garden

garden update

what is going on in the garden? the potato tower has revived on its own. i have been trying to make little windbreaks out of branches from pruned shrubs. aphids are about. new almost impossibly thin leeks coming up. small lettuces growing under the floating row cover. the giant collard green plants are finally down to two after more than a solid year of production. they have shot up and bolted and i have been trimming the stems with little leaves and eating them. turnips and carrots are small and sweet. there are some purple onions and yummy leeks still happy in the dirt after almost a year. arugula ready to be harvested. some chard, lacinto kale, and brussel sprouts trying to beat the wind and hungry bugs. a few bush beans and two asparagus plants in a bed maya dumped a big packet of wildflower seeds into. the peach tree has tiny peaches and terrible peach leaf curl, the plum tree is looking good. birds seems to have eaten the little beginning blueberries. miles and i pretty much pruned the potato vine to death today and there is a huge pile of cuttings ready to be made into some sort of fort. on the deck is a pineapple guava not doing much, some peas climbing out of a plastic bag full of dirt, a lemon tree full of fragrant star-shaped white flowers and a tomato plant growing upside down out of a green plastic bag planter from walgreens.

yesterday's recipe:

saute in olive oil: 2 very small turnips with their greens, spicy bolted arugula, the big outside spinach leaves from two plants, one purple onion thinly sliced, thin stems/bolted tops from collard plants. add salt and eat with spinach pasta and parmesan cheese.

there is a lot going on with this shady windy spot and i make little lists of garden ideas. i have given up on the fantasy of chickens, but not forever. i sneak out back on the weekends and sometimes during the hectic weeknights until the voices start calling "mommYYY??" from the house. when i close my eyes after gardening my mind fills solid with images of green leaves and brown dirt. it might not be the wisest, most productive, or most beautiful garden in the world, or even on the block, but i love it.