Today in the Garden

My other occupation since posting in May has been getting all the plants I started into the garden.  I perhaps got a bit carried away with planting seeds into the seed trays I got from Lee Valley, to realize that everything had to get into the ground....  So far so good though, everything is planted (with much help from Brendan!) and I have my fingers crossed there will be a harvest despite our getting everything a bit late.

 

 Here's a shot of the garden area with a big rectangle of black/white silage plastic that we lay down in April, black side up, and weighted down with all kinds of stuff.  The idea was to leave it until next year so the earth below would be weed free and rotted.  We ended up folding back some plastic on the left hand side to have room to plant all the seeds I started!

Tomato Patch Fail!! Right before I left for Long Island Brendan and I lay out another square of silage plastic (white side up as per Helen's advice) and punched holes in it to plant out all the tomato seedlings that I started.  Unfortunately they never really did well here; I think in part because the cow manure and soil I planted them into may have a herbicide in it... and also because there was a cold spell, and because the ground was still full of weeds.  Anyhow I couldn't handle seeing the dying little plants so I transplanted them all into the middle of the raspberry patch I started, and now all that is growing in the white square is weeds.



Here are the tomatoes today, in their new spot.  They aren't very big just a foot high so who knows if we'll get any, but it's been a learning experience! next year: I'll make sure to pot them into good soil, and also to bury them deeper when I transplant!

The raspberry patch I dug up, to the left of the silage plastic, with the tomatoes in between.  I read you aren't supposed to have raspberries near tomatoes, but this is a one year only emergency as I had nowhere else to move the tomatoes at the time.  I planted 40 canes of 4 varieties of raspberries.  Lol which I bought before I realized there are all sorts of old raspberry bushes in the field!

Delicious Basil! they can stay in these pots.

Bean teepees, with pole beans and scarlet runners started. I started everything inside. the teepees will need more string to climb, we ran out!

The currants my mom mailed me! all planted and growing like crazy.  I'll have to move them to their own area next year as they'll get big and we want this space for the garden.

Little herb garden, catnip, oregano, mint and lavender

Juicy harvest of raspberries coming, this is on one of the canes I planted

Kale.  the big ones were transplanted into different soil after jersi knocked over the pot they were in.  Good thing she did because I'm sure there's something wrong with the soil the rest of my transplants were in... everything is greening up and growing nicely now though.

Brendan's pumpkins are doing well, he started them in Halifax.  There are a bunch of plants of the giant ones and some of the normal size

Squash!! zucchini, acorn, spaghetti, butternut and buttercup.  with a bed of onions to the left.  When we pulled back the plastic the soil was so rich and full of worms!

View of the garden looking left; there are more onions and some giant sunflowers I planted in front of the plastic.  and pots of cilantro.

View of the garden, looking right.  hard to believe that the last owners would mow this entire field with the lawn tractor.  I have a feeling the local birdlife is grateful we can't be bothered.  We plan to get some goats and/or sheep and/or alpacas though, to help out with land clearing!

pretty wild roses surround the garden plot

Compost box we built out of old pallets, once we get a new belt for the lawn tractor we'll start making grass compost