In May the only plants growing in my little garden were neat rows of garlic shoots. I planted the cloves in the fall before the earth froze. As the summer progressed the shoots were overshadowed by towering tomatoes and climbing vines on either side (the invasive beanstalks went so far as to wrap around the shoots like a pole). Underground however the bulbs steadily grew.  Unlike other fickle vegetables in my garden (I’m talking to you zucchini!) this allium batted a thousand.  I planted 9 cloves and harvested 9 shapely bulbs. I never thought I would describe the humble garlic as “plump and juicy” but this description fits this homegrown variety.…

It is my habit to check on my little garden each morning. Inspect. Prune. Sniff. I am constantly amazed by the amount of growth that happens over night, stems reaching up, leaves stretching out, limbs twisting about, expanding into the empty spaces, and most joyously at times, sprouting a pretty flower. That’s what I found this morning: the first zucchini blossom. I have already harvested bushels of lettuce, kale, arugula, and eaten plenty of crunchy salads, but it’s the summer squash and scarlet beans that adorn my garden like jewels. Gems of splashy orange blossoms and tiny red flowers. Pretty to look at, absolutely. But those fragile blooms are also…

In the height of the summer, I had a dream about tomatoes. My tomato plants had reached Jack in the Beanstalk proportions. As much as I strained up on my tippy toes, stretching my arms, I could not reach the top. That’s right, we had so many tomatoes, they perpetrated my dreams. In my garden, the tomato plants did not reach epic heights but they steadily grew taller, bushier and produced plenty of juicy tomatoes. I harvested the tomatoes as they turned from green to pink. This apparently is the best time to harvest a tomato to allow the fruit to finish ripening indoors (something about hormones emitting a gas…

My daughter really likes to cook and try new dishes. She’s always browsing for recipes. I suggested in the spring she find some recipes for zucchini. This slender green squash is apparently prolific, and I planted several in my garden. We would have an absolute glut. I may have been a tad optimistic.  Cucumber striped beetles killed my zucchini plants. Gardening lesson number 1 for me. Truthfully the cabbage worms in my kale were lesson number 1. It’s a multifaceted lesson: many critters can wreak havoc on a garden and they specialize. These pests are the policy equivalent of subject matter experts. They zoom in, laser focused, on their area of expertise…

I enjoyed my first harvest today. A little harvest. Fittingly. It’s been four weeks since I finished planting our smallest little garden, and I am amazed at how much bigger everything is. The plants are flourishing. Thriving. Thank you sunshine! My painted rock labels are now buried within the lush greenery. It has become my morning routine to check on the little garden at the side of my house. Assess the progress. Water if needed. Mound the soil around the potato stems. Weed. Inspect. Play in the dirt. Sniff the basil. Rather spontaneously, I picked a bunch of green lettuce and purple kale this morning. Small clusters, still young. The…

The tiny green sprouts are poking out. It all started early April. A friend sent me a photo of her raised garden beds. She was starting a backyard garden, maybe I can too? Her sunny plot is in California. Mine could not be so ambitious. Nonetheless, my dreamy aspirations grew larger watching the Biggest Little Farm. Thankfully, the Halton Environment Network organized a helpful webinar on Starting your own Garden. This was the practical advice a first-time gardener like me needed to get going. Here’s the basic process I followed: Step 1: Find a sunny spot It’s the west side of our house. We have a very small patch of…