Harvest Time!

It's been a long time since Jim and I have had a "real" vegetable garden.  For many years now, we've been making do by growing a few tomatoes and herbs in large pots, but the urge to spread out and go with some larger crops could not be denied. Our friend, Jerry, came to the rescue and offered us some of his garden space — including this lovely raised bed — for the summer.

a raised bed filled with nice soil and drip irrigation is a garden'er's dream

A bit of weeding and a lot of waiting are starting to pay off. The past week we've been in harvest mode for corn and green beans,

"Silver Queen" is always a winner

nothing says Summer! like fresh sweet corn

French green beans are prolific, tender and sweet

and looking forward to tomatoes, and potatoes. One of Jim's clients gave him an wild assortment of heirloom tomatoes that we can't wait to taste.

some are just now flowering,

while others are almost ripe

Eating our fresh veggies has been a treat, and fired up our cooking mojo.  Thanks for the land loan, Jerry — we're diggin it!

Community Gardens — Santa Clarita Style

This stunning, flowering artichoke is very California! No?

I  recently took a whirlwind trip to Santa Clarita, California, and made a brief visit to their community gardens in Central Park. The one acre-plus garden area  features an attractive tool shed and a large, pergola shaded gathering space. Pathways were heavily mulched, and the entire space was neat, well tended and obviously appreciated by the member gardeners.

I was struck by two things: The garden area was open and welcoming to the public, but each plot (maybe 8'x12' in size) was enclosed in a knee-high fence of hardware cloth. A great idea to keep the bunnies at bay.

I was also impressed at the diversity of the gardens. Some were very utilitarian veggie production sites, but most of them showed individual character and featured both edibles and flowers.

hollyhocks already in full bloom

A fun take on "square foot" gardening.

And some plots looked like miniature backyard or patio gardens with paths, seating, and ornaments.

Three cheers for the gardeners of Santa Clarita for making the most of their community gardens.

Monday Mash-Up 4.28.2014

Cameo quince, Chaenomeles speciosa 'Cameo'

1. The showiest bloomer in my garden right now is this quince. I can't quite capture the elusive salmon color.

2. A great article about avoiding the hard-sell for Emerald Ash Borer pesticide applications.

3. Yes, now is the time to prune your roses. Here is a brief "how-to".

4. This is my favorite garden of the week on Pintrest. These days I'm drawn to designs that feature strong contrasts between formal and informal.

5. Overwhelmed with debris from your spring garden clean-up? You can recycle it here rather than sending it to the landfill: Mountain States Wood Recyclers, 2300 W. Radcliff Ave, Englewood  CO, 303-789-3356.