Our Garden Edibles That Came Back (and a few we bought)
Originally I wasn't even going to write a Garden 2018 post. This year I had felt out of it and had planned not to garden. So sad. Our back yard was getting on my nerves. There were landscaping plans that we didn't have the money for and it seemed that weeds had just taken over and could grow better than any flowers or vegetables I even dare try to plant. My heart just wasn't in it.
We live in the Pacific Northwest and our fall, winter, and spring are pretty wet and I didn't spend much time outside during those wet months checking out what was really going on in the backyard. I was just pouting from the back window. I wanted an extended patio and I wanted walkways. I wanted a solar fountain. And I wanted some nice walking areas around our raised beds. But we just didn't have time or money to make those things happen.
So that ruined it for me (because yes, I'm human).
And then one day my husband brought home 6 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants. One of his customers owns a nursery and I had forgotten how people were always sending him home with plants and such as thank you's. So said customers gifted him with these very special plants. And, still in my snit, I let the vegetables sit there on the back porch and I would frown at them every so often knowing that they needed to go in the ground soon.
Then I grudgingly told my husband we would need to get some compost to add to the beds so I could make a nice spot for the tomatoes. These were originally set up as for Square Foot gardening so the soil was a really nice mix that we had just been adding (store bought) compost to.
And then since compost was coming I thought I might as well get out there and see how things were going in the garden…
Woah! My Swiss chard hadn't died but in fact had come back to life and was going to seed! Now this was not necessarily a bad thing as I grow Swiss chard fairly easily and some nice new fresh seeds would be great, instead of buying them all the time. And I had read that you can still eat the leaves of the Swiss chard going to seed. Pretty cool.
And then as I was gazing at the Swiss chard I noticed a plant that looked suspiciously like a potato plant. I had potatoes at that same spot the last year but I was sure I had dug them all up….hmmm.
We had some organic potatoes in the house that had started to sprout. And there were blue potatoes among them. Ooohh! So I had my daughter plant them near the others.
As I continued around the yard I found our blueberries were finally bearing a lot of fruit this year! I had moved them around quite a bit trying to find the best spot and last year was the only time I hadn't moved them, finally landing upon what I thought was the perfect blend of shade and sun to make them happy. I guess I was right.
Finally on tothe strawberries, also in their new home were looking much better. And when I tasted an early ripened one I was right! It's been hard catching them before the birds and slugs but what we do find is delicious!
So yeah. I guess I'm gardening this year.
My husband and I work together to care for the lawn and garden. My daughter just likes to collect the frogs. Yes, even at 13.
That's how I got back into garden. From the plants that came back.
Are you gardening this year? How's it going?
This post details how we take care our Pacific Northwest lawn and small garden.
