As I sit in the shade on this hot summer day, I’d love to show you around my garden. This is our first growing season at our new place. With the amount of work that needs to be done on the daily, you could easily get overwhelmed.
Then after a couple hours of work, you get to sit and enjoy it. The leaves blowing in the wind, the birds chirping, the light breeze and fresh air. All the work is worth it.
I love to cook and be in the kitchen, but nothing compares to being outdoors and in my garden.
We’ve picked so many strawberries in the garden bed the old owners put in, ate many fresh ones and froze the rest for smoothies later.
There is just something magical about tending your garden, watching your food grow, picking the freshest tasting food.
This spot (below) is home to the grape vines, a fig tree that was planted this past spring, some perennial flowers I planted this year. Planters of rosemary and parsley; also my Greenstalk planter (be sure to use this affiliate link when shopping Greenstalk and enter the code LOVETABITHA at checkout for an additional $10 off your order) which is home to a few herbs and usually a few spring/fall plants.
This spot leads into my food forest.
I’ve been trying to add more flowering plants for the pollinators, and I love fresh cut flowers. Eventually I want to add a beehive or two.
Down in my food forest area, I’ve weed wacked a lot expect for a patch of wild flowers.
I’ve been learning about foraging so far have seen wild elderberry, stinging nettle, pineapple weed, Indian plum, turkey tail and morel mushrooms on our property.
I’d also like to remind folks that having a black or green thumb is just a myth. With research, experience, trial and error anyone can grow things. I’ve grown many things and well, but there is always something that I have a difficult time growing. Like broccoli and basil, I’ve tried more than once and despite researching, it didn’t grow well for me. Well, this year both my one broccoli plant and basil plants are actually growing.
Never give up!
I received this Japanese maple tree from my cousin, and I was positive it had died before getting into the ground. I was wrong. With a little love, the tough tree survived, grew new leaves and is thriving.
Starting a food forest with fruit trees and perennial plants was very important to me this spring. So far it’s looking great, still a lot of unwanted weeds but that’s okay. When you first walk into my food forest, you’ll find a raspberry patch with stinging nettle, blueberry plants and blackberries.
Then you’ll find all the perennials that have been planted; 13 fruit trees, sage, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, lemon balm, chamomile, flowers, rhubarb and asparagus. For this summer and maybe next, I’ve got all the seasonal plants in the food forest as well. They are all doing amazing. Cucumbers, a few different squashes, pumpkins, tomatoes galore, peppers/chilis, beans, carrots, onions, cauliflower, kale, beets.
Not everything grew well this year, my early crops like lettuce, radishes, spinach, and cilantro all barely grew and/or bolted very quickly. I’m hoping they’ll do better this fall and the weather won’t be so wonky.
The previous owners planted some fruit trees within the past couple years; apples, pears, cherry, plums, peach. They’re fairly young so I’ve been learning how to care for them and hoping I don’t do something to screw them up. It’s been fun watching them bloom(so beautiful) and then a few have fruit on them right now. One of the cherry trees didn’t make it this winter so I’m thinking of putting a honey crisp apple in it’s spot because that’s our favorite!
Hope you enjoyed my garden tour! Did you grow a garden this year? How’s everything growing?
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