There is something so indescribably satisfying about watching plants & children grow side by side. Only parent gardeners can know this feeling.
While this may be my fifth year as a father it is my first year growing food, so please excuse my excitement and ongoing desire to share pictures of vegetables with you ;)
I will at least try to offer wisdom from our experience, along with a few pics of my family.
At the moment we are eating pea leaves, shallot leaves, spinach, radish, strawberries, mint, parsley, coriander, rocket & dill. I also like to add some wild sorrel leaves, dandelion flowers & violet flowers to my salads at this time of year.
Here are a few pics taken over the last two days:
In recent weeks Esteban has been enjoying preparing me small salad bowls which I eat at home for my dinner. You can see him holding it here during strawberry harvest time.
Luna approves.
The magic purple potatoes (magic because the purple potatoes I ordered from amazon never turned up and these ones appeared without anyone planting them!) are getting special treatment with extra soil on top to encourage growth. I will keep on adding soil until I can add no more because I have seen in our courtyard how potatoes seem to like this.
The Experimental Lettuce Bed
Newly transplanted on the left (with correct spacing & good weeding), verses direct planting in the middle (intensely bunched with pruning required) verses planting single seeds at the correct distance apart on the right (with less weeding). I like to make comparisons. Helps me learn.
Feel like the transplant method will be the most effective in the end at best utilising the space without wasting plants. Doesn't feel right pruning healthy lettuces, while the row on the right has too many gaps in it.
As for weeding I really don't know at the moment. Let's just say it is a lot of work keeping things under control.
We have learned however that when things are covered, nothing grows. One of our few remaining empty spots seen covered here.
So if we cover everything which isn't being used this winter, this should kill off most things and our weeding will be greatly reduced next year. We will also be adding a load of compost to the top before covering for the winter.
Half a row of baby beetroot here. Can't wait to eat the leaves in salads.
The other half row is rocket. Alongside a full row of carrots.
Beans, spinach, freshly transplanted lettuce & peas.
The randomly placed lavender plants help detract certain insects apparently.
Our first bean, looking very proud!
The army of tomatoes were grown from a few fruit I found in January on a dead looking vine in a neighbour's allotment. The freshly sprouted line in the middle are radishes which I know will be ready before these tomatoes take up all the light.
Loving the raised beds we made though I do keep catching my toes on the ever more disguised edges. Running around like a nutter most of the time doesn't help.
Sweetcorn looking good there in the furthest bed.
Onions, garlic & shallots here.
Some of the garlic & onions did not enjoy the recent torrential rain and one or two even died. But generally speaking they are looking great now that the temperature has risen and the days are sunny.
Grape vine really kicking into life now.
Found a second vine right on the edge of our land. So very beautiful.
We have cleared a new area behind the trampoline for cucumbers, courgettes & eggplant.
Random artichokes (there before our arrival) looking fab.
I had never seen a ginger plant before now. Looks amazing to me. I am growing it in tubs back at home too. Love ginger in smoothies.
In this area we are creating a natural insect repellant & fertiliser using stinging nettles.
The cherries look like they are around one week away from being ready...
This area will be our cherry munching shade paradise.
Happy we also have a pool for the kids to cool off in. I fill it up with very cold water from the mountain in the morning so that it is a more enjoyable temperature by the afternoon. At the end of the day the dirty water is used on the garden.
Jerusalem artichoke here in the corner with some beans & lettuce. We are experimenting in this bed with cut grass as a way of minimising unwanted plant growth. Seems to be working great.
Butternut squash is filling up the gaps here next to the composing area.
Protected from the mouths of slimy things with egg shells. We hope...
My future fruit trees.
Right next to my chill seat. Found it broken on the side of the road!
I planted sunflowers all around the perimeter. Still small but going strong.
Hidden next to the nettles I have the original favourite of mine. I have been growing these medicinal plants since I was 17 years old, but stopped when I became a father. Feels like the right time to start again. Not too sure yet where they will end up. Just sure I want to grow them.
Trees on our land include figs, almonds, walnuts, apples & cherries.
In the last month we planted berries all over the place. They should produce something this year, but next year will be better.
The last thing we did today was build a decent sized frame for the tomatoes.
And pick some spinach!
It is important to me that this garden is also a playground for the children.
This way they will always associate fun with growing food. And in time, without me having to ask them, I believe they will simply want to help.
Currently they just want to eat. Which is perfect! As you can see, Luna is very good at this bit. Strawberries all gone.
She is also good at effortlessly demonstrating the importance of our intimate connection with nature, at a time I can only describe as the age of enforced disconnection.
I watched the snail crawl from the grass, up the side of the pool, onto her body and directly up her spine, perfectly tracking her chakra points. I shed a tear because this moment had an indescribable perfection to it.
Luna didn't even notice.
As always I extend to you, my brothers & sisters, an invitation to join us here. My next goal is land, upon which we intend to build an earthship community.
And for that I will need people.
Love & Light everyone 🍒
