Simple Pleasure #3 ~ The Garden
I know I've said it a hundred times, but summer in New England has been a far more challenging transition for me than winter. When voicing my plans to relocate, people would always comment on how cold it was and ask if I was "ready" for the winters. Freezing, snowy, long, etc. My answer was always, "yes, of course!" I have a coat addiction so I knew I'd be warm as well as adorable. Plus, you can always put more clothes on. No one EVER mentioned the summer. Heat, humidity, and mosquitos all missed the list of warnings. No one said, "Hey, your fabulous antique house isn't air conditioned (nor do the windows open, nor are there 3 prong plugs to accommodate a window unit anyway!!") No one said you can't eat dinner outside because there are so many mosquitos that you feel like you are on the menu. Thankfully, it is just a season so it passes almost as quickly as it arrived.
Although hot and humid are my least favorite weather conditions, the garden is thriving. We got into the habit of weighing our tomato harvest after watching the numbers add up at our friend Jeff's house from his prolific potted tomato plants. Last year we had 13 varieties of tomatoes for a total harvest of 67 pounds. What a great return for our efforts and an incredible cost savings were I to purchase those same heirlooms at the store for $6/lb. This year, Keith started seeds for almost all of our plants in the basement, some as early as February. He meticulously spritzed them with chamomile tea and peroxide to ward off disease and kept them as warm as possible with lights and mylar blankets. His hard work has most certainly paid off! The garden is producing like crazy. I wish I was in the habit of weighing more types of produce as I harvest it but so far, we've picked 158 pounds of tomatoes! Yes, you read that correctly. Ninety one and a half pounds in a 7 day period alone. OH.MY.GOODNESS. Now you know why my blog posts are so few and far between! If you aren't getting married this weekend or fruit flies aren't hovering on you on my kitchen counter then you get pushed to tomorrows list!
Beyond tomatoes, we are growing the following:
2 types of green beans, shell beans, 6 types of potatoes, sweet potatoes, 5 types of squash, 2 types of cucumbers, 6 types of melon, blueberries, strawberries, leeks, shallots, rhubarb, carrots, parsnips, fennel, salsify, celeriac, peppers, asparagus, 10 types of pumpkins, kale, brussels sprouts, and a partridge in a pear tree!
I know I've said it a hundred times, but summer in New England has been a far more challenging transition for me than winter. When voicing my plans to relocate, people would always comment on how cold it was and ask if I was "ready" for the winters. Freezing, snowy, long, etc. My answer was always, "yes, of course!" I have a coat addiction so I knew I'd be warm as well as adorable. Plus, you can always put more clothes on. No one EVER mentioned the summer. Heat, humidity, and mosquitos all missed the list of warnings. No one said, "Hey, your fabulous antique house isn't air conditioned (nor do the windows open, nor are there 3 prong plugs to accommodate a window unit anyway!!") No one said you can't eat dinner outside because there are so many mosquitos that you feel like you are on the menu. Thankfully, it is just a season so it passes almost as quickly as it arrived.
Although hot and humid are my least favorite weather conditions, the garden is thriving. We got into the habit of weighing our tomato harvest after watching the numbers add up at our friend Jeff's house from his prolific potted tomato plants. Last year we had 13 varieties of tomatoes for a total harvest of 67 pounds. What a great return for our efforts and an incredible cost savings were I to purchase those same heirlooms at the store for $6/lb. This year, Keith started seeds for almost all of our plants in the basement, some as early as February. He meticulously spritzed them with chamomile tea and peroxide to ward off disease and kept them as warm as possible with lights and mylar blankets. His hard work has most certainly paid off! The garden is producing like crazy. I wish I was in the habit of weighing more types of produce as I harvest it but so far, we've picked 158 pounds of tomatoes! Yes, you read that correctly. Ninety one and a half pounds in a 7 day period alone. OH.MY.GOODNESS. Now you know why my blog posts are so few and far between! If you aren't getting married this weekend or fruit flies aren't hovering on you on my kitchen counter then you get pushed to tomorrows list!
Beyond tomatoes, we are growing the following:
2 types of green beans, shell beans, 6 types of potatoes, sweet potatoes, 5 types of squash, 2 types of cucumbers, 6 types of melon, blueberries, strawberries, leeks, shallots, rhubarb, carrots, parsnips, fennel, salsify, celeriac, peppers, asparagus, 10 types of pumpkins, kale, brussels sprouts, and a partridge in a pear tree!
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