Gardening requires being okay with temporary discomfort. That is part of the trade. The harvest for your hard labor. A trade I am willing to make as I enjoy working with my hands and putting my sleeve to hard work. Of course, there are always limitations to what I can do. Sometimes learning these limitations takes time and biting more than I can chew. And sometimes limitations change as well. Yet mostly, I am still convinced that it is about patience with not being comfortable. If you get past it, you can achieve many great gardening things.
If there is anyone out there still convinced that the climate change is a hoax, tell that to the herds of the horse flies that want to eat you alive while weeding and make me think of acquiring the beekeeper’s suit so I could be out there at the time of the day when I am not burning or melting into a puddle. It has been this bad only the past two years as they seem to breed like crazy in this hot weather. And no mosquito spray is effective against those buzzing assholes! But hey, that is also a part of the temporary discomfort and a good indicator of things slowly going shite with the balance in nature.
Change in the weather also means, a lot more hard work for me, since we don’t have water accessible near the big field and at least in the beginning plants there need a lot of watering, it also makes the row preparations more difficult as the dry soil is hard to break apart and to be cleaned from roots and weeds. Somehow I and my mother managed to pull it off even with me being unable for a good chunk of it. There is always the anxiety of making it in time though which is the reason for cutting down on the volume of everything this year to something more manageable. Making it in time, meaning, we get everything in the ground with enough time for plants to mature and produce the harvest. There were delays due to my surgery. However, because it is so hot, if I am right the month of September will still be warm enough for everything to work out. It is not normal here in the north, but that is now out of our control, isn’t it?
But let’s explore the garden now, shall we?
My mother got bell pepper seedlings from a friend. These found home in the tiny greenhouse and seem to be enjoying their new place.
In my previous post, I had just built these and sowed some seeds. I am so happy to report that they have grown now! I see green! ^^
What do we have here? Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram, Silybum marianum, dill, asparagus, basil, variety of salad greens, spinach, and kale.
How yummy does this kale look? Great for salads or smoothies!
Asparagus look like tiny trees at this stage.
The only thing about Silybum marianum or otherwise known as Milk Thistle that is a bit unpleasant is the sharp spikes that will even pierce through gloves when weeding. It got me a couple of times already, bugger!
The two buddies - Thyme and marjoram.
Parsley and basil, so tiny still.
So far I am pleased with the progress in my new raised bed boxes. There is still plenty of room in all of them to plant other plants or the already planted ones to fill in. The soil composition seems to be working, but as I mentioned the watering is a bit challenging with no direct access, which means I have to bring the water to the field area all the time or these boxes turn into desert pretty quickly, unfortunately.
The new blueberry bushes are starting to form berries, so are the gooseberry and blackcurrant ones! Delicious jam incoming soon!
The big field, not so big this year. We decided to cut the rows shorter, this way the battle with weeds might actually be manageable. This is where we have onions, beetroots, carrots, cabbages, cucumbers, zucchinis, peas, and beans.
Megaton cabbages are now hiding underneath the frost covers since they are often targeted by caterpillars for food. My hope is that this year they will become Sauerkraut, which would be lovely to nom on in wintertime.
The red Martian cabbages still need to be covered, fingers crossed they make it!
Welcome to the jungle of the big greenhouse! My tomato seedlings found a home here and now are starting to look a little wild. Many of them needed help to stand up with wiring as they grew taller.
I guess this is some sort of English variety of mint, its leaves are more round and the scent is a lot more citrusy than the other mint we have. Makes me crave mojitos!
This looks like a good year for strawberries. So many flowers and berries!
The impossible dream if you know what I mean xD
My other mint. Interesting how this one seems to hold the aroma a lot better even after drying, while the round leaf one almost has no scent after drying unless the leaves are crushed or moisture added.
Peas in their little cage.
My old lavender plants died. I was so sad and for a while, I thought that I would have to go without until my mom surprised me with three new seedlings! It was a pretty lovely surprise! They are Lavender Angustifolia, but unfortunately, I don’t know which particular variety again xD I repotted them in the 30-liter potato grow bags so this time I could just move them during wintertime to warmer space for better chances of survival or just move them if need be. They seem to be liking their new situation. Judging by the blooms, I would say this is their first or second year of living in a nursery before they found their way to me.
Cucumbers soon will turn this whole bed into a cucumber jungle.
Some of my bell pepper seedlings did not have space in the greenhouse, but that is ok too. It will be interesting to compare how they did on the outdoor bed.
My new ducky rubber boots! So comfy and cute too!
Pūciņa the garden inspector kitty comes to check out if I did a good job weeding cucumbers.
Meow, the pickle business is serious!
So far so good even with all the delays and with help from my mother this time too which I am grateful for. There is no way I would have accomplished this much without her this time around. There’s still some time to go before I will be 100%, but I am already heaps better and ready to get even better.
