This may be one of the most exciting posts that I have ever written because THE GARDEN IS OPEN!
Last month when I posted my april garden update I talked about how our community garden closed due to the Coronavirus and we hadn’t been able to get a lot done besides some weeding. We then switched to growing things in our small backyard patio.
Community Garden
Well a week after I posted that blog we got the news that the garden was going to be reopening with no access to the shared tool shed and specific times and days that each person is able to visit based on their plot number.
Nigel immediately got to work building the fence that we had previously bought the supplies the day before it was closed. We then headed to the garden on the first day that we could. While Nigel worked on the fence I got to work doing a lot of weeding. The garden was abandoned last year so there are a lot of weeds in the soil and while I did turn the soil as much as I could I think I need to put more effort into my weeding at the beginning next year as I am still doing a lot of weeding every time that I visit.
I then got to work with some planting. All of my seedlings from before were put in the backyard so all of these items were started from seeds so I don’t know if they will work, but that is okay because it is all an experiment. We did get given a cucumber and tomato seedling that I planted, but I also planted some cucumbers of my own, butternut squash, multiple types of beans (including some that we dried from our been plants last year), eggplant, brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, parsnips, and peppers. Based on advice from some gardeners earlier in the year we have been fertilizing monthly with liquid kelp (which is a very interesting product to use since it is so black).
Over the next few weeks we have been going back regularly to weed, water, and check in on the plants. I am so happy with how things are growing already with the beans, cucumber, butternut squash, and brussels sprouts doing amazing already.
I have been loving being able to take time to walk to the garden either alone or with Nigel and spend some time in the dirt. I did decorate some rocks with sharpies to designate what I planted where, but sadly most of the decoration has washed off in the rain already so I need to find a more permanent way to do it.
Backyard
Our backyard garden is busy growing as well. Since we don’t get the greatest sun back there some of the things (including the lettuce) are growing very slowly, but our beans and brussels sprouts are doing great. I am really enjoying having some of my plants so close by and being able to check in on them every day.
My husband and I also realized that we were missing fresh herbs and decided to build a herb garden. We have a rosemary bush in our community garden which is doing amazing and weathered the winter perfectly, but we wanted a few things closer to the house for when we are in the middle of making dinner (or really need some mint for a mojito). We had some old wooden shelves that we have used a lot in the past, but they weren’t being used right now so Nigel took them apart and turned one and a half of them into a herb planter.
We then lined it with some breathable liner and planted a few of our favourite herbs including chives, mint, basil, and cilantro. I love that this sits right by the window so I can always look out and see it and it has been used already.
Kitchen
I have seen so much about regrowing your own produce from scraps, but never have taken the time to do so. This week I finally had some green onion scraps that I have decided to regrow. They are currently sitting in a glass of water in the kitchen and once the growth gets to around 4-5 inches I will plant them in the backyard to continue to grow. This growth is after only 2 days which is so much faster than I thought it would go.
I would like to do this with some more scraps such as lettuce, so if you have any tips for regrowing veggies from scraps please let me know!
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