so those that know me are already aware of my aversion to the heat. i can’t stand being too hot - i’d pick a cool, damp, snowy cool day over a blistering hot one any day of the year. BUT this summer i have really been trying to give heat a chance… i think my appreciation for the sun has really been in trying to understand it and celebrate it’s virtues… like ok you can’t grow really amazing things without sun. and this summer it has all been about the garden fresh goodies…
my parents live in western mass. and we collaborated on memorial day weekend to create a fantastic plan for all of our favorite freshly picked garden items! mesculin mix, beets, brussel sprouts, peas, eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers, swiss chard, spinach, and of course the ever growing obsession with TOMATOES! heirlooms of course…
first we aerated the soil with this old skool rototiller and then went in and made our rows and mounds.
for the tomatoes we made mounds with moats to catch any water run-off and added stakes for future growth stability. then we poked holes, dropped in the plants, put water in and then patted gently.
this is one of the four quadrants which has eggplant, pea pods (with an amazing support fence made of twigs and twine by my dad), and zucchini and butternut squash in the back. below are some beet seedlings…
now we just sit back and watch it grow! (so currently the garden is indeed growing out of control but ’someone’ forgot the camera the last time we went up north so you’ll just have to wait to see some updated pics!)
Looking good!!!
For a second I was thinking, “WOW that’s Brooklyn?!?” Heh. We’ve got a small urban plot over here and I am trying to make the most of it, planting new seeds all the time. I’ve gone a little seed crazy actually, but nothing beats homegrown!
Looking forward to your “out of control” garden pics!
right on mama! nothing beats homegrown…
I was also wondering where in “east williamsburg” was there a greenspace like that. The other thing that I didn’t realize was that there was room for the tomato obsession to grow! I thought surely it must have peaked by now. : )
ha, ha… the tomato obsession has indeed graduated to a different level! last year my mom planted some varieties that she knew we liked but this year was the first time we actually got our hands dirty… it’s really to ensure that we never have to eat grainy tomatoes ever again! now that i think about it, it seems like flavor is really the ultimate obsession - last summer beets were our ‘it’ veggie and this past winter brussel sprouts were on most of our menus. once you taste the depth of flavor in a veggie (especially one you never thought you’d like) you never go back!