Thank you for reading my post! Hope it is going well with your plants too! Until next time! Hugs!
Song of the day: Muse - Follow Me
The progress of the garden is beautiful! You have so much and I like how organized and weed free is everything😍
You have lavender again... What a cute surprise from mom, you did suffer when you lost your lavender. I believe that gardening can be almost therapeutic as it makes you sit in silence with plants and just do your thing.
Climate change is real. Here in Romania is quite hot and no rain is pouring. The summers are longer and last winter we barely had some snow. This is odd as I can recall when I was a kid to have experienced heavy winters with snow up to my knees and - 14 degrees during the day. Imagine witnessing a warm winter 10 years later. It is a shock. Actually it is a world epidemic of hotness. Planting trees and having shade is vital, did you know that a tree can decrease the temperature feel to 10 degrees lower than what we experience in the bare sun? So maybe surrounding the garden with trees would bring more comfort. There are excellent anti mosquitos plants. Lavender is one of them. Then crysanthemum and aromatic herbes like basil and thyme.
Your crop of radishes looks ravishing haha, congrats!
Have a great week-end!
🤗
Thank youuu! I can't believe how much we managed to get done. Still amazes me. But extra pair of hands is definitely paying off. Last year I was mostly on my own and the field was almost double as big, it was impossible to keep up with weeding everything. This year is so much better.
It was so cute! I guess she observed my weird ritual of digging out each plant and hugging it and saying thanks as I made my way to the composting pile where they rest and decided that I love them too much to go without. I just somehow feel like they are the kind of plants that suit me. I love to see them bloom and attract bees, butterflies, and bumblebees, I love the scent and thinking of all the uses this plant has. I dream of having fields of lavender one day and making all sort of things using them.
It is pretty much same here as well. So hot and no rain, but I hope it actually comes this week as the forecast predicts, sometimes it says it should rain, but it doesn't :( The grass around the house is burning out, but surprisingly other plants seem to be holding up pretty well in the field. But if it gets worse and worse every year, perhaps, planting some trees will become essential indeed. They will create something like oasis. It is so scary to think about what future looks like for the planet and everything living. Experts say it is probably already too late to change anything, I guess the best we can do is enjoy the beauty that surrounds us and not take it for granted as perhaps one day we will scorch the sky to stop everything from burning like in the Matrix or start living underneath the surface. Eh, my thoughts tend to turn to darkness xD Or everything will be fine and people will embrace technologies that will cool the earth and stuff. Also very possible scenario :)
Thank you again! I hope you have a great weekend too! Hugs
Hugs and hopefully you will have your lavender field one day😍💜
Wow oh wow your garden, field space and green house are all so abundantly filled. What a blessing to see this…quite inspiring too especially for a first timer this year like me.
Everything looks so organized, weed free and healthy! I was smiling big when you said beekeepers’ suit. We don’t even have horseflies but I am slowly trying to overcome apiphobia and I mentioned to my husband that I was going to buy a bee suit in order to tend to our garden. I never ordered one but instead have braved the unknown buzzing sounds that surround me while outdoors.
I’m pretty much done for this season, was so discouraged by the bunnies eating up all our lettuce, cabbage and broccoli and now the birds are eating up our strawberry leaves before the strawberries peek in. We do still have our tomatoes growing in nicely so maybe we can enjoy those before it’s all over.
We were discussing building raised beds to help keep the rodents out and to get our plants off the ground. Are you going to leave them as they are or will you put fencing around them? Do the animals seem to stay away from the beds? Would love to know.
I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing everything growing nicely. Your photos are wonderful as well. I’m looking forward to keeping up with how things are going for you. Congrats to you and your mother for a job well done and for your hard work paying off ~
Oh and I love your boots too :)
Aww! Thank you, it makes me so happy to hear someone finds my garden inspiring and makes these updates so much more meaningful! Thank you for your kind words! It means a lot.
I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with apiphobia. Someone very close to me also shares the same struggles. It gets better after a while. Each place has its different critters and it takes time to get used different sounds you hear, sometimes it requires taking some deep breaths and actively observing what is creating the sounds, identifying them. Also, each of these creatures behave in certain patterns. Bees usually mind their business and hang around flowers, so if you have some in your garden, you probably will find them there, sometimes in the grass also, as sometimes grass has tiny flowers and clovers blooming there too. Bees usually don't attack people unless you accidentally step on them or get too close and they get scared. They also die after they have stung someone, so usually that is the last resort as a defense. Bumblebees are pretty much the same, but their movements are a bit more aggressive and they fly in weird patterns that sometimes make them bump into people and objects.
Oh noes! I am so sorry to hear about the bunnies eating your veggies :( Aww. Raised beds and fencing should keep them away for sure. Somehow through all the years I have not observed any animals sneaking into our garden. Maybe because nearby neighbor's house has a dog that scares them away? Deer sometimes nom on our apple trees, but I have not observed any bunny activity. I guess it is pretty lucky or they are visiting other people's gardens here in the village, and there are so many here.
Thank you so much for your kind, encouraging words! Will do my best to keep these updates coming and what the harvest will look like for sure :)
Hehe, thanks. My old boots had holes in them so I needed these and they bring me joy xD weirdly. I dunno. They are now part of my gardening uniform.
You’re very welcome ;)
I appreciate you sharing those things about insects. I find myself taking a lot of deep breaths just to control my reactions and refocus on what I’m out there to do. When the sun is shining on my back it’s the worst because it triggers memories of when I was attacked by a swarm of wasps. So when I feel the sun I immediately prepare to hear buzzing, it gets crazy but I am managing to deal with it a little better :)
Wow that is really a blessing that you haven’t had to deal with bunnies or other animals sneaking into your garden. Thanks for responding about the raised beds and fencing! This is something we will look into doing hopefully sooner than later.
For sure, keep em’ coming, your updates are great ~ ❤️
Hello @m31, your project is great...
It is bigger than a garden.
Hello to you too! :) Thank you! That is absolutely true to so many levels. Truly. And I am blessed by all the things it has taught me throughout the years.
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Thank you so much @rozku! :)
Awesome stuff!
Everything, from write up to photos and content itself. You can be a professional gardner.
Keep it up and enjoy in harvest!
Thank you @crazy-andy!
Oh I wish, no really. I hope to one day build a garden and become a master gardener, to know everything there is to know. That would be pretty epic. It is a dream. The kind that I will make sure to come true. Perhaps, soon :)
Will do, and more updates coming. Thank you so much for encouragement.
I hate horse flies as well. Big nasty creatures.
That garden is massive! That does look like a lot of work. I can't imagine tending it when its super hot outside. I don't know where you're at but in France it seems like it hasn't stopped raining this spring and summer. We can barely get a decent weekend with sun. It's great for plants though. That would make your job easier from a watering perspective. Doesn't help with all the other work that goes into tending the garden though.
Yep, I dunno what's their purpose other than feeding on warm blooded creatures, but I guess everything in nature has some sort of meaning to regulate things. I just don't see it xD
I just don't show my nose outside the house during period from 10 am - 5 pm, or I would cook pretty much. So I sometimes garden in early mornings from 4 am to 9 am, 10 am latest and then evenings from 5 pm until it gets dark or until I can't deal with biting thingies anymore.
It almost sounds like the weather has switched around. I am in Latvia, usually we have the cooler summers with more rain and other places closer to equator have the nice sunny weather. So strange, isn't it? And as soon as it rains, the weeds go absolutely wild xD always good and bad sides to everything.
Boys there? Having fun?
I just got back to town from Alaska… still jet lagged
:) was pretty lovely! Now I hope that the world will stay this open or open up even more. Is that too optimistic? Waiting for over a year or longer to see those who matter sucks really bad.
Alaska? Did you see some bears or moose there? Sounds like a job thing?
"If it can be solved, there's no need to worry, and if it can't be solved, worry is of no use." - Dalai Lama.
Nop, family vacation…took the ladies to fishing and show them around my neck of the woods. Brought home 35 pounds of salmon.
Beautiful garden @m31!
What are the consequences for when puccina is not satisfied? Does he lock you out of the house or something?
Thank you @nevies!
Ahahaha! Well, I am quite convinced that she is a Martian agent who is pretending to be this fluffy, irresistibly cute creature yet is reporting to her superiors that if I fail to deliver the cucumber harvest that I am to be deported to Martian labor camp where I would be in charge of growing potatoes instead xD
Good work! We have no place for garden to be useful (although, we have mint, of course), so we at least are trying to keep it pretty ;-)
Song of the Grey:
Thank you! Maybe you should try to make like a growing wall, which basically is plants stacked by the wall and makes it look like it is growing through the wall. All kinds of useful herbs can be grown that way, perfect for when cooking meals. Could be easily done with a grow lights installed to keep them alive longer. Not sure how you are with plants, but if you can keep mint alive that's pretty much the same :)
How come you have so much cool music in Poland? Here in Latvia, I feel I can count on one hand bands that would be worth listening to xD Maybe when festivals come back, would be awesome to listen to bunch of them live.
Cooking... well... we can do a lot but cooking isn't what we are great at :-)
We are trying to keep maintenance effort low, so if plant can survive around here on itself, we are happy for it, if not, then not ;-)
We have a lot of awesome music, partly thanks to an awesome people that worked in Polish Radio Trójka back in the days such as Kaczkowski, Niedźwiecki, Mann, who were feeding us with great music while we were behind the Iron Curtain. It's all gone now because of shitty half-brained politicians jumped in with their "good change" and "new order".
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Awesome update, this looks like and sounds like and epic garden
Your garden is looking really good!
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Hello there kitty are you helping Pūciņa with the inspection? Pets