Garden Report

So.  This garden of ours.  I'm not sure exactly what we did right this year, but it has been great fun to reap a bountiful harvest. 

We did do a couple of things differently.  I read an article about small space gardening (even though we actually have plenty of space) which advocated planting veggies and flowers in an intermingled fashion, sticking plants in and around each other rather than in rows.  I gave it a try.  The author of that article probably meant that a gardener should plan what each plant would look like in maturity when sticking stuff in the ground, which I did sort of and sort of not. 

Basically, I planted plants and seeds with an idea of how big things would get based on how our garden has done over the past decade.  Which is to say, I expected at least half the plants to get eaten by deer and/or rabbits, another third or so to either dry up during a drought or get choked by weeds or who knows what.  We've never had a majority of plants survive the growing season. 

What a difference this year.  I planted marigolds anywhere I had a little bare patch and covered the beets (which always seem to be the first plants eaten by animals) with a garden tent.  The only plants that were not successful were the kale.  They were growing just fine, but we had a wee Japanese beetle problem, and by 'wee' I mean it was like a plague.  So, not much kale for us.  Who cares? you might be thinking, but I have my kids brainwashed to think that kale chips are a treat. 

 

 

We also added garden manure pellets at the beginning of the summer, and the weather was primo.  Not super hot, not super wet.

Possibly the most exciting development has been the pumpkin patch.  It has long been my dream to plant pumpkins (aim for the stars, right?).  We actually tried once before and had a yield of exactly one small, wimpy gourd.  Check out our results this year:

This is about half of our yield.  Jack-o-lanterns for everybody!!  Plus the neighbors!  Just kidding.  I'm not sharing.  :)  In the foreground above, you'll also notice the remains of a fairy garden house constructed by Joy.

We also have tons, and I mean tons, of spaghetti squash and butternut squash.  Makes me happy.  Our green peppers and cucumbers did pretty darn well, too. 

So, this is the 2014 summary of our little plot of agriculture.  It may always be remembered as the year Mom actually kept the garden alive.