The weather is changing rapidly, from the cold winter to the hot summer. But it is also still very confused, as we have had some rain (we live in a winter rain season area) and some really cold days. The area where I live is still cold, while the rest of the country it seems is fully summer. Either way, the Swiss Chard loves a bit of colder weather. I have been harvesting so much from the them the last couple of weeks, it is almost scary amounts that I get. I have resorted to giving away much of it, as one can only really eat so much of the stuff. I have also made some other foods (spanakopita and so on) with it and froze most of them. Is this what true abundance looks like? Having so much from so few plants?
I think I have at most 10 swiss chard plants...
It was really a mountain of swiss chard after the harvest...
Elsewhere, my pepper plants are really taking root, quite literally. I planted some of them out in the garden, some in raised beds, some still only in the containers. But they are really happy from the looks of it. I have some damage on some of the plants, but for the most part I am happy with their growth. It is now a waiting game to see if they can grow their second pair of true leaves before the bugs get to them.
Between all of the chickweed seedlings, I spotted some basil seedlings! I did not plant basil in this particular space this season, so it must have been some seeds from the previous batch I tried to grow in this spot, but what a wonderful surprise to find! Most of my basil has died, so I am trying to grow again. But the bugs and slugs are making it a tough season so far... I have lost most if not all of the seedlings that I saw.
The second attempt amaranth seedlings, which I also lost a month ago due to slugs and snails, are also looking good. But now I have a different problem. See the third photograph. There are really big birds, the hadida, that just love to stick their beaks into the ground to eat the worms and bugs in the raised bed. But because of their size, and the size of the holes they make in the garden bed, I am again losing a lot of seedlings. This growing season feels like a really hard one, and I am not sure why! Maybe with true abundance, more problems come as well?
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Every morning I walk past my lemon trees, and this season they are again producing so many flowers. The next lemon season will definitely be a good one. Have you ever really appreciated the beauty of lemon flowers?
And lastly, growing in the shadows of the lemon trees, there are so many wild strawberries, and for the first time in many years, I see some strawberry fruits! For a long time, the birds and other animals got to them before I could. Now, it seems like I had some of them to me!
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Either case, the garden is looking healthy even with the colder weather still holding on. But I am sure when the summer really hits us, we will long for these colder days.
Happy gardening!
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit fueled by the true abundance I am experiencing. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.