vegetable garden

I start my day walking out the door, over the stepping stone rocks, and looking at the entrance to my vegetable garden, on sunny mornings, the sun shines as early as 6am on the garden, and it's a wonderful time to work or walk around looking at all the new growth of each plant.  The garden is fenced with concrete pillars for posts, to add a natural touch of art, there are drilled holes in rocks and placed onto the posts that have a bolt coming out the top.  We have rocks incorporated into many projects, and it's a theme in our architecture.  There are still wooden gates and arbors to be built in the garden, but for now it's safe from the deer, and for that I am grateful.

Once I enter the garden, this is the center path, with strawberries and flowers on the left, the concrete bed is on the right.  Straight ahead on the right are the young fruit tree rootstocks, on the left is the rhubarb, more strawberries, a grape arbor, with 3 grape vines, raspberries, wildflowers, herbs and asparagus.

This is taking a right in the garden after you go around the concrete bed.  There are turnips, raspberries a large elderberry tree and more strawberries.  I've also got some carrots, onions, potatoes and elephant garlic planted.

Kale, garlic, and lettuce

We'll  have plenty of cabbage for fresh eating, both the purple and green variety, 

and lots of danish ballhead cabbage for sauerkraut.

Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and kohlrabi, all of these love our cool rainy weather.

Purple Kohlrabi is delicious, and does well here.

This is my warm season crops, like cucumber, basil, lichi tomatoes, zuccini, sunburst pattypan squash, and delicata squash.  They are so late this year, I wonder if I'll even get a crop, the warm season stuff goes quite late around here often in October.  More motivation to get my greenhouse set up before next Spring.

My garden is a work in progress, each year I've spent making one big bed, by composting a small mountain right in the middle, and spreading it all over.  I bring in wheelbarrow loads of rabbit and chicken manure from cleanings, also weeds, kitchen scraps, wood ashes, straw, leaves, and coffee grounds.  Compost can just be made that easily, be sure to watch your brown and green ratio, and let sun, rain, and time do the rest.

Once the big beds were made, I then create a small path down the middle, and have square or rectangular beds, that are set up permanently so they are never walked on, and can be reached to maintain. 

Currently the first of August, I've just planted more greens, and will also plant more carrots, radishes, and kale.  Weeding is always a job that needs to be done, and some paths still need shade cloth and wood chips spread on them, I need to spread compost on more of the beds, and harvest some root crops, then there's successive sowing of greens and radishes, I always have a long to do list for the garden during the growing season.  Then there comes a point, usually in the early Fall, when everything seems perfect and the harvest is at it's peak, I will take a break working on the outside, and really go into high gear putting food away for the winter through canning, freezing and drying. 

We're in the middle of our summer, and this last week was our first solid week of sun we've had almost all season.  We've had so much rain and cool weather, the sun felt so good to all of us.  I hope you're enjoying your summer as much as we are.