Yesterday I was walking through the veggies and flowers we have growing and I thought . . gardening is a lot like raising children. Have you seen or known families where they have a few children and by all outward appearances, the children are raised pretty much the same – same rules, same expectations; and one may be a preacher and one go to prison or one is productive and a great spouse and parent and the other isn’t so great at those things.
Last year, I hardly got any produce from the garden – way less than I’ve ever harvested before. This year, I’ve done everything exactly the same way I did it last year and it looks like, if things keep going the way they are, this will be one of my most productive gardens ever. Of course, that means if I had 100 tomatoes growing in Texas and 10 growing here, if I get 10% of the tomatoes I grew in Texas, that will be the same. I have to compare apples to apples.
Several of my tomato plants have multiple tomatoes on them. The potatoes are blooming. I have a banana pepper that I can pick in a few days.
Look at the size of those basil leaves! This is basil I started from seed and it is growing like crazy.
The horseradish is doing great. I know it has a tendency to take over the garden. It’s in a 4′ x 4′ raised bed but the bottom is open so it can spread but I think I can keep it contained. Famous last words, right? Last year I grew it in a pot and in the Fall, I transplanted one root to a raised bed. Two plants are there now so it has spread. I don’t mind if I end up with four plants but that’s about all I’ll need. We also will harvest the small horseradish leaves and use those in salads or on sandwiches.
The Gerbera daisies are so pretty this year. I grow them in pots and will be able to bring them into the greenhouse in the winter. We’ve kept them the last few years by bringing them into the garage. We bring them in if the lows are predicted to be 40 or below, mainly because at our house, it’s usually at least 5 degrees colder than the prediction.
We had beautiful peonies but we had a big rain storm just at the peak of the peonies and that pretty much shattered them.
I’ve mentioned before that everywhere we’ve lived, we’ve planted a magnolia tree. We were very happy that Jeremy and Angie had planted a magnolia tree here years ago. It’s huge and even before the buds begin to open, I can smell the fragrant soon to be blossoms. Friday Vince and I had walked over to visit a neighbor and I could smell our magnolias from across the street.
I’ll be able to harvest a bit of rhubarb within the next couple of weeks but I won’t harvest much this year. The garlic should be ready to harvest by mid June. As soon as I pull it all out, I’ll plant okra where the garlic was growing. I haven’t planted zucchini or yellow squash yet. I’m going to plant it later and see if I’ll have less trouble with squash bugs.
I have cucumbers but they’re kinda wimpy. There are baby tomatillos on the two plants I have. In the past, two plants would give us all we’d need for a year so I’m hoping these produce a decent crop.
The elderberries are blooming! I’m not sure if that makes me happy or sad. I still have elderberries in the freezer that I never got freeze dried or used last year. I think I’m going to take those out and make jelly or syrup with them.
I’m hoping the weather will stay decent and the bugs won’t be too bad so we’ll have a good garden this year.
marcie says
I loved this post about gardening! I have a few seeds planted and have just put in my tomato plants. I just have space around the house, not any in-ground separate beds, so I love hearing about and seeing your gardens grow.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
At least two-thirds of what I have planted now is in grow bags. The ground here is just too rocky.
Teri says
Your plants looks great. I didn’t know gerbera daisies could overwinter. Do you water them in the garage through winter? What do you have growing in the greenhouse? Thanks for sharing.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We don’t have a lot of consecutive cold days so we bring them in and out as we can. They usually are fine with just being watered when we bring them out. Now that we have the greenhouse, we’ll keep them in there and bring them into the garage when the temps fall down into single digits. I don’t think it’s cost effective to try to keep the greenhouse warm enough when the downstairs garage is about 20′ away and it’s heated.
Teri says
I leave my Gerbera daisies out all winter and we have lots of snow…they come back every year. I have done this for 5 years. Surprised the heck out of me.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Thanks for that info. I’ve always planted them in pots so I could bring them in. Maybe next year I’ll plant them in the ground and leave them. How cold does it get there? I know you have lots of snow. We don’t have a lot of snow here but we’ll have some -20 degree nights every now and then.
Teri says
It gets in the low teens, but they have had 9 feet of snow on them for a month and they still come back…and bloom
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I won’t leave all of mine out because I’m not sure if it’s not those -20 nights that would kill them. The experts say they’re perennial in zones 8 and higher. Winter of 2021 (I think), we had several days that it didn’t get above zero. With nights in the -20’s, the ground freezes pretty solid. I doubt I’ll risk losing them.
Carolyn says
I’m amazed at what you already have growing, I just planted my garden this week! I’m hoping that by the time I get back from my cruise this week, my beans, cucumbers and snow peas will be up. (Yes, I left the snow peas way to late!) It was such a strange winter.
Susan says
My hopes are your hopes. My G. daisies are all white and don’t bloom until the end of summer. Love the color in yours.
Okra! I’ve been thinking about growing some, because I love it, but can’t it much of it, if any, but I’m going to chop it fine and try a little now and then. Just for something different that I do love to eat.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Good luck with it. There are several new to me varieties that are supposed to produce well in small places. This is one I’m going to try this year.
Christina says
How fantastic you have the weather for such early picking veg! Was deciding to plant some veg but it is only now feasible, and of course British weather is so contrary, this week is too darn hot for me to be out planting. Seem we cannot win, so its lots more flowers this year and a few veggies, maybe next year. My most favourite tree is a magnolia, but sadly I do not have the room. As the area is taken up with 2 apple trees, 1 pear tree, 1plum tree and 1 Bramley apple tree. So we will be fine with fruit!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
As much as I love magnolias, I would give them up for the fruit trees! How nice to have all those.