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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Kitchen Garden

From here on out, these are new posts that have not already been on Facebook. 



When I was a kid, we had this fantastic raised garden. It was about 4 feet by 10 feet or so and we grew all kinds of things. Squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, chili peppers, bell peppers, lima beans. Lemon mint, spearmint, parsley, fennel, dill, oregano. Zinnias, cosmos, marigolds. It was magical.  I loved watering it, I love weeding it, and I loved going to check it every day to see what had grown and changed. I remember Gran used to tell me, “All your life, you’ll have your own secret garden, just like in the story.”


Well, true to that prediction, I have always attempted to be a gardener. However, being in apartments with tiny little sun-baked patios, I have not reached the splendor of the garden I always wanted. Last year I had a good little group of pots going, but a summer out of town with no rain and 100 degree heat pretty much finished it off.
Now, I don’t have much success keeping plants beautiful, so I mostly plant things that will be useful to me in my cooking. So here’s what I have going this year: parsley, cilantro, oregano, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, soybeans, mint, aloe vera (not for cooking so much as first aid), chives, green onions, and basil.  
And I have some failed experiments going, like planting a stalk of celery that didn’t take root, and chopped up strawberries that didn’t sprout, and rosemary seeds that never came up. I also have a potato I stuck in the edge of the onion pot that I don’t know what to do with. I’m hoping to keep this alive through the certain to be sweltering summer that is coming up. I’ll keep you posted on how that’s coming. In the mean time, I have harvested one good cucumber, two bell peppers, and a whole bunch of really truly delicious tomatoes. 





  

1 comment:

  1. I love your blog, Miss Kate! Reading this was a wonderful way to start my Monday. :) I am impressed with all of your successes and also glad you posted about your failures (makes me feel a little better as I have several pots where I am growing dirt and not much else...)

    As for your celery, I put mine in a vase with some water to cover the bottom for a few days before planting. That seemed to 'jump-start' it enough that it wasn't too cranky when I stuck it in the soil. Also, I used a mixture of potting soil and ground soil...sometimes straight potting soil is too harsh for the juicier varieties of dicots.

    I love your pictures! I can't wait to hear more, good luck and happy growing! :D

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