Entering year 4 of the garden, and so far, no year has been alike. The first year gave a bumper crop of cucumbers, which then failed miserably in 2015 and 2016. Tomatoes have been fairly reliable, as well as garlic, but carrots, beans, and even strawberries seem to be hit or miss. Last year we had an incredibly short springtime, with temperatures getting to 80 by April. This year, it's the middle of May and we're still getting close to freezing on some nights. Regardless, it's still relaxing and productive, so the garden continues.
A quick recap in pictures... 2014 was the first year, had a lot of success but a LOT of weeds.
2015, I lost the lower level and took over the garden next to me. We tried using straw to keep the weeds down, with moderate success. Good crop of strawberries in the middle, but the corn in the back on the right was eaten by.... everything. The raspberries appeared to die a horrible death.
2016, I learned to net the blueberries so the bids couldn't steal them. Many crops were a success, but then work got busy during harvest and we missed out on a lot of melons and soybeans. The raspberries, surprisingly, came back a bit, but were still struggling.
And so far, 2017 is going not too terribly. I don't have panorama pictures yet, but here are some highlights. I restructured the entrance with some random paving stones we had laying around, so we can actually get a wheelbarrow (for mulch and compost and suchlike) into and out of the garden.
The tools area had been a mess of weeds and stuff, so I leveled it off, put an extra bed frame down over weedblocker, and we now have a place to put a chair for relaxation.
The raspberries not only came back, but have created no fewer than 5 additional canes throughout the bed. Moral of the story, don't give up on something after one bad year.
The top tier has ever-bearing strawberries (many crops throughout the year) while the lower beds are June-bearing (one giant crop all at once). We had just enough fencing left over to cordon off an asparagus that randomly sprouted in the tomato bed. The creeping thyme that is supposed to be growing in the pathway between the strawberries hasn't come up yet, but I'm sure it will.
Surprisingly, due to the cold weather, the lettuce is doing very well. Last year we tried to plant some but it got so hot, so early, that it all bolted and was ruined. This is a random mix of many kinds of lettuce.
The blueberries are doing wonderfully, and will need to be netted soon. Last year, I let the grapevine grow wild to build up reserves. This year, I'm trying my hand at espalier'ing it, and it has a lot of grape flowers starting, so here's hoping! I did lose a pepper and some squash leaves to the cold snap two weeks ago, but everything else is doing well, and the weed blocker is doing an amazing job. It took 4 years, but I think the garden is finally at a state of maintenance, instead of frantic catch-up.
A quick recap in pictures... 2014 was the first year, had a lot of success but a LOT of weeds.
2016, I learned to net the blueberries so the bids couldn't steal them. Many crops were a success, but then work got busy during harvest and we missed out on a lot of melons and soybeans. The raspberries, surprisingly, came back a bit, but were still struggling.
And so far, 2017 is going not too terribly. I don't have panorama pictures yet, but here are some highlights. I restructured the entrance with some random paving stones we had laying around, so we can actually get a wheelbarrow (for mulch and compost and suchlike) into and out of the garden.
The tools area had been a mess of weeds and stuff, so I leveled it off, put an extra bed frame down over weedblocker, and we now have a place to put a chair for relaxation.
The raspberries not only came back, but have created no fewer than 5 additional canes throughout the bed. Moral of the story, don't give up on something after one bad year.
The top tier has ever-bearing strawberries (many crops throughout the year) while the lower beds are June-bearing (one giant crop all at once). We had just enough fencing left over to cordon off an asparagus that randomly sprouted in the tomato bed. The creeping thyme that is supposed to be growing in the pathway between the strawberries hasn't come up yet, but I'm sure it will.
Surprisingly, due to the cold weather, the lettuce is doing very well. Last year we tried to plant some but it got so hot, so early, that it all bolted and was ruined. This is a random mix of many kinds of lettuce.
No comments:
Post a Comment