We have just celebrated the winter solstice in my part of the world, and the seed catalogs are already starting to turn up in my mailbox for the next planting season. Work and studies have kept me pretty busy, but I carved out a little time to put in a kitchen garden again last year. Digging in the soil, listening to the buzz of the bees, and working muscles little used while sitting at a desk helped slow time down for while while the stress melted away. This year had a cool and rainy start which delayed getting the garden started. I was so excited to see one of my fig trees develop fruit for the first time; however, because of the cool start, it was so late in the season that they didn't get a chance to mature...fingers crossed for next year. Although I wasn't able to have as much variety as some previous years, I was still able to capture a few glamour shots of the daily (sometimes twice a week) harvests. Before I turn to dreaming about next year's garden plan, I thought I'd share some of these highlights from my 2018 garden with you.
2018 Garden Highlights
Early spring greens (chard, kale, spinach)
Makings of a strawberry and greens smoothie
The wettest year on record helped produce these giant squash plants in this view of two of the raised beds in the front yard.
Cucumbers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, green, wax, and broad beans, peppers and basil
Onions, shallots, cucumbers (green and Asian dragons egg), bell pepper, zucchini, ground cherries, green, wax and broad beans
Onions, eggplant, cucumbers (green and Asian dragons egg), bell pepper, zucchini, ground cherries, green, wax and broad beans, tomato, and lima beans
French market carrots, Asian cucumber, tomatoes, red and yellow onions, shallots, and broad beans
Cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground cherries, green, wax and broad beans, Italian sweet peppers, and lima beans
Cantaloupe and heirloom tomatoes
Eggplant, Italian and bell sweet peppers, tomatoes, basil, cucumber, sage, and raspberries
Eggplant, bell and jalapeño peppers, tomatoes, and sage
Eggplant, jalapeño and bell peppers, beets, carrots, tomatoes, and arugula
Kale, chard, carrots, and sweet peppers
Thanks for reading!
