So this summer has been an awful year for gardening in Portland. We had rain all the way through June, which left slugs attacking EVERYTHING, and then the rest of summer just didn't have the hot and sunny days that it normally does. That can be bad for the spirit, but it is terrible for those of us who love to garden. Last summer I found myself spending hours in our garden, taking photographs, munching veggies, and embracing the power of soil. This year I have mostly been avoiding my yard, mainly because I have been so sad and disappointed with the turnout. Last year at this time we had 25 pumpkins, an abundance of butternut and spaghetti squash, more zucchini than you could shake a stick at, tomatoes coming out of our ears, and a whole host of other goodies. This year, not so much.Well, yesterday I decided that I was sick of sulking, and I got out into the garden, took some photos, and decided to appreciate the (much smaller) bounty that we DO have this year. So maybe we only have a few measly zucchini and yellow squash, and maybe our heirloom tomatoes are slow to ripen, but we do have a bunch of cherry tomatoes (more than we can eat!), some potatoes on the way, and some peppers that are getting close to being ready. We also have some treats that we didn't have last year, like the world's smallest ears of corn (seriously, they are that tiny... my neighbor asked me if they were the kind you put in stir-fry and salad) and some Japanese eggplants. We also harvested some beets last night and roasted them for dinner. Yum!
So, even though our harvest was not nearly what I expected, at least we are producing some of our own food in our front yard. And, even though our yard doesnt look nearly as spectacular as last year (25 pumpkins look pretty awesome, let me tell you), it is still much nicer than a lawn of nothing but grass. And, although I have basically given up in the garden for this year, I am that much more motivated for spring and to have the plentiful garden that we had hoped for this year.
Wishing you all bountiful harvests this fall!
Its hard not to compare harvests. I find myself doing that too. This year we planted our fall garden, my husband planted the seeds, and I'm not sure what happened becasue a lot of them didnt come up. My guess is they were a little too deep. Needless to say we wont have the abundant greens I had hoped for this fall. Oh well...*sigh*...until spring.
ReplyDelete:)Lisa
I can't wait to visit you more! I want to make the dahl, those bean bags, those cookies.
ReplyDeleteGarden harvests on this coast were frustrating, too. NO rain. My fall garden is struggling . . . and things like the elderberry I planted in the spring is wilting. I'm excited about colder weather and planting in our cold frame.