don’t especially like me brushing up against them trying to make my way around in the garden.
  
• That I could breathe in the smell of tomato plants all day long and not tire of it.


• That it’s okay to cut off a tomato leaf occasionally just to walk around with it held to my nose taking deep whiffs of its wonderful fragrance. That I can do the same thing with basil, lavender, and cilantro and the plant is none the worse for it.
  
• That green beans are the very same green as their leaves and sometimes can be overlooked during the picking... Best to scour each bush a couple of times.



• That blue lake green beans grown in my garden might be the easiest to grow yet most wonderful flavor and taste of any beans I’ve had in my entire life.
  
• That I’m quite glad I took the advice of the Burpee package and planted another row of beans two weeks after the first seeds sown. Now I will enjoy beans for more blessed weeks.
• That cubanelle peppers and bell peppers grow very rapidly. Cubanelle are very sweet and tasty.



• That I definitely need more raised beds to grow more veggies. (Hopefully in time for the fall garden!)
  
• That the experience of vegetable gardening has been too wonderful for words. I’m quite sure I’ll never be satisfied to be without one.

Vine Ripened Tomatoes

With front feet hanging over the tomato leaf and head perked up this dragonfly of some kind is acting like a watchful one--- It does look like it is standing guard doesn't it? It was the see-through goldish wings that drew me closer at first.
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April 28 addendum to post: One of my faithful commenters and nature-ID-extraordinaire has given me a helping hand once again to ID the beautiful dragonfly in the above photo.
It is an Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly... thank you Sophiemae.

Exciting things are happening with the veggie garden at Hoe & Shovel. There's a very subtle change of color on the tomato plants as each day progresses.

The leaves aren't too pretty at this point but these average sized green orbs are evolving to shades of red. The above photo taken on April 22.

Actually daily now there are new discoveries in the garden. I'm allowed to get overly excited about seeing my fruit turn colors since this is my first ever experience with a veggie garden right?

Admittedly, all discoveries are not glorious ... like the (first again) ginormous worm I picked off the underside of a leaf... only after it had eaten its breakfast on one small tomato.

And finally... the above photo was taken April 24. Funny how the tomato right behind these two is still completely green. I'm learning as I go here... but I am having lots of fun... no matter how it all turns out.

Back to the Garden

Well, it's not as if I haven't been in the garden. This is that wonderful time of year when I spend every spare hour there... and some stolen minutes along the way. Gee, now that I think about 'this time of year' and spending every spare hour in the garden has been going on since about the second week of January ...and there is more to do yet... such is life in the garden.

But today I am taking you with me back to the garden after my last few posts focused on the beautiful wildlife in and around Hoe & Shovel.

I've taken on a couple of new projects this Winter/Spring season and one of them is my first ever veggie garden. You might remember I placed my two raised beds (in February) on the north side-yard of my house where grass was the dominant visual. You can click here to see the back story on the raised beds. Since then, I dug out some of the grass -- transplanted some foliage from around other places in my garden to create this (above) new bed. Then I moved some containers (close-up photo) and an old chair next to the boxes. My goal was to add more interest/color and soften the look of the limestone gravel I put next to the boxes initially. Adding more foliage here provides a more peaceful and softer setting... which is always my ultimate goal.

When initially comtemplating the veggie garden I was a little overwhelmed with intimidation and fear about the "how to's" of working with vegetables/seeds/raised beds/timing/thinning/harvesting and all the other unknowns (to me) about this type of gardening.

I must admit, after all of that needless anxiety, it has proven to be a most rewarding experience. Now, I realize I have a long way to go but, even so, if not another thing happened in the garden I would define it so far as most satisfying. Watering each day and observing the super-fast growth each day is quite different than landscape gardening. It is thrilling to nurture this small area knowing that it is actually producing organic food my family will soon be eating.

For the update:

I've included progress photos here as if these unfurling green leaves were my children. I'm so proud of them-- the way they are responding and performing so far. I confess I'm doing the very thing I've often thought was a bit silly...

"and here (above photo) is the way they looked on March 21...

... and oh, look at how much bigger they've gotten in just three days on March 24... they now have two sets of leaves... aren't they cute?...

... and then in just 5 more days my little bean stalks/vines are finding their way up the poles and wrapping themselves around them like good little beans are supposed to...

... and then, oh just look at them now on April 4, all my cute little squash, zucchini and beans are growing so big they are ready to be thinned."

The Painful Side:
Now that was painful I have to tell you. Sending perfectly good vegetable plants to the compost pile. It was very difficult to pull those plants out of the ground. But it was for their good I know.

The remaining plants needed all the available space in order to reach maturity. So we went from 16 healthy squash plants to 4 - likewise with the zucchini and the cuccumber.

Now why didn't I build more beds? Oh, yeah, I wanted to be wise and start small to assuage being too overwhelmed. What that really means is - to lessen the odds of failure. But I'm getting off track. Sigh. There's always next season...

Where was I then? Oh yes, I was going on and on about how very pleased I am with the performance of my little veggies. I started out with two bell pepper and 6 tomato plants from the nursery. Everything else I've listed (except for some herbs) was planted from seed.

Just look at those peppers. They are a beautiful sight. It won't be long before they will be making me happy in some spaghetti sauce or a salad. What could be more thrilling? (don't answer- I don't want to think anything else could be this exciting right now.)
Lastly, I've got tomatoes! Lots of them. I'm staking and watering like mad. Anyone have a recommendation on what to use to tie them to the stake? They are getting a bit heavy... like all good tomatoes do... I think. I should head over to Carol's to see if she has already mentioned this somewhere in one of her informational posts about vegetable gardening.

Fortunately, so far anyway, the bugs, worms, grasshoppers and such in the other parts of my garden haven't spread the news that there's a tender new plantings feast on the north side yet undiscovered. I pray they never do but then that would be more of a fairy tale than a real life vegetable garden wouldn't it?

A Sprout, Is A Sprout, Is A Sprout...

At least that's what I thought ... until now. Now that I have my very own sprouts that is.

I mean, come on, haven't you thought it too? I have to admit that all the posts displaying photo after photo of how this or that has sprouted and all that can be seen is dirt in pot after pot or row after row of tiny greenery unfurling-- it all looks the same right? A resounding NO!

NO, these are MY sprouts and I am quite proud of them so I find myself wanting to shout to passersby (if there were any passersby) "MY seeds are sprouting!"


On March 13 I sowed zucchini (above) seeds. Today, on March 19 I went to my garden early morning to water and lo and behold this is what I saw. 6 days... are you kidding me? My exuberance for all this seed sowing is growing by the day. I was elated at the sight.

At first I thought, uh-oh my new sprouts have come out with brown tips. sigh. Then I noticed it was the hull of the seed still stuck on the tender leaves. Is that cute or what?

Now I know I have a long way to go but I can tell this vegetable gardening is going to be more fun than I might ever have guessed!