Garden recap

Gardening is not for me.

I'm glad we gave it a try, but I just don't see myself tending gardens year after year. It seems like we invested a lot into the garden, but didn't get a lot out of it. Our lettuce was bitter. Our basil was pungent. Our broccoli and peppers did not grow, the melons we planted were tiny and flavorless, and the cilantro was just ... weird. We did have some success with peas, carrots and tomatoes, but the tomatoes came in so, so late in the season and the carrots were all short and stubby.

I do realize that this was not the best year for any gardener (from the green variety, like us, to long-time gardening enthusiasts, master gardeners and even professional fruit and veggie farmers), thanks to the weather, and I've had a few folks tell me that I should not draw conclusions based on the unusual circumstances of 2010. But I am going to draw conclusions because, well, I know me. And I know that this is not my thing. Even giving it a trial run was a stretch. For me, when it comes to gardening, I've learned that the reward is in the result -- not the process. I do not enjoy digging, planting and watering, so to spend so much time and money on this project only to receive so little in return is quite a disappointment. This is so, so different from how I feel about other activities. For example, running. I like running, so even if I don't finish as a 5K in record time, it isn't a big deal because the training part is actually something I enjoy doing. Same with baking cookies. This year, I entered chocolate chip cookies into the Washington County Fair. I did not receive a ribbon. That's OK, though, because I enjoy baking cookies. The process was fun for me, and my time was not wasted. Gardening, unfortunately, felt just like a big fat waste of time.

Plus, I really don't need to garden. I live right on the edge of farmland (really, right on the edge). In less than an hour, I can drive to several local farms and be back home with a colorful variety of fruits and veggies (grown by people who know what they are doing). I can also join a CSA, and they'll deliver a box of fresh produce to my door each week. There are also tons of farmer's markets around here, as well as stores that specialize in locally-grown fruits and veggies.

And this works out great for me, because I would much rather spend time in the kitchen than in the dirt.

Veggie thieves

Rumor has it that some random person (in other words -- someone who is not a member of our garden community) has been wandering into the garden and taking it upon himself to pick and eat veggies. Apparently, he has been informed him that the garden is not public (it seems he thought that the garden was for everyone to enjoy -- not just the employees who tend the garden and paid for their plots and all their supplies and plants). The person who caught him in the act was not thrilled -- and I'm not thrilled either! Especially knowing that she caught the guy eating peas. They might have been my peas!! Signage informing passers-by that the garden is not a free-for-all has been proposed. I like that idea. I hope they put signs up asap!

New starts

Last night I went to the Hillsboro Tuesday Marketplace, and I was really surprised that none of the vendors were selling starts (maybe they only do that on weekends??). So much for that plan. Instead, I bought a great bottle of wine from Blooming Hill Vineyard -- their 2008 Mingle, which is a blend Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling (I usually prefer reds, but this white wine is going to be great on a warm summer night! Maybe even tonight!). 

Anyway, the whole no-starts-at-the-market thing meant I had to revise my plan. So, today I went out to New Leaf Greenhouse in Cornelius. For $7.15 I left with two new tomato plants, two peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe and honeydew. It might be too hot to plant tonight (my car says it is 100!) ... but I hope to get them in the ground soon.

Easy peasy!

Today I feel like an official gardener! Last night, for the first time, we had home-grown veggies for dinner ... steamed snow peas. Here is the recipe ...

1. Wash and trim your snow peas
2. Place snow peas in steamer basket
3. Fill a medium saucepan about 2/3 with salted water
4. Bring to boil
5. Place steamer basket over saucepan; cover
6. Turn down burner to medium low
7. Steam for about 2 minutes
8. Sprinkle with salt to taste, and enjoy!

We tried installing drip irrigation

Our garden mission on Monday was to install drip irrigation. This way, all we have to do to water our plants (not that watering has really been necessary up until this week!) is turn on the faucet and wait. No standing around holding a hose! Except it often seems like a project wouldn't be a project without at least one minor problem. Yesterday, it was a defective product. Actually, it was really us -- we should have looked closely at the supplies to make sure they weren't defective (we didn't). So, when Carl attached the little nozzle thing between the hose and this other hose-like-thing-that-surrounds-the-garden-so-plants-can-receive-water (don't go thinking I actually know the name of these items!) all it did was spray water in his face and all around the garden (rather than in the garden). By this time, it was getting cold and the sun was going down so we had to hurry and take it apart. We went back to Home Depot, where we exchanged the defective little nozzle thing. By now, though, it was 9:30 and too dark to go back and finish the job. So much for getting the drip irrigation in before the scorching summer temps arrive (tomorrow)!

The good news?! We have more snow peas and sugar snap peas!!! Lots of them (not that I've even used the ones we harvested last week ... I know, I know, I need to get right on that).

As for our sad little peppers and tomatoes, they are still in the garden. I meant to get some new starts last week at the Tuesday Marketplace, but we ran into some friends and got to chatting about how none of us could be any more disinterested in the movie Twilight Eclipse (or any of the other movies in that series) and I totally forgot. So, that is what I will be doing tonight!

Adorable baby sunflowers

I love sunflowers, so when I saw these adorable baby sunflowers in another plot at the community garden I just had to take a photo. Aren't they cute?

Sugar snap peas! And snow peas!

We did it! We actually grew some veggies! We harvested sugar snap peas and snow peas last night. They look and taste a lot better than any peas I've purchased at the store, too. The sugar snap peas are great right of the vine (is that what they call it? a vine), but I'll probably steam the snow peas and throw them in a stir-fry or something.

Carl harvesting snow peas: