garden

Blossom

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Thank you all for your kind and sweet condolences on the passing of my grandfather last week.   I am still exhausted and tender from the week.  Tate and I flew from Cville to Florida on Wednesday night and returned home Friday morning for a total of 30 hours on the ground down south.  Whoosh!  It was a bittersweet family reunion, my Zeyda would have absolutely been in blissland to have us all together like that.

One thing that’s helping my energy level and mood is

SPRING!!!

It’s that sweet spot in Central Virginia  it’s warm to hot but not boiling, everything is flourishing, and the mosquitoes haven’t descended yet.   If you are in a colder climate (or another hemisphere!), I don’t mean to brag, your Spring will eventually come!

Naturally my mind is in the garden.  I’ve been eating up my winter greens to make space for new plantings.   Charlottesville is fairly mild in the winter and I was able to keep kale, arugula, chard, and lettuce growing, although very slowly.

It’s been in the ground since last fall and it’s still so little!

This week I’ve planted sugar snap peas, lettuce, beets, radishes, more kale, and more arugula, all from seed.

It’s so hot here this week (in the 80’s today!) that I’m chopping at the bit to get more seeds in the ground but we could have a frost still.

I have a lot to learn about gardening but my method is this;

Plant from seed late-winter thru spring

  • greens
  • radishes
  • beets
  • sugar snap peas
  • carrots

Plant from seed after danger of frost

  • cucumbers
  • summer squash
  • bush and pole beans
  • basil

Plant from start after danger of frost

  • tomatoes
  • peppers

This list is by no means comprehensive for a home garden but those are the veggies/herbs that I prioritize growing.   Check out my gardening page and the post Seed or Start for more info!

Perhaps the best thing in my yard this time of year are the cherry blossoms!

These gorgeous blossoms remind me to stop and smell the flowers and be grateful for SPRING!

 

No Love, No Tomatoes

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My garden failed this year.

I’d love to blame it on the rain, the lack thereof, the heat, the mosquitoes, the moon, or anything else besides the damn truth; neglect.  My summer days started spinning around June and picked up speed as life progressed.  Yes, there was blossom-end rot to contend with and an exceptional number of bugs, beetles, and critters this year but those things probably could have been dealt with had I chosen to get out there and do it.

I am feeling rejuvenated though and ready to focus on fall planting. Yesterday I pulled all the sad and ugly tomato plants out and prepared for the plethora of greens I hope to harvest all winter long.

What can I make with these besides fried or chutney?!

We put this deck in under the black walnut tree after all the nuts fell last fall…we may be in for a very loud couple of months!

Peppers, flowers, herbs, and a precious few tomatoes are the only things I’m harvesting these days.

I am doing a little seed-saving this year!  In many cases I know that it’s easier/more reliable to just buy new seeds every year but there is something self-sustaining and lovely about saving seeds.

Asparagus beans on the left, yellow watermelon on the right.

Tomorrow is the first time in months that I will be in town for our local market and I am looking forward to supplementing my pathetic crop.   I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a deal on a box of cucs, I want to make some pickles!