the veggie garden in mid-July

I am not really a veggie gardener at heart.  I am a perennial gardener.  If I was a true vegetable gardener, I'd have something started inside, ready to fill the spot where I'm about to harvest the last of the spinach.  But I haven't. I don't even want to think about doing that, actually!  (I'm busy painting these days... more on that later.)  And there's more than enough to eat out there right now, anyway.

As a perennial gardener, I'm finished my mad spring rush of gardening, and I'm in cruise mode.  In the perennial garden, the plants in most areas by this time of the season are big enough to shade the soil and minimize weed growth, and the garden almost takes care of itself (I do a little deadheading and pull the largest weeds that catch my eye, and that's about it.) 

Most of the veggies are getting quite large and lush also now, and the veggie garden looks great.  So great I almost hate to harvest!  (I said almost, but I'm not quite that crazy!)  I truly have been my enjoying fresh greens these last many weeks and the strawberries and peas are starting to ripen now.  But it's kind of a pity things won't look so nice for the rest of the season, isn't it?  So in honour of the beauty of home-grown veggies, I thought I would post a few photos! 

I feel I should mention that this area is not complete - eventually those pots against the fence will also be replaced with raised beds.  Eventually...

Anyway, these beds seem to be doing very well for their first year - I've read that sometimes it takes a couple of years to get up to full production because it takes a while for the beneficial organisms to build up in the soil.  The boxes are 4' x 8' in area and more than 1 ft high.  After building them, I briefly thought that maybe they were too high, because of course, extra height means extra cost in wood and soil, and I was afraid they might dry out quickly.  But they don't, and I am loving the extra height because it is SOOOOOOO easy to weed.  My back is very happy!

And since having all this extra space was new for me this year, I wasn't sure how much of everything to plant.  So I guessed, and recorded what I did, so I can make notes for next year.  I planted 4 squares of spinach (see my notes on square foot gardening here), which was maybe a bit too much, but in case of a few dinners or potlocks, I'd like to have a little extra, so note to self: plant 4 squares of spinach again next year.  The actual garden and planting plan are shown from the same orientation, below:

Comments

[Megan]

The vegetable garden looks great!

My raised garden size has probably tripled this year - after trying it for the first time last year, I am hooked!

[plantman]

Throw some carrots where the spinach was, you'll get a nice small crop by Oct.

Your "small" veggies was most likely due to our poor spring weather which kept our soil too cool, not because of new soil. It's July and I'm just stating to get peas... Ridiculous!

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Thanks Megan. I am hooked too... just a little lazy at this time of year!
Good suggestion about the carrots, plantman. We can never have too many carrots around our house! I promise to get some planted in the next few days...
Janice

[Jenn]

Love the color coded pictures, I'm going to have to try that next year, much better then my chicken scratches on paper.

This may be a stupid question but whey plant the marigolds? For looks? Or do they serve a bigger purpose?

Thanks
Jenn

[Allison]

Hi Janice...relative gardening newbie here. Can you tell me why my broccoli was growing just fine and then went to seed after all this rain the last few days? I went outside and there are nothing but big flower shoots growing and one sad floret! Thanks in advance!

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Hi Allison,
Sorry for my late reply, your question got lot in my inbox for a while! I haven't grown broccoli myself so I'm only speaking from what I've read/heard but I do know that warm conditions will cause broccoli to flower so it's best to succession sow (sow seeds or seedlings over several months so that it doesn't all mature at once) and to harvest often when the weather is warm. They are cool season vegetables that bolt in hot weather - so the rain was maybe a coincidence?
My Rosalind Creasy book says that the flower buds and flowers are edible, if that helps!
Cheers,
Janice