Growing Fruits and Vegetables in the Winter

When I first bought my cottage, I planted zucchini, pumpkins, and tomatoes during the warm season.  I haven't done that in several years. I think I stopped around the time  my hips  had deteriorated. Now that they have been replaced, and the muscles are strong and healthy, I am ready  to get back in the game. I love growing the cold weather veggies, because they take less water and care. We have such hot weather in June, July, and August, that I just don't enjoy working outside. It takes hours to  feed, water, and care for a vegetable garden. I have good intentions when I start, but once the dog days of summer arrive, I find that I lose my enthusiasm.

Yesterday I planted artichokes, heirloom lettuces, spinach, and strawberries. I was pleased to see that my soil is still looking healthy and vibrant. I added a lot of homemade compost to each planting hole, and filled the cavities with water. I mulched the entire garden with fresh straw. It really works its magic over time. I lifted  the blanket of mulch from an area along the side garden, and the soil underneath it was black and rich. The homemade compost that I use was filled with tiny red wiggler worms. They arrived on their own; I didn't have to buy them. I think they were attracted to the horse manure that I had collected and deposited in the pile after one of my hikes. There is no trace of it remaining in the mountain of yard and produce trimmings anymore, it has transformed into rich, black, alive, organic matter.

Last night I made a salad with the tender greens from the heirloom lettuces that I had just transplanted. It was simple and delicious. I had forgotten how much better salads taste with the young, fresh, homegrown baby greens. The ones that I buy at the store are larger, and more mature. They have a completely different flavor than these delicate leaves. It will be nice to make fresh garden salads for the next several months.

I plan to make a bucket full of compost tea today, and let it sit in the sunshine. It makes such a wonderful plant food. I fed it to my pink geraniums, and they are blooming nicely.  They are so hardy and dependable.

 

Planting a Front Garden

When I first moved into this cottage, it was as a renter. The house had been vacant for two years, and the yard was overgrown with brown weeds and Bermuda grass. "I don't have a gardener," the owner explained to me. It was going to be up to me to clean up and create something with this yard. I was teaching fifteen classes a week at the time, and driving all over creation to get to the different dance studios where I worked.

I read about lasagna gardening on the Soil, Compost, and Mulch Forum at Gardenweb. The soil in my front yard turned out to be clay. I knew that plants wouldn't grow here unless I amended it. I put layers of manure, straw, and Starbucks coffee grounds. I spread it all on top of the dead Bermuda grass. The technique worked, and when I dug into the mulch in the spring, I had nice, rich, dark soil. I was in business!

The first thing I did was to divide all of the irises. There were dozens of purple ones, and they looked gorgeous in bloom. There were also some daffodils planted in clumps, which I really liked. I added a couple hanging baskets of geraniums on the porch, and put some annuals in the window boxes. All of a sudden I had color, beauty, and variety. I planted a couple of conifers, and had them flank the front door. I thought they would make nice live Christmas trees at holiday time. It has worked out really well. They are so festive when decorated with colored lights. I love the look. It's simple and bright.

Hollyhocks have always been one my favorite old fashioned flowers. There were already lots of them growing wild all over the backyard when I moved here. I saved the seeds and planted some in the front, too. Sunflowers were another one that I was able to grow from seed, as well as four o'clocks.

I had some California poppies spring up in front of the mailbox. They looked so cheerful that I saved the seeds. Each year I sprinkle them in the same area. It's always fun to see them come back, year after year. Several people have commented on them. They are so easy to grow. Some neighbors gave me cuttings of dusty miller, red geraniums, and a starter aloe vera plant. Once people see that you are an avid gardener, they are often eager to share their plants with you.   

I now own this little cottage, and the front garden is one of my favorite aspects of it. It's like an outdoor room. I spend so much time on the old fashioned porch:

knitting, reading, writing, and communing with nature. The garden has made it a real special place. It just vibrates with health and beauty.