The garden - the first 6 months

It's been great first 6 months in our community garden. I learned a lot and was very happy with most of my experiments. There is still much I want to try and I am already thinking about next summer and I already have produce going for fall.

Michael takes much better shots with the actual camera than my iPhone does - which was the source of most of the prior photos. Here are some better pics of the garden throughout these first few months:


Early on Aaron helped me make this sign - which is now in the bed with artichokes and strawberries - plus a few annuals Aaron had picked out - but most of his garden visits are more like the photo on the right - picnics!


We expanded into a second plot mid-summer.


The garden still needs seating of some kind, and I would love an arbor between the first and second plots, and there is still one entirely bare corner in the second plot. But otherwise it's been a very productive 6 months growing: basil, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, chives, corn, 2 kinds of eggplant, globe artichokes, green beans, green onion, 3 kinds of chiles, 5 kinds of lettuce, leeks, mint, onions, oregano, pumpkins, 2 kinds of radishes, strawberries, 7 breeds of tomatoes.

Only 2 complete and utter failures (nothing harvested or what was was un-eatable): watermelon, shallots

Pumpkin Carving Prep

We went to McGrath Pumpkin Patch to get our own pumpkins for actual carving (the ones we grew in our plot were too small for what we had in mind).



The professional/hobbyist carvers demonstrating their work were inspirational.



Our own pumpkin pie!

Faulkner Farms

Faulkner Farms is a nearby working farm that usually has events around this time of year. We went to go visit.


Aaron particularly liked seeing the pumpkins smashed by the trebuchet.


The maze is always a big hit too. This year he realized he was big enough to go on top of the haybales like the big kids do.


Baby pigs!


And a yummy slushy to round out the hot day.

Mystery plant identified

Earlier this summer a weed sprouted up that I decided not to pull because it looked like "something." All summer long it got taller and taller, and the other gardeners would ask me what it was, but I didn't know. Finally, in August it began to prepare to bloom. By then it was about 7 feet tall. I posted a photo to a plant ID website and got my answer: it's Lion's Ears!


It's officially early Fall now. I still have a few herbs going strong, and young carrots, lettuce, broccoli. We even have a new baby pumpkin that just started! I've also planted onions, garlic, Swiss chard (bright lights), sugar snap peas, bush bean, brussel sprouts, beets (which don't seem to be sprouting), spinach (ditto), and cauliflower. My friend Kristen has convinced me to try cool weather tomatoes - if I can find some at the nursery.


Does this candelabra cactus our friend Jon gave us look like it is about to bloom?

After School Beach Fun

Harvesting Pumpkins

We grew a few small pumpkins of our own this year at the community garden plot. Aaron was thrilled to harvest them.

Bug Eyes