Of Guinea Pigs, Kale and Leeks....

This weekend I learned a few things about the garden. First, don't lose your garden map, or you won't know where you've planted your leeks. Second, don't let your weeds get so big that you can't see where you've planted your leeks. Third, leeks are probably better started in a greenhouse rather than direct seeded, because then I would be able to see where they are once I plant them in the garden. I think I have unwittingly weeded out several of of my leeks, because of the foregoing. As you can see, these supposedly "Giant Winter Leeks" are quite teeny tiny yet, the ones I haven't plucked out yet, that is! Well, lesson learned.

I also learned that when you give your guinea pigs succulent spinach, kale, lettuce, celtuce, and oatgrass from the garden, ordinary grocery store veggies just won't do! Scooter and Sophie go a little bit crazy for their local veggies, standing up on their hind legs to beg for more, and scarfing down the tender leaves as fast as they can chew!

Things are going pretty well in the Little Garden - I can harvest greens almost every day, and we even had a whole salad from the greens a few days ago. When we start getting our CSA shares, (which starts this week!) the little garden will mainly be used to feed the pigs, which will please them I'm sure!
And the Big Garden is going quite well too, despite the odd accidental leek-weeding. The corn is about 8 inches high, and the squash and beans are really starting to take off. I harvested a couple small radishes today, and they were quite tasty and spicy! And not at all woody, which is what happened to them last year. I did plant a few different varieties this year, and harvesting them earlier seems to make a difference as well. The cucumbers, potatoes, cantaloupe and garbanzo beans are also coming along reasonably well, although not all of these germinated, at least not so far. I have a lot of carrots, and will have to thin those pretty soon.

I've got my watering system worked out now too, with the addition of a watering timer that will ensure the garden gets the water it needs even if I'm away at Tai Chi or somewhere else in the evenings.

And now, I'm in from the garden and finished the day's housework, so I'm going to treat myself to a cup of tea, a cookie or two and bury my head in a book for a half hour or so before bed...

Another Big and Little Garden update, and a request...

We've had a nice combination of sun and rain here over the last few days and things are starting to grow like crazy. From the Little Garden and the whiskey barrel planters I've been harvesting kale, spinach, celtuce, lettuce, leaf beats, and oatgrass for the guinea pigs and they are loving it! I've popped a few leaves into my mouth as well while picking stuff for them, and I can taste why they like it so much. It won't be long before things are big enough to make a human-sized salad.

I think I've figured out a reasonable Big Garden watering arrangement now - a sprinkler on a timer with some soaker hoses for around the edges of the garden to make sure the deer-deterring marigolds get water too. Unfortunately, due to our low water pressure, I can't run both the soaker hose and the sprinkler at the same time, but I will be able to deal with that I think.

The picture below is of a flower garden that was supposed to have sprouted daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses this Spring. But when June came and there was only one little green sprig poking out of the dirt, I decided to investigate. What I found were dry bulbs that were doing nothing, and some rotten bulbs that were beyond saving. So I planted the dry bulbs all together in the very front section of the flower bed, and now I have the remainder of the bed to do something else with. I think it could be a decent herb garden, but I am not quite sure what to plant.

I would like some things that flower (maybe echinacea?) but some little bushy plants would be ok too, and some ground cover, like thyme. I would like it to look casual, but not messy, and nothing that would impede the walkway to the front door. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do with this space?

Wishing everyone a Sunday of contentment!

May Flowers!

It has been a long prairie Winter and it is good to see some real signs of Spring! I took this picture today - the little yellow flowers look so cute and courageous. They are the only flowering things in the yard so far. It makes my eyes happy to look upon them.

My eyes are also glad to look at our guinea pigs, Scooter and Corky. When I was feeding them a little while ago, before I went outside to take the flower picture, I sat and watched them eat. They are very focussed eaters. I can learn a lot from them. They are single minded about their task of eating, just like they are totally committed to their naps. Do one thing at a time, and do it well: The Zen of Pigs.