Voila, the left side of the garden, in early June. As you can
see, the potatoes are in the cardboard boxes, and are sprouting
with vigour. There are other things planted between the boxes
that thrived at first, but languished after the potatoes really
took off and plunged them into deep shade. I just consider
most of the lettuce in that part of the garden as living mulch.
Voila, the right side of the garden, in early June. The tomatoes
were a little more fussy about being transplanted, and I tried
sowing some directly into the garden at the beginning of June,
but they didn't really sprout until the transplants had a
fighting chance anyway. That dark bar at the bottom is actually
the shadow of my house in the afternoon. As you can see, the
garden gets ALL of the sunny part of the yard. The back yard in
the evening is pretty bright, perfect for a quick romp and wallow
before bed.
Elena shows off what happened to the garden in less than a
month. She's ready for her stint on the Price is Right,
don't you think? The potatoes have outgrown their boxes.
The tomatoes have taken over the world. The birds planted
about twenty sunflowers over the winter, seeds from last
year's harvest, obviously. I weeded them at first, and then
transplanted four of the ones that got knee-high, letting
the remaining six grow for a little midday shade. Tomatoes
like midday shade, and the sunflowers lend a little support
for the vines, as well. People keep telling me what a lot
of work I must do in the garden... but it's just the plants
doing what they want to do. The really hard part is
stepping back and not interfering.
Hilton tries out the bower between two of the sunflowers. I
got the idea to put a chair in there from the kids, when I was
out pulling radishes and grass from the tomato beds. I couldn't
plant anything else after the last radish came out because it
was too deeply shaded, but it was just the right size for a kid
patio chair. The kids couldn't see me from the other side of
the yard, and Elena sagely told Hilton: "Mommy got lost in the
garden again." :-) I figured that little bit of space
shouldn't be wasted. This is actually the only time Hilton has
ever sat in the chair. He has his father's ideas about the
proper places for furniture, and keeps yanking it out of the
tomato bed, and putting it back on the patio. It's tough,
being the only Aquarian in the house.
Next year, I'm expanding the garden to cover the WHOLE yard, and making little trails and bowers for the kids to play in, little tunnels of beans and tomatoes, forest of corn, a meadow of onions and carrots... Oh yes. My kids are my hamsters, and my garden is their Habitrail. Oh yes.
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