July 23, 2008

If you could have seen me the other day, you’d have seen me get into a couple good fights…in the garden…with some very large thistles. My vegetable garden had been overtaken by weeds, but in the last few days I have regained control! Just in time to harvest some kohlrabi, swiss chard, and later this week a few beets. This time of year is one of my favorites as I start to reap the benefits of all the late night mosquito bites, the hard work, and all the sweat. Tomatoes and potatoes are coming along really good, and I’m looking forward to savoring that first bite from them! Until that time, I’m putting in a new planting along the north side of my garage. It gets quite a bit of shade, so I’m planting ‘Frances Williams’ hosta, ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas, and daylilies and boxwood in the areas that receive more sunlight. The edging seems like it is always the hardest part, but once that is in the rest will be a piece of cake!

            Next to the vegetable garden, I’ve also started a blueberry and raspberry patch. My fiancé loves raspberries, so I chose ‘Heritage’ and ‘Boyne’ to be delicious ever bearing raspberries. There is plenty of room in the garden to allow the patch to grow into a healthy patch to share fruit with the neighbors. The blueberries should be very happy as I amended the soil to be a lower pH by adding peat moss and Iron Sulphate, which will both help to lower the pH of the soil. I’m looking forward to that first crop of berries just like you all do! We’ll have a pretty healthy garden of fruits and veggies, until you add in all the sugar to make Rhubarb Pie!

Wendy Jasper
MNLA Certified Professional

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