The vegetable garden revisited....

The vegetable garden exceeded my expectations for growth...everything I planted in that lasagna dirt was tall and lush and thick!  I even planted artichokes! They grew to immense proportions and pumped out little chokes starting in August, everyone was amazed....not as amazed as I, though! Everyone thought that our climate was too cold and too short...NOPE! I figure that with the right start in the winter...maybe a small greenhouse and some blessing from above...I can grow anything I want!

Squash!

Cinnamon Basil and Alpine Strawberries...um...and Cumin!

Tomatoes...these monsters grew 6ft tall and I had 5 gallon buckets full!

Cinnamon Basil/Lemon Basil

Bounty of first picked squash

The size of the tomatoes!

I truly wanted to finish my fence this year but Mother Nature decided that that was not going to happen...first, every where I wanted a post for the gate...there was enormous rocks...well...boulders! AND then...it rained...and rained...and guess what? rained some more! filled up all my boulder holes with water...they are three feet deep....

And the water did not recede for weeks, also...digging enormous rocks out of the dirt made me realize something...I am OLD..er......sooo...fence finishing next year!

 I even grew jalapenos...yuck! but I gave one to the neighbor...who loves hot stuff...and after his face turned purple...he spit it out...must have been hot? No Subway peppers for me! THESE babies WERE HOOOOT!

Next year I am going to can salsa with them...and pickle some for the brave people that don't mind their nose hairs incinerated...

I grew Okra too...it was gorgeous! I am putting it in my flower beds next year! It has the most beautiful yellow and red lily looking flowers I have ever seen!

Watermelons

All in all I am thrilled with my Vegetable dirt and the fact that everything grew in abundance! I have way better ideas for next year and one thing I am adamant about? I AM NOT MOWING GRASS! I am planting every square inch of this property and I want to try some grains...The garden was beautiful and I had a lot of visitors...people I would meet at the lake even knew who I was! They all thought I was crazy at first until it started to take shape and then they would drive by to see it progress....at least I am not known as the old lady with 50 cats! LOL! Just the lady with the "almost done" garden...

With my part time job I am going to purchase a food dehydrator to dry herbs and apples...oh...the apples around here! they are everywhere...applesauce, apple cider...apple crisp...mmmm...I am so hungry! Lunchtime here I come! See you all soon!