I like Monty Don's garden writing quite a bit. But, man, that kinda stings, Monty. Am I mad? I mean I like food as much as the next guy (okay, the extra weight around my mid-section will testify that I might like it a little more than the next guy) but I prefer to grow things that aren't very edible. Like Japanese maples.
Though I have been trying. A little bit. I bought some new wine barrels this year and cleaned out some of my unused pots to grow vegetables in this summer. I knew going in that my output wouldn't be as high as it would have been if I had devoted actual earth space to this endeavor but I was okay with that because we don't eat a lot of vegetables anyway.
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| This is the produce aisle in my paved side yard. From left to right: an espaliered Fuji apple tree, Early Girl tomatoes, Eversweet strawberries, Kentucky Colonel mint, and zucchini. |
With that in mind, I picked these last night:
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A few strawberries and some pole beans - some Italian variety I guess.
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Yes, that is just five smallish strawberries and about a dozen pole beans. Not enough to make a meal appetizer for myself let alone a family of three, but it was still met with some excitement when I brought them in.
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My daughter ate all but one of the strawberries I picked.
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Maybe someday more of my yard will be devoted to things we can eat but for now we're enjoying the modest harvest of this year and feeling a little less "mad" in the process.
My mom had a huge garden when I was little that provided almost all the veggies for our family of 5 all year long. It was great, partly to know what "real" fruit and vegetables taste like (although that's also been a curse in a way), but it was a lot of work. Daily work (esp. in a dry climate). All summer long. With grasshoppers. All to say, there's nothing wrong with modest...
ReplyDeleteLucky your sweet girl got the berries and not the birds! They look delicious.
ReplyDeleteChad, Count me among the mad. The only food in my garden are herbs growing by the kitchen door and wild berries of various kinds growing wherever they can gain a foothold (which is just about everyplace that I haven't turned into a flower bed!). I love fresh, local, organic food; but I can get a much greater variety and do far more good by supporting local farmers than by trying to grow my own. -Jean
ReplyDeleteI grow all my veggies in pots since I refuse to give up flower garden space for them. This year I have a tomato, purple carrots, ground cherries, and sweet potatoes. I also grow blackberries but the birds always eat them first. Gardening doesn't have to just be about veggies.
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