Friday, June 11, 2010

Dare I say it?



Dare I say we've received just the right amount of rain, the right amount of sun and the right amount of warmth for one of the best gardening seasons ever?  I'm almost a little fearful that if I say it out loud  - it might all change in the blink of an eye.  Our season started early and fortunately over the last week it has cooled a bit.  Perfect for weeding, grass cutting and general chores.

Just wanted to show you an update of my front garden veggie garden.  I started it by putting down newspaper on top of the lawn, cutting out a good edge (I love my edges), and then dumping compost on top.  Over the past few weeks, I've re-edged once and am pretty slavish about clipping to maintain the shape.  Considering it's a brand new garden, I'm really pleased.  Kevin & and I have had salad almost every lunch and dinner and the taste is amazing.  So much better than clam-shell-packed produce.

I decided I wanted to have it look more formal than most veggie gardens because it was in the front garden.   It's my first veggie garden in about 22 years - sadly we've lost a number a trees on the property to old age and so I've finally got enough sunlight for this project.  Feel that I'm sort of learning again as I go.  I've lost the odd thing to pests.  Found a nice big cabbage lying on its side one a.m.  Couldn't find one big enough to replace it so I put in a rosemary - figure if I couldn't go with the same size and shape, I'd just put in something the same colour.  Obviously if this was a year I was on a tour, I'd be growing extras somewhere to plunk in.  Also, I've learned I've got to be more careful with the seed sowing if I want to maintain a regimented look - my pour from the seed package, swirl and cover method leaves a lot to be desired.  Now I place each seed.

Because everything is on show, where I might have used covers to protect from insects, I'm just let the bugs  share and watching carefully in case they start to take more than they should.


Will also have to work on my photo technique for veggies - a little more difficult to make them look ready for their close-up.  Took this photo in the early evening - the light is too yellow - should be taking advantage of the a.m. cooler blue light.



I've definitely got some work to do on these shots.  Kind of fun to think of the challenge ahead.

So last, but not least, here are a few bits and pieces around the garden.  All sorts of things starting to bloom - a surprise and delight every day awaits me.

Tanecetum macrophyllum


Hemerocallis

This tiny little daylily was sent to me years ago with just a number from the Daylily Association - it had been given a number, but no name at that point.  It's a really small, clear yellow, and a lovely little plant.



Last week at a District 7 Garden Writers Association luncheon we were given three roses to try.  These will be the first roses I've grown in my garden.  As you may be aware, here in Oakville, we are not permitted to use any pesticides or fungicides at all, so these three lovely roses truly will have to prove they are carefree and easy to grow.  This is Fiesta from Pallatine Roses  (www.palatineroses.com).  I really hope it does well, it looks so pretty at the moment.


Last, but not least is a watery Campanula shot.    Such great blossoms, and so many more to come in the days ahead.

This w/e my buddy Norma (we've known each other since we were 2 and 3 years old) are going to the Niagara Shaw Festival Garden Tour - hope to have lots of photos to share in the days ahead.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Barbara, I hope you haven't jinxed the good weather you have enjoyed. The plants do look perfect. And with no spraying, how on earth is that cabbage without holes? Maybe you don't have the problem of the white cabbage butterfly larvae that we do here? I love your formal veggie bed, very geometric and what nice edgings! :-)
Frances

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara dear, You couldn't have jinxed the weather because you didn't SAY it out loud, you wrote it and this is totally acceptable. So there, weather gods! LOL

Love your formal veggie gardens. What do they call that in France? Not a parterre but...dang I can't remember but yours looks fabulous.

By the way, you might already know this but you can cheat with you photos. If the light is too yellow, it's really easy to change that with Microsoft Picture manager. There are other down-loadable software programs but Picture manager comes with MS Office. I used to be so frustrated with lighting until I discovered how easy it is to tweak my photos to look more realistic. Fun too. If you'd like more info, I'd be happy to advise.

The cabbage photo is so cool. I love the structure of cabbage and wish it could tolerate a hot summer sun location. Can't have everything...

How nice that you've got new roses to trial. NO chemicals at all? Whew. I'd never make it without slug bait. LOL

I look forward to your garden tour photos. I hope you have a fabulous time. Life long friends are the best.

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara dear, You couldn't have jinxed the weather because you didn't SAY it out loud, you wrote it and this is totally acceptable. So there, weather gods! LOL

Love your formal veggie gardens. What do they call that in France? Not a parterre but...dang I can't remember but yours looks fabulous.

By the way, you might already know this but you can cheat with you photos. If the light is too yellow, it's really easy to change that with Microsoft Picture manager. There are other down-loadable software programs but Picture manager comes with MS Office. I used to be so frustrated with lighting until I discovered how easy it is to tweak my photos to look more realistic. Fun too. If you'd like more info, I'd be happy to advise.

The cabbage photo is so cool. I love the structure of cabbage and wish it could tolerate a hot summer sun location. Can't have everything...

How nice that you've got new roses to trial. NO chemicals at all? Whew. I'd never make it without slug bait. LOL

I look forward to your garden tour photos. I hope you have a fabulous time. Life long friends are the best.

Gail said...

I don't believe you can jinx a good year like you are having~They come along every now and again...~Lately allmy coneflowers are being eaten by something and I wish I could zap the bugs~But, I do not use pesticides. Your formal veggie bed is fantastic looking. gail

Barbarapc said...

Frances, the reason the cabbage has no holes, is that the bugs have discovered that the Tatsoi is so much easier to chew. I've turned all the little leaves upside down and back - swear they must have heard me coming.
Thanks Grace. I think potager. And another thank youy for the hint for the Microsoft Picture manager. I've also got a button on my camera too, but prefer to take 'em as they are. We'll just have to see about those roses - the two big problems are black spot and Japanese Beetles - I'll keep you posted. Growers are really trying to find roses that will work here. Fingers crossed that at least one of these will be a winner.
Thank you Gail - remember two years ago my cone flowers were destroyed by insects - especially the ones that were marked "pest-free". Never really found out what they were, and fortunately they've not been back. Hopefully yours will find themselves as dinner for some other little garden creature!

Jennifer said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I am really jealous of your little vegie plot. Fresh from the garden tomatoes and lettuce would be wonderful.
My backyard has too much shade to grow vegetables. The only good thing about this limitation is that it means that I have to go farmer's market every Saturday for fresh produce. I love the local market.
Jennifer