After we built and filled the new raised beds for a kitchen garden, we got pummeled with hail. Repeatedly. We even had another hailstorm last week that knocked out one of the largest providers to our farmers' markets. The Community Supported Agriculture farms have been hard hit, and have been helping each other out, depending on who just got bombarded and who didn't.
This makes our miniscule backyard efforts look both insignificant and more important than ever.
Here is what our new garden looks like at the end of July, nearly eight weeks after the final frost:
It only looks this good because last night my daughter planted the replacement herbs we bought.
Inside the mesh walls at the back of the tallest bed are the tomatoes, doing their best to put out leaves and fruit despite the weather and the squirrels. In front of them are basil plants, one of which has made it through from the earlier planting and three of which are new. The marigolds have been trucking along fine since the start. It's been nice to have their cheerful color survive day to day. In front of the marigolds are some beets (you can actually see their green tops) and, nearly invisible, starts of carrots.
In the other four-foot bed, my daughter just added sage and parsley, and she is hoping her zucchini will make it before winter . . . and that the squirrels haven't dug up the seeds. There's chicken wire over the bed because the squirrels do love to dig around and kick the dirt out into the lawn.
We haven't planted the small bed at the back yet—too busy reworking and protecting the others.
Susan J. Tweit
My sympathy on the horrible weather and the abundance of hail, and good for you for persevering with the garden anyway. It’s hard to imagine all the moisture and hail you’ve had since we’re back to drought here in southern Colorado. I guess that’s global warming, an oscillation from extreme to extreme. May the remainder of summer treat you and your garden well….
Deborah Robson
You’ve been wishing for our moisture, we’ve been wishing for it in a different form!
Climate change: one small thing I’m doing is biking. The good news is that I’m enjoying it a LOT and I’m stronger because of it.
When I have a reliable internet connection again (I’m at the library on cable because regional DSL is kaput again), I have another bike post. Also fiber stuff. I did download an offline blog post composer this morning before we lost our connection.
Susan J. Tweit
I think biking is not such a small thing: for one thing, you’re an example for others. And it shifts your view of what transportation means, probably in a similar way to the way our solar panels have shifted our understanding of where “power” comes from. We’re more conscious of how and when and how much electricity we use now, because we can see it being generated and being used. Same w/ biking, I bet.
Sorry about the unreliable connection! I don’t have an excuse as good as that for being behind on my blog post this week. (Too much work, too many out of town guests.) Tonight I’ll post!
Deb Robson
Susan J. Tweit
Another 6.5 hours off the net? That’s awful. I hope that whatever’s wrong w/ your DSL is fixed this time….
Deb Robson
Susan J. Tweit
Ouch on not being able to even get web mail. That is serious! I’m glad you could get the book out via the cable internet at the library though, even if it was slow…. I hope your ISP’s all healed by now!