Ours is not a tidy garden this year. Usually, we have neat little rows and lots of space, but we got a little zealous (quite possibly over-zealous) this year and planted just about everything we could think of. We have 11 tomato plants, 2 potatoes, onions, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, basil, lettuce, eggplant, 4 peppers, 2 cucumbers, watermelon, pumpkins, rhubarb, purple beans and a crop of cranberry beans. Whew! Oh yeah – and that tree-like thing growing in the middle of the closest bed is a volunteer dill plant that I decided should flourish. And flourish it has! The garden is a little out of control, but in an exuberant and productive way that I have found so delightful. And so-far, everything seems to be healthy and happy. We’ve been amending the soil with our organic compost, and I’ve been trying to water as little as possible, since we’re in a drought. The chickens get out of their coop regularly and wreak havoc, but they also help to aerate the soil and, well, fertilize.
Our watermelon and jalapeños are growing cheek-by-jowel, and we have pumpkins winding up through the tomato plants. Since our lettuce is just about done, I’m thinking of putting carrots or beets into their spot. Any other ideas?
Are you growing a garden this year? What are your favorite plants to grow? In the next month I’ll start posting some recipes of things we’re making with all this produce, and I’d love any ideas you’d like to share!