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I always think that I’m going to have time to accomplish a lot in January. Well, here we are at the end of the month, and I really didn’t accomplish much.
It’s
been dull, drab, dreary, and dry – the four “Ds.” “A dull day,” Ina would
observe over and over. We don’t get a lot of sun in the winter here. The lows
bounce from the low 20s into the mid-30s. The highs are into the 40s, but it just
tops out there in the afternoon for an hour or so. It doesn’t look like the
traditional pictures of snow in winter, and I guess folks here are grateful for
that. And while we sit here in a relatively calm winter, we’re sorry for those
who have suffered those terrible storms, even as we wonder how dry our summer
will be. And that brings me to the subject of vegetable gardening. Looking
forward to summer’s bounty is one of winter’s themes.
I
garden at the farm. I have three small raised beds, and one of them is devoted
to strawberries. Productivity of these beds is so low that I would say my
gardening efforts contribute basically nothing to our diet, unless you count
strawberry shortcake. Perhaps the soil needs to be amended. Perhaps I just don’t
have a green thumb (very possible). And maybe – very likely – it’s just too hot.
It can be too hot, you know. These days, we don’t get a break from the summer’s
heat. We don’t have those gentle summer rains of yesteryear which refreshed the
earth, and we just can’t water enough to keep up. Added to the heat are the
appetites of the bunnies, the birds, and the deer. My gardening is one big
time-consuming experiment, and I have learned not to expect too much. Maybe
that’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But
with rising grocery costs (and perhaps a desire to eat more vegetables?), Mike
suggested expanding the gardens. I’m thinking about it. It would mean enlarging
one of the raised beds or maybe constructing another one. It’s a lot of work –
and some expense. I just don’t know if it’s worth it. KW
[The photos here were taken in August, 2022.]
I have learned some things from my raised bed experiments and it leaves me a little deflated. For one, what I thought would be a sizable bed really can only accommodate about four different things. Carrots take ALL summer long. Beets also take a long time and often aren't very big. I probably should also amend more than I do.
ReplyDeleteI've done pretty well with spinach and kale, though. Maybe I get my money's worth of seeds out of those crops. If I ever have more space, I am still inspired by this idea. I am also inspired by pressure canning, but I'm not quite ready to purchase a pressure canner and start doing it.
We would happily help with your raised bed project if you decide to do it.
I saw "compost for raised beds" at Home Depot last year, but we didn't buy any. It's on my list for this year. We just don't get enough from our kitchen scrap compost bins to make a big difference, though it helps.
ReplyDeleteI had some heat-tolerant lettuce seeds from Burpee's that did well last year. A garden for two doesn't need a lot of lettuce at one time. By the time it's dry enough to plant, it's already too warm for the spinach. And the beets and carrots DO take a long time to mature. And you know about my summer squash woes.
Thank you for offering to help with our expansion project, Hallie. Let's talk about it.