Can you grow lavender? How about Mortgage Lifters? There will always be that one unique crop that you grow better than your neighbor. Take my friend, Sherry who has lush lavender growing down her walkways when all my attempts (to date) are dismal. Out in this neck of the woods, we have a custom of “walking the garden.” When you go visiting, you look forward to walking out to their garden and talking shop with a kindred spirit. I love this tradition, so I want to take you on a walk with me today.
Here is my bramble patch. If you plant blackberries and raspberries too close together, they cross-pollinate to produce boysenberries which explain the spacing here. The blackberries are covered to prevent sun-scour. Jim was aggressive in his pruning.
I have two patches of asparagus. I hate leaving them at the old homestead as it takes years to establish a new bed, but I have some tips on planting asparagus that I am eager to share. Yes, I need to weed, but with their shallow roots, it must be done by hand.
I tried a new variety of heirloom peas that was created to grow lots of tentacles to eat. It was a great addition to our spring salads.
I let the strawberries in the back raised beds go. They needed to be replanted and where they were located made it difficult to water. One nice thing about the new place will be utilizing techniques I’ve learned over the years to plan a more efficient, productive garden at the new homestead. An essential key to successful homesteading is realizing when you need to scale-back on too many projects.
Can you guess what I am using as a flower pot? The well water is so hard here that it ate through the metal chicken waterers. I filled the units with stones and potting soil. Now they are useful planters that will help attract pollinators to increase the yield of my Mortgage Lifter, a meaty tomato that the originator sold so successfully he was able to pay off his mortgage, hence the name.
Don’t forget to pick up some seeds or flowers to fill in as you harvest the first fruits to this year’s garden. Sevin or an organic spray works wonders when the squash bugs have arrived too! Take time to walk a garden with a friend soon!!
Annie May
