This summer marks my second year of gardening. You may recall I that last year I became the adoptive parent of a set of six raised bed tubs located between our building and the next. My first crop included chard & kale, lettuces, herbs, strawberries and some root vegetables. Some things took off--like the sage, thyme and oregano that are happily homing in their single bin. Some did not--like the chard and kale that became infested with aphids. And others, well, they took a long time--like the beets and carrots that finally showed up early this spring!
Once this spring rolled around and the incessant rain stopped, I began plotting this year's garden. Armed with the experience I had gained from my first year as an urban farmer and info from gardening pros at the Berkeley Ecology Center, I decided I needed to boost the soil quality.
Ironically, John had just spotted a new enterprise that cropped up near his work. The sign read: "Complete Garden Supply". I dropped in one afternoon and left with a trunk full of fresh soil, worm castings, and other important stuff for making my garden grow.
Jump past all the boring details of pulling out the dead, replenishing the soil and planting new seeds...and we've got us a beautiful garden. Well, 'cept for those beans that sprawled out all gnarly and tangled.I quickly consulted the Internet and found some helpful information which my beloved handyman used to design this "Cadillac" of all bean pole trellis structures. I spent yesterday morning lovingly guiding the plants around the strings....
Today will reach the mid-80's, so I visited the garden and treated the plants to a cool morning misting. Much to my delight, the tomato plants are covered in blooms, the cucumbers and squash are spreading out en mass, and yes...the beans are beginning to climb!
I'm a proud mama.
Wow, looks amazing! Those veggies are going to taste divine.
